World War II (1939 – 1945)
Background Hitler takes territories
before war Rhineland (1936) Sudetenland (1938) [Austria]
France and England allowed it appeasement
Hitler keeps going Wants to take Poland (used
to belong to Germany)
Nonaggression Pact Russia signs with
Germany Public (promise not to
attack each other) Privately (dividing
Poland) Gave Hitler assurance
he would not be attacked from the east
1939 Germany marches on
Poland Appeasement ends
(France and England had promised protection)
Blitzkrieg – “lightning War” – quick and forceful
Allies not ready
AlliesEnglandFrance (sort of)RussiaU.S. (not until 1941)
Axis powers Italy Germany Japan
1940 Winston Churchill takes power
in England Germany crushes France and
takes Paris (France out of war)
Battle of Britain Attack on England
Luftwaffe (German Air Force) bombs England
Royal Air Force (RAF) keeps Germany from winning – puts up good fight
Japan joins Axis
1941 Axis Winning (have
most of Europe – much of SE Asia)
Germany invades Soviet Union (Russia) without declaring war
We interrupt this program…
Dec. 7, 1941 Japan bombs Pearl
Harbor U.S. enters war
Background 1937 – Japan invades
Manchuria (China) and threatens to conquer more territory
1941 – U.S. place oil embargo (halt) against Japan Both sides issue demands
and neither agree U.S. sends supplies to
China Japan sends delegates to
U.S.
3 Proposals by Japan 1. quit supplying
China with food, ammo.
2. start shipping oil to Japan again
3. stay out of Asia’s affairs
December 7, 1941 Japanese Leaders
(Admiral Isoruko Yamamoto, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, Emperor Hirohito)
The Invasion Attack begins at 7:55 a.m. Battleship row (USS
Arizona hit hardest) About 100 Navy ships at
Pearl Harbor (7 were primary targets on Battleship Row)
Japanese goal – take out 3 aircraft carriers and hit fuel storage Carriers were out to sea that
day Missed fuel storage
Pearl Harbor 2 waves of attacks 21 ships sunk, capsized or
destroyed 10 were important 8 were battleships
Roughly 180 planes destroyed, 150 damaged
Only 43 operational aircraft are left (38 into the air, 10 shot down)
Over 3500 casualties (2403 killed)
1177 were trapped in the Arizona
Not enough damage for Japan
Japanese casualties 29 planes lost (5
midget submarines) 100 men die
Importance of Pearl Harbor Brings U.S. into war
(vs. both Japan and Germany)
Japan gets A-bombed (eventually)
Back to our regularly scheduled program…
1942 – turning point in the war 1. El Alamein
England beats Germany out of Egypt and North Africa
2. Stalingrad Soviets initially driven back to
Moscow and Stalingrad Burn everything as they
retreat so Germans have no supplies, food, or shelter
Hitler refuses to retreat (big mistake)
3. Midway and Battle of the Coral Sea
NW of Hawaii (beat Japan)
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