World War II

Neutrality of the 1930’s

• A. U.S. trying to stay out of world affairs and deal with depression issues

• B. NAZI Germany and Italy are seizing Europe• 1. Poland – Blitzkrieg

• 2. Paris

• 3. Battle of Britain

• C. Japan is spreading its empire to include eastern China and the majority of the Pacific

Lend-Lease Act

• A. Part of the Neutrality Acts• 1. slowly help allies in efforts to fight of

Germany

• B. “Cash and Carry”• 1. pay in cash and carry it yourself

• 2. originally did not include weapons, will in 1939

• C. Vital to U.S. security• 1. FDR moves the Pacific Fleet from San

Diego to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Atlantic Charter

• A. Secret agreement with Gt. Britain

• B. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill outline the war goals and aims WHEN the U.S. DOES get involved

U.S. enters the war

• A. December 7th, 1941

• B. “A day that will live in infamy”• 1. 180 Japanese “zeros” 7:00 am

• 2. Kamikaze pilots

• 3. 18 ships sank or damaged

• 4. 300 planes destroyed

• 5. 2,400 Americans killed

• 6. 1,200 American wounded

• C. Congress declares war on Japan / Germany declares war on the U.S.

War in Europe

• A. May, 1943 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower captures North Africa

• B. July, 1943 Gen. George S. Patton invades Italy

Operation Overlord aka D-Day

• 1. invasion of Normandy France

• 2. Most massive amphibious assault in history• a. 4,600 invasion craft• b. 1,000 RAF bombers• c. 1,000 US planes• d. 173,000 soldiers• e. 2,000 men die on Omaha Beach

alone• f. 2 million soldiers pass this area• g. This IS the TURNING POINT of the

war in Europe

• D. Berlin – USSR moves in from the east, U.S. from the west

• E. August of 1944, Paris is liberated

• A. Philippines• 1. Gen. Douglas MacArthur

• 2. “I shall return”

• B. Coral Sea• 1. 1st battle entirely by aircraft

• 2. both Japan and US heavily damaged

• 3. Japan loses what was needed to take Australia

• C. Midway• 1. “Revenge of Pearl Harbor”

• 2. scouting planes catch Japanese loading bombs on planes

• 3. US set a trap misleading the Japanese to head to Midway

• 4. Japan loses 4 aircraft carriers and 250 planes

• D. Iwo Jima & Okinawa• 1. Island hoping

• 2. bloodiest battles of WWII

• 3. 75,000 casualties trying to take these 2 small islands

• 4. last step before invading Japan

• A. Manhattan Project• 1. plan to develop the atomic bomb

• 2. Robert J. Oppenheimer & Albert Einstein

• 3. President Truman: “Save American Lives”

• 4. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki• a. Japan surrenders August 15, 1945 – VJ Day

Home front / the war effort

• A. Office of War Mobilization• Decides which resources will be produced

where• Turning manufacturing centers into

producing war materials

• B. War Bonds• Raising funds for the war effort• Metal drives• Recycling and conserving• Hollywood and media plays a big part in

getting word out and promoting sales of bonds

• C. Rationing• Car pooling – drive share

• Fats, metals etc.

• Rain checks or “stamps” for future items to be sold / purchased

Role of Women

• 1. “Rosie the Riveter”

• a. National Icon of women in the work force

• b. worked in factories to produce war materials

• c. industrial jobs

• 2. Military Service• a. Women’s Air Force Service

Pilots (WASP)• a. 1,200 members

• b. ferried planes across the country

• b. Women Accepted Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES)• a. 25% were Navy aviation

• c. Women’s Army Corp (WAC)• a. largest group

• b. 100,000 members

Role of African Americans

• A. Segregated Units• 1. hundreds of thousands serve.

• 2. Tuskegee Airmen• a. All black unit of Air Force pilots that were pivotal

to the success of the bombing of Germany and it’s factories.

• B. Dory Miller• 1. USS Arizona, cook, Medal of Honor recipient

• 2. sold war bonds during the war

Internment

• 1. Internment camps keeping Japanese – American in camps

• 2. Executive Order 9066 by President Roosevelt

• 3. Leary of Japanese – Americans aiding in a Japanese invasion of the west coast

• a. many citizens lose everything