Week of March 14th-18th

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Tuesday:

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Friday:

WW11 Notes

Russia
- USSR Prior to WWII
  - Russia drops out of WWI(1917) to fight Bolshevik Revolution
  - Russia became communist and changed name to USSR in 1922
  - Purges and deportations to slave labor camps in Siberia (Gulags)
  - Strengthened the intelligence and secret service
  - Created a "Cult of Personality"
  - Nationalization and Collectivization of the Soviet economy
  - Industrialization of the Soviet economy
  - Five Year Plans
  - Policies led to famine in Ukraine (5-10 million died-considered a genocide by some)
  - Banned religion
- USSR in WWII
  - Signed German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in 1939 leading to the invasion of Poland
  - Also invaded Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland in 1939
  - Signed Neutrality Pact with Japan in 1941
  - Invaded by Germany in June, 1941
  - Stalin instituted his retreat an "scorched earth" policies
  - The Russian winter of 1941-1942 changed the tide of the war
United States
- Bataan Death march-Philippines- 1942
  - Up 10,000 Filipino and 650 American POW's died during the march
- The Manhattan Project
  - 1939-1945
- VJ Day
  - August 14/15, 1945 (Official Uk)
  - September 2, 1945 (Official for US)
  - When Japan officially signed on USS Missouri
- Potsdam Conference - July, 1945
  - On July 26, the United States, Great Britain, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration
  - Announced the terms for Japan's surrender
  - "We will not deviate from them. There are no alternatives.:
  - Dismantle the current government of Japan (excluding Emperor Hirohito)
  - The Allies (US) will occupy Japan
  - Japan will consist only of the major islands (Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku). It will lose all territory gained with WWII and years leading up to it.
  - Japanese military forces will be disarmed and allowed to return home
  - There will be war crimes trials for the atrocities committed by Japan throughout WWII
  - Democracy will be promoted as well as Freedom of speech, religion, and of thought, as well as respect for fundamental human rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights- 1948)
  - Japan will be allowed to have industry so they can make money to pay for reparations. World trade will also be enabled at some point.
  - Allied(US) occupation of Japan (1945-1952) will end once Japan accomplishes all the above points
  - "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction." President Harry Truman
- WWII Major Battle/Operations Timelines VS. Germany
  - Battle of the Atlantic- 1941-1945
  - Operation TOrch (Invasion o Morocco)- 1942
  - Operation Avalanche (Invasion of Italy)- 1943
    - Battle of Salerno (1943)
    - Battle of Anzio (1944)
    - Battle of Monte Cassino (1944)
  - Operation Overlord (D-Day)- June 6. 1944
    - Dwight Eisenhower
    - Cross English channel by the United States
    - Omaha Beach
    - Invading France because it was taken over by Germany a few years earlier
    - Largest amphibious attack (water and land)
    - Three Major Generals
      - Ike (Dwight Eisenhower), George Patton and Omar Bradley
    - Casualties
      - United States- 6.603 (1.465 killed)
      - United Kingdom- 2,700
      - Canada 1,074 (359 fatal)
      - Germany- Estimated between 4,00-9,000
    - By June, 11 with beachheads firmly secured
    - More the 326,000 troops had crossed with more than 100,000 tons of military equipment
    - Paris was liberated on August 25
    - Germany surrendered on May 8. 1945
    - But not before....
  - Operation Dragoon (Invasion of Southern France)- August, 1944
  - Battle of the Bulge (Hitler's lasts major offensive)-Winter 1944-1945
    - Called this because there was a bulge in the line
    - Battle Facts
      - The coldest, snowiest weather "in memory" in the Ardennes Forest on the German/Belgium border
      - Over a million men, 500,000 Germans, 600,000 Americans (more than fought at Gettysburg) and 55,000 British
      - 81,000 Americans casualties, including 23,554 captured and 19,000 killed
      - The Battle of the Bulge was the worst battle- in terms of looses- to the the American Forces in WWII
  - How we fought back against Germany
    - Allied Intelligence
      - Churchill and Roosevelt knew the importance of intelligence in safeguarding Allied commerce to defeat the Axis powers.
      - The Allies shared information from RADAR and HIgh Frequency Radio Direction FInding (HF?DH or "huff duff").
      - RADAR provided a means of detecting vessels and aircraft above the surface HF/DF was used to located the sources of enemy radio transmissions such as submarines
      - Allied intelligence leaders began sharing code-breaking secrets, known as "very special intelligence" and classified under cover-names like "ULTRA" and "MAGIC"
    - Enigma
      - System in which Germany transferred their information through codes
      - Solving the Enigma system remains one of the great Allied triumphs of World War II
      - During periods when Allied cryptanalysts were unable to solve Enigma, U-boats caused great damage to Anglo-American commerce
    - Frontal Attack
      - Depth Charges
      - Airplanes designed to look at submarines
  - Yalta Conference-February, 1945
    - Before the end of the WWII, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt met at Yalta, USSR to plan what should happen when the war ended.
    - The Agreed on the following:
      - The establishment of the United Nations
      - Germany to be divided into four zones
      - Free elections allowed in the states of eastern Europe
      - USSR promised to join the war against Japan
  - V-E Day (May 8, 1945)
    - Victory in Europe Day
  - FDR Dies, Harry Truman is sworn in- April 12, 1945
- US Homefront
  - Women in WWII
    - Rosie the Riveter
      - Represented women workers in WWII
    - "Tokyo Rose" Iva Toguri
      - Forced to broadcast propaganda to the ALlied troops for Japan
      - In these radio programs, she taunted troops by playing sad music
  - African-Americans in WWII
    - Tuskegee Institute/Airmen
      - Most famous African-American group
  - Asian Americans in WWII
  - Hollywood i n WWII
    - Used propaganda movies to entertain and educate the Americans
    - Trying to get people excited about joining the military or buying war bonds
    - Bob Hope
      - Comedian
      - USO (United Service Organization)
        Goes around to places where U.S. troops are to entertain them
    - OPA and Rationing
      - The OFfice of Price Administration was established in 1941 under to administer price controls
      - FOod rationing included restrictions on sugar and meat; clothing rationing restricted silk and nylon
      - Gasoline rationing began in May 1942 limiting use to five gallons per week
      - By the end of 1942, half of the nation's automobiles were issued A sticker, allowing 4 gallons per week
      - The other half of automobiles had either a b sticker (supplementary allowances for people with trucks or higher up in the country government)
    - War Finance Committee and War Bonds
      - Over the course of the war 85 million Americans purchased bonds totaling $185 billion
      - Helped pay for the war
      - It was an investment for US citizens
      - As lows as $18.75 per bonds
      - Ten years later government paid out $25.00

Blogs

Week of March 14th-18th

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