Date __________________________________
UNIT 7
Learning Standards: SS5H6 The student will explain the reasons
for America’s involvement in World War II.
a. Describe Germany’s aggression in Europe and Japanese
aggression in Asia.
b. Describe major events in the war in both Europe and the
Pacific; include Pearl
Harbor, Iwo Jima, D-Day, VE and VJ Days, and the
Holocaust.
c. Discuss President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic
bombs on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki.
d. Identify Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, Hirohito, Truman,
Mussolini, and Hitler.
e. Describe the effects of rationing and the changing role
of women and AfricanAmericans; include “Rosie the Riveter” and the Tuskegee
Airmen.
f. Explain the U.S. role in the formation of the United
Nations.
Essential Why did the United States become
Question involved in World War II?
Timeline
World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945. There were several major
events leading up to the war and then during the war. Here is a
timeline listing some of the major events:
Leading up to the War
1933 January 30 - Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.
His Nazi Party, or the Third Reich, takes power and Hitler is
essentially the dictator of Germany.
1936 October 25 - Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy form the RomeBerlin Axis treaty.
1936 November 25 - Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the
Anti-Comintern Pact. This was a pact against communism and
Russia.
1937 July 7 - Japan invades China.
1
1938 March 12 - Hitler annexes the country of Austria into
Germany. This is also called the Anschluss.
World War II
1939 September 1 - Germany invades Poland. World War II begins.
1939 September 3 - France and Great Britain declare war on
Germany.
1940 April 9 to June 9 - Germany invades and takes control of
Denmark and Norway.
1940 May 10 to June 22 - Germany uses quick strikes called
blitzkrieg, meaning lightning war, to take over much of western
Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France.
1940 May 30 - Winston Churchill becomes leader of the British
government.
1940 June 10 - Italy enters the war as a member of the Axis
powers.
1940 July 10 - Germany launches an air attack on Great Britain.
These attacks last until the end of October and are known as the
Battle of Britain.
1940 September 22 - Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the
Tripartite Pact creating the Axis Alliance.
1941 June 22 - Germany and the Axis Powers attack Russia with a
huge force of over four million troops.
1941 December 7 - The Japanese attack the US Navy in Pearl
Harbor. The next day the US enters World War II on the side of
the Allies.
1942 June 4 - The US Navy defeats the Japanese navy at the
Battle of Midway.
2
1942 July 10 - The Allies invade and take the island of Sicily.
1943 September 3 - Italy surrenders to the Allies, however
Germany helps Mussolini to escape and set up a government in
Northern Italy.
1944 June 6 - D-day and the Normandy invasion. Allied forces
invade France and push back the Germans.
1944 August 25 - Paris is liberated from German control.
1944 December 16 - The Germans launch a large attack in the
Battle of the Bulge. They lose to the Allies sealing the fate of
the German army.
1945 February 19 - US Marines invade the island of Iwo Jima.
After a fierce battle they capture the island.
1945 April 12 - US President Franklin Roosevelt dies. He is
succeeded by President Harry Truman.
1945 March 22 - The US Third Army under General Patton crosses
the Rhine River.
1945 April 30 - Adolf Hitler commits suicide as he knows Germany
has lost the war.
1945 May 7 - Germany surrenders to the Allies.
1945 August 6 - The United States drops the Atomic Bomb on
Hiroshima, Japan. The city is devastated.
1945 August 9 - Another atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki,
Japan.
1945 September 2 - Japan surrenders to US General Douglass
MacArthur and the Allies.
Hirohito
Japan
Dictators Rise to Power
Adolf Hitler
Germany
Benito Mussolini
Italy
3
A X I S
POWERS
World War II was fought between two major groups of nations. They
became known as the Axis Powers and the Allied Powers. The major
Axis Powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan.
The Forming of the Axis Powers
The alliance began to form in 1936. First, on October 15, 1936
Germany and Italy signed a friendship treaty that formed the RomeGerman Axis. It was after this treaty that Italian dictator Benito
Mussolini used the term Axis to refer to their alliance. Shortly
after this, on November 25, 1936, Japan and Germany both signed the
Anti-Comintern Pact, which was a treaty against communism.
An even stronger alliance was signed between Germany and Italy on
May 22, 1939 called the Pact of Steel. This treaty would later be
called the Tripartite Pact when Japan signed it on September 27,
1940. Now the three main Axis Powers were allies in the war.
Leaders of the Axis Powers
The three main member countries of the Axis Powers were ruled by
dictators. They were:



