World War II Class Notes

Period 6 Regan Sonny An 1939-1945 50 million dead o of those were civilians Two Front War o Europe and the Pacific o Northern Africa = launching point into Europe The Allies o Great Britain: Neville Chamberlain, replaced by Winston Churchill o United States: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, replaced by Harry Truman o USSR: Joseph Stalin o France: Eduard Daladier, arrested for surrendering early on The Axis Powers o Germany: Adolf Hitler o Italy: Benito Mussolini o Japan: Emperor Hirohito Militarists Hideki Tojo and Isoroko Yamamoto

WWI ended in 1918 WWII starts 20 years later. Why? 1. 2. 3. 4. Great Depression desperation League of Nations no military Allies wanted to avoid war Treaty of Versailles humiliated Germany

Acts of Aggression prior to WWII (1930-1939) 1931, Japan conquers Manchuria Open Door Policy in China is threatened o League of Nations condemns it o Japan leaves League of Nations 1935, Hitler rearms Germanys military 1935, Italy takes Abyssinia (Ethiopia) o Hailie Selassie, Emperor of Abyssinia, It is us today, it will be you tomorrow. God and history will remember your judgment. 1936, Hitler takes Rhineland 1937, Rape of Nanking o December 1937 February 1938, less than 2 months 20,000 30,000 raped 100,000 350,000 killed

1938, Hitler Reunites Germany with Austria 1|Page

World War II Class Notes

Period 6 Regan Sonny An o The Anschluss o Conquers Sudetenland, demilitarized zone Daladier and Chamberlain meet with Hitler o The Munich Pact Germany keeps current conquered land, just dont conquer the rest of Czechoslovakia 1939, Hitler takes over rest of Czechoslovakia o Appeasement giving into the demands of a person or country to avoid conflict 1939, Nazi-Soviet Pact Marriage of Convenience o Wonder how long the honeymoon will last? o Both newly industrialized, doesnt want to fight each other o Non-aggression pact, Germany splits half of Poland with Russia 1939, Hitler invades Poland, WWII begins

1939-1940, Early Stages of the War Maginot Line, Frances barrier, 200 miles of forts, 3 million soldiers o Germany goes around Maginot Line Nice guns, bro Charles DeGaulie, French guerilla warfare Britain is alone against Germany, with France Nazi-occupied, US not yet entered, USSR honeymooning with Hitler

1940, Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain June 18th, 1940: The Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Churchill

Battle of Britain Germanys 1st major defeat in the war: Operation Sea Lion was a failure o Blitzkrieg Bomb, then invade

Winston Churchill: crisis leader We shall never surrender. Gets booted from office when war is over: What have you done for me recently?

Royal Air Force vs. the Luftwaffe RAF had better airplanes (Spitfire and Hurricane) and pilots Luftwaffe had twice as many planes, commanded by Hermann Goering RAF bombs Berlin o Hitler retaliates with London Blitz, 2 months of constant bombing 2|Page

World War II Class Notes

Period 6 Regan Sonny An The Enigma Code Machines o Encrypted and deciphered Nazi messages Radar, Germany created, Britain perfect, used to anticipate nighttime bombing RAF halts the Luftwaffe, prevented Germany from achieving aerial superiority

Video Notes: RAF vs. Luftwaffe August 24th, Hitler bombs London o Especially targeted East London for its high Jewish population o Germany denies, claims accidental September 7th, bombs aimed to kill civilians (1,000 Londoners dead) September 15th, Luftwaffe begins long postponed attack, loses again o Time has run out for invasion Begins merciless bombing of London to weaken moral o British people are like, Nbd. Business as usual.

June 1941, Operation Barbarossa: Hitler invades Soviet Russia Couldnt take Great Britain, decides to go for USSR first o Large amounts of oil in Russia, wanted to refresh his army then go back at Great Britain USSR joins Britain (hates each other, but common enemy: Germany), soon US joins

December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor A day which will live in infamy. Franklin Roosevelt 1940, US leads international trade sanctions against Japan o Japan received 60% aluminum, 85% iron ore, 40% steel, 60% copper, 100% oil, nickel, rubber from other countries

Hitler doesnt learn from history, enters two-front war Why did the honeymoon end? Russia had oil fields Hitler wanted so he could refuel his army then go back at Great Britain Lots of pro Aryan baby-makers, so Germany needed living space lebensraum

1941 1944: Battle of Leningrad (640,000 800,000 Russians died) Nazis encircle Leningrad and use starvation as a weapon 900 days of bombs, cold and starvation 3|Page

World War II Class Notes

Period 6 Regan Sonny An o The Russian people would not surrender The Road of Life o A narrow secret of Ladoga Lake froze over million cross, burst through Nazi lines

Sept. 1942 Feb. 1943: Battle of Stalingrad USSR defeats Nazis alone Stalin asks for Allied support denied! o Hey Stalin, you joined only because Hitler attacked you! o Stalin will remember the Allies refusal to help him Strong Russian resistance despite being bombed to oblivion by Hitlers Luftwaffle o Snipers picked off Germanys armies from gutted/bombed out buildings o Fighting from house-to-house, building-to-building Hitler did not learn from Napoleons mistake: Russias winter is cold o At -40 degrees, German tanks froze o Germany troops still had on summer clothing

Partisans: resistance fighters (Ukrainians) Fighting against Stalin, then Hitler simultaneously When captured by Stalin o Either sent to serve in penal squadron, front line force against Nazis to regain honor and acceptance into motherland Russia or o Or hang/executed, both lead to inevitable death 140,000 Germans dead, 1 million Russians died

North African Campaign Allies retake Northern Africa, use as launching point into Italy

Why Africa, the colonial empire? Italians conquered for the sake of achieving their modern Roman empire Germans needed living space lebensraum

Desert battles: German troops wore safari-like attire o Erwin Rommel, German general The Desert Fox Led Nazi Afrika Korps (no c in German language) Used balloon tanks to intimidate opponents 4|Page

World War II Class Notes

Period 6 Regan Sonny An o o Dwight Eisenhower, American general Named Supreme Allied Commander Bernard Montgomery, British field marshal Led British forces Desert Rats Felt that he should have been Supreme, but still followed orders George Patton, American general, man of legends 1st American to lead tank battalion Troops under his command took 1.5 million prisoners of war Captured or recaptured land the size of France Dies in slow-speed car accident Colorful language Paid morale-boosting visit to badly wounded soldiers Slaps shell-shocked soldier who cant stop crying and shaking Patton is forced to apologize in front of soldiers Army claps and cheers loudly so Patton can apologize without feeling embarrassed

The European Front & North Africa British forces, led by Montgomery, are humiliated at Tobruk Eisenhower & Patton wins at El Alamein o Uses North Africa as launching point Pommel disobeys Hitler, retreats forces I wont send my men to a battle they cant win o Only man to have defied Hitler and survive o Nazis were defeated, Rommel sent to France to keep it occupied

German Propaganda Poster America, segregated blacks and Native Americans from whites Statue of Liberty, skeleton with bombs Here are the liberators

June 6th, 1944: D-Day (Operation Overlord) Allied invasion that began the liberation of France o Beaches of Normandy foot in the door The Atlantic Wall o Rommel used to stop invading Allies 6 million land mines along the coast (and anything else they could find, including tank traps) Navajo code-talkers, used in every major battle in the Pacific, including D-Day 5|Page

World War II Class Notes

Period 6 Regan Sonny An o Never broken/decoded Fake message, troops to invade Pas de Calais o From Dover, sent Patton to lead Phantom Army Real invasion to Normandy o Code names for attack locations: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword o Largest air, sea, and land invasion Send fake mannequins with explosions away from actual target Allied forces at D-Day consisted of o 23,000 paratroopers o 2,000 ships o 4,000 landing crafts o 11,000 airplanes o Paratroopers carried crickets Used for clicks in the dark to determine if friend or foe Invasion path: Water Sand Natural cliff/sea wall at Omaha ropes to ascend cliff Nazis cuts ropes and shoots downward Omaha: 4,000 Allied deaths on the 1st day

Video Notes June 6th, 5 AM, ships in all directions Amphibious tanks sunk, soldiers left drowning This was war 6:30 AM Americans attack Nazis at Omaha 1 PM at Omaha, still fighting

France is freed and the Allies move towards Germany. Hitler feels surrounded because he is, well, surrounded. Mr. Regan The Plot to Kill Hitler Claus von Stauffenberg (made into a historically-accurate Tom Cruise movie) o Half of his face, one of his hands, and 2 fingers of his other hand were blown off by Allied land mines o Of the conspiracy to kill Hitler, he must be the one to carry out the assassination as hes in Hitlers inner circle Using a briefcase bomb: break poison vial poison burns through string bomb detonates o Von Stauffenberg sets bomb near Hitler during meeting, but someone moves it away as it as in his way Bomb blows up, kills a few of those in the inner circle 6|Page

World War II Class Notes

Period 6 Regan Sonny An Hitler is struck by a falling beam, temporarily blind and deaf Conspirators are caught and executed by piano string and firing squad Hitler goes on national radio, They cant kill me! I have the power!

December 1944 January 1945: The Battle of the Bulge Hitlers Last Stand Launches quarter of a million troops westward to push back Allies, who were caught offguard Allies win despite having 1 troop to every 5 Nazis o Allies attack from the sides of the bulge, Nazis are forced to change course to fight o Allies destroyed gas depots German tanks literally run out of gas

April 28th, 1945: Mussolini is killed 1943: Italy is divided politically o Some want the king in power, others want Mussolini Mussolini, Mussolinis 13th mistress (?), and members of Mussolinis inner circle are hanged by their feet and shot o Later brought down and dragged across the city, spit upon and other nasty things

April 29th, 1945: Hitler marries Eva Braun April 30th, 1945: Hitler commits suicide with Eva Apparently one day of marriage with Hitler is enough Mr. Regan Both took poison, gave the cyanide to their dog first to see if the poison works Both shot themselves, as if the poison wasnt enough

May 1945: V-E Day in Berlin, Germany The Reichstag is taken by the Soviets

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