Weekly Blogs 3/12-3/16

MONDAY- 

Battle of Coral Sea -First Turning Point

-Battle ended in a stalemate

-Considered to a more a US victory as it was the first time Japan's advance had been stopped

First time Japan didn't win

-aircraft carrier fight

Battle of Midway -June 1942 -Major Turning Point in Pacific

-Japan thought they'd beat us but we destroyed them

-US broke their code so we knew the attack was coming

US- 1 carrier sunk      307 killed

Japan- 4 carrier sunk      3,057 killed

War ended with Japan in 1945

Island Hopping- going to an important island -skipping -hopping from island to island and taking over

Kamikazes- suicide planes, strap plane with bombs then fly into boats (Japanese used)

Battle of Leyte Gulf -Philippines

-happened int he  Phillipines

-really hit Japan bad

MacArthurs' Return to the Philippines- retook the philippines

Iwo Jima - February-March, 1945

-approached the shore figured they weren't fighting, Japan were dug into the ground 

-bombing Japan prior to atomic bombs

-US won but Japan attacked us bad

-6,821 Deaths 

-Japan fought to the death (jumping off cliffs, commit suicide)

-Raised the first flag but couldn't see it so US got a bigger flag on top of mountain

Summer 1945 Preparing for the Invasion of Japan

-Operation Downfall

-Planned for October 1945

-Estimated to have over 1 million casualties

-Estimated to hace 267,000 deaths

Why did this never take place? atomic bomb was used instead (200,000+ deaths)

The Manhattan Project 1939-1945

-code name for the atomic bomb

-6 years to make

-Einstein wrote a letter to FDR to look at this, potential to change everything

-Trinity Test -working on bomb

TUESDAY-

Losses at Okinawa - Japan(110,000) American (14,000) 

Young Peoples Involvement - Japanese Army mobilized 1,780 boys age 14-17 into front-line service, The military authorities ordered schools to force all students to "volunteer" as soldiers 

Trinity Test (July 16, 1945) - First atomic bomb is successfully tested 

Enoly Gay - Dropped bombs from airplanes 

Hiroshima Bombing - "Little Boy" 

The Atomic Shadow - Burned peoples shadows into the cement from laying on the ground (60% of people died from burns) 

Falling debris was another big leading cause of death after the bombings 

Nagasaki Bombing - "Fat Man" and Bockscar, Fuel started becoming a problem so they had to drop the bomb without being able to see the target, Japan surrenders 

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 US, GB, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration

-Announced the terms for Japan's surrender 

-"We will not deviate from them. There are no alternative." 

Potsdam Declaration - July, 1945

-Dismantle the current government of Japan 

-The Allies(US) will occupy Japan -military would be there taking control

-Japan will consist of the major islands. It will lose all terriotry gained in WW11 and years leading up to it 

-Japanese military forces will be disarmed and return home 

-War crime trials 

-FDR died in 1945 then Harry Truman became President

WEDNESDAY- 

Potsdam Continued

-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 hace industry so they can make money to pay war 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

TEST

Italy's WWII Story -Benito Mussolini-II Duce 1919-1945

Italy After WWII

-Italy was very displeased with the Treaty of Versailles 

-Wanted to get more land than they got 

-Italy joined the League of Nations and was a member from 1919 until they withdrew in 1937

5 Power Pact

-Signed by Great Britain, US, Japan, France, & Italy

-Designed to prevent an arm's race

-It limited the construction of battleships, battle cruisers, & aircraft carriers

-Did not restrict cruisers, destroyets or submarines

9 Power Pact -Italy signed it -Guaranteed Chinese Independence

Open Door Policy- countries should be able to openly trade with China

Kellogg- Briand Pact -countries pledged not to use war as a way to settle disputes -suppose to keep peace

March on Rome -October 1922

-A march by Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party

-Mussolini and the Fascists won and took over Italy

Mussoini -leader of Italy

King Victor Emmanuel -

-Did not fight Mussolini's take over in Italy

-Wanted to avoid a civil war and also wanted to keep communists out of Italy

-Saw Mussolini as the person that culd do these things

Mussolini and the Catholic Church

-In 1929, the lateran Accords were signed 

-Gave the Vatican specific territories in Rome

-Catholicism became the state religion

-Seperation of church and state was stopped

-Recognition of religious marriages for the first time since 1870

-Catholic church was given a lot of money

What did Mussolini get? official support from the Catholic Church

Established Fascism in Italy

-A government led by a strong dictator

-Stressed strong nationalism, militarism and imperialism

-Wanted to dominate the Mediterranean area and Africa (Re-establish the Roman Empire)

-Used intimidation to get what they want

Ethiopia incaded by Mussolini 1935

-Italy lost it's Ethiopia colony in Africa at the 1896 Battle of Adwa

-One of the worst colonial disasters of modern history

-In 1935, Italy sends large forces into Ethiopia

THURSDAY-

Italy/Ethiopia Invasion

Nov. 18, 1935, League of Nations sanctions begin -Arms embargo, financial embargo, non-importation of Italian goods

Feb. 29, 1936, FDR signed the 1936 Neutrality Act 

1. Mandatory arms embargo with warring nations

2. Mandatory ban on loans to warring nations

May 5-9 1936, Italy wins and annexes it 

Generalissimo Francisco Franco and the Spanish Civil War -1936

-Hitler and Mussolini sent troops and weapons to help Franco win the civil war against the communists

-This war served as an important training ground for Hitler's and Mussolini's troops

Rome - Berlin Axis -1936

Italy's Goals in WWII

-Make a new Roman Empire

-Make the Mediterranean an "Italian Lake"

-Old Roman Empires -96 AD

-Take over north African colonies of Britain and France especially Egypt 

-Take over southeastern Europe -Greece and Albania 

-Take over parts of the Middle East

Operation Avalanche - US takeover of Italy. Italy becomes allies of the US. Germany takes control of Italy. Italy was free

Italy's Defeat -1943

Mussolini & his Mistress, Claretta Petacci, are hanged in Milan, 1945

Italy and the Holocaust 

-In 1938, Mussolini institutted laws discriminating the Jews (46,000 Jews in Italy at the time)

-After the Fascist government fel when the US invaded (1943) the Germans movedin and took control and started shipping Jews to camps outside of Italy

Why did Italy Lose?

-Italy was not prepared militarily to fight a prolonged war

-Germany had to constantly bail Italy out

-Italian Troops were spread too thin -Africa, Mediterranean, Albania, Greece, Soviet Union, France, Battle of Britain

-The people of Italy were not prepared to fight or motivated to fight. They were forced to fight

-Overrall, Italy was just  a weak country 

Why did the US do something in the Cold War? to stop the spread of communism 

Impact WWII Had On Italy

-410,000 dead -330,000 Military Deaths

-Spent $94 billion 

-Italy had joined the Allies by 1943 so the big concern for the US was making sure Italy became a democracy after the war and not fall to communism

-US gave millions of dollars to Italy (Marshall Plan) to help rebuild after the war 

-Became a member of NATO in 1949

-Became a member of the United Natiosn in 1955

TEST

Germany's WWII Story 1919-1945

FRIDAY-

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