Germany: Adolf Hitler - Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in
1933 and Fuhrer in 1934. He was a ruthless dictator who hated
Jewish people. He wanted to purge Germany of all weak people.
He also wanted to take control of all of Europe.
Italy: Benito Mussolini - Mussolini was supreme dictator of
Italy. He founded the concept of a fascist government where
there is one leader and one party that has total power. He was
an inspiration to Adolf Hitler.
Japan: Emperor Hirohito - Hirohito reigned as Emperor of Japan
from 1926 until 1989. He remained Emperor after the war. The
first time his subjects heard his voice was when he announced
Japan's surrender on the radio.
Other leaders and generals in the war:
Germany:


Heinrich Himmler - Himmler was second in command to Hitler. He
commanded the Gestapo police and was in charge of the
concentration camps.
Hermann Göring - Goring held the title Prime Minister of
Prussia. He was commander of the German air force called the
4

Luftwaffe.
Erwin Rommel - Rommel was one of Germany's smartest Generals.
He commanded their army in Africa and then the German army
during the Invasion of Normandy.
Italy:


Victor Emmanuel III - He was King of Italy and the head of the
Italian Army. In reality he did whatever Mussolini told him to
do until Mussolini was removed from power.
Ugo Cavallero - Commander of the Italian Royal Army during
World War II.
Japan:



Hideki Tojo - As Prime Minister of Japan, Hideki Tojo was a
major supporter of the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy.
Isoroku Yamamoto - Yamamoto was thought to be the best war
strategist and commander of the Japanese armed forces. He was
commander of the Japanese Navy and a leader in the attack on
Pearl Harbor. He died in 1943.
Osami Nagano - A Fleet Admiral in the Japanese Navy, Nagano
was a leader in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Other countries in the Axis Alliance:




Hungary - Hungary became the fourth member of the Tripartite
Pact. Hungary played a large role in the invasion of Russia.
Bulgaria - Bulgaria started out on the Axis side of the war,
but after being invaded by Russia ended up on the side of the
Allies.
Romania - Similar to Bulgaria, Romania was on the side of the
Axis Powers and helped to invade Russia. However, by the end
of the war they changed sides and fought for the Allies.
Finland - Finland never signed the Tripartite Pact, but fought
with the Axis countries against Russia.
Interesting Facts




The Pact of Steel was first called the Pact of Blood, but they
changed the name thinking the public would not like it.
Mussolini was often called "Duce", or leader. Hitler picked a
similar name in German called "Fuhrer".
At their peak during World War II, the Axis Powers ruled much
of Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Some people in Italy called the Italian Empire the New Roman
5
Empire. The Italians conquered Ethiopia and Albania prior the
break out of World War II. They were the first major power to
surrender to the Allies.
NOTES
Date___________________________
Personality of the AXIS Powers
Adolf Hitler




Occupation: Dictator of
Germany
Born: April 20, 1889 in
Braunau am Inn, Austria–
Hungary
Died: April 30 1945 in
Berlin, Germany
Best known for: Starting
World War II and the
Holocaust
Adolf Hitler was the leader of Germany from 1933 to 1945. He was
leader of the Nazi party and became a powerful dictator. Hitler
started World War II by invading Poland and then invading many
other European countries. He is also known for wanting to
exterminate the Jewish people in the Holocaust.
6
Adolf was born on April 20, 1899 in a city named Braunau am Inn in
the country of Austria. His family moved around some, living a
short while in Germany and then back to Austria. Hitler did not
have a happy childhood. Both his parents died fairly young and many
of his brothers and sisters died as well.
Adolf did not do well in school. He was expelled from a couple of
schools before he moved to Venice, Italy to pursue his dream of
becoming an artist. While living in Venice, Hitler found that he
did not have much artistic talent and he soon became very poor. He
would later move to Munich, Germany in hopes of becoming an
architect.
Soldier in World War I
When World War I began, Hitler joined the German army. Adolf was
awarded twice with the Iron Cross for bravery. It was during World
War I that Hitler became a strong German patriot and also came to
love war.
Rise in Power
After the war, Hitler entered politics. Many Germans were upset
that they had lost the war. They were also not happy with the
Treaty of Versailles, which not only blamed the war on Germany, but
took land from Germany. At the same time, Germany was in an
economic depression. Many people were poor. Between the depression
and the Treaty of Versailles, the time was ripe for Hitler to rise
to power.
Once entering politics, Hitler discovered that he was gifted in
giving speeches. His speeches were powerful and people believed
what he said. Hitler joined the Nazi party and soon became its
leader. He promised Germany that if he became leader he would
restore Germany to greatness in Europe. In 1933 he was elected
Chancellor of Germany.
After becoming Chancellor, there was no stopping Hitler. He had
studied his idol, Benito Mussolini of Italy, about how to install a
fascist government and become a dictator. Soon Hitler was dictator
of Germany.
World War II
In order for Germany to grow, Hitler thought the country needed
more land or "living space". He first annexed Austria as part of
Germany and then took over part of Czechoslovakia. This wasn't
enough, however. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland and
World War II began. Hitler formed an alliance with the Axis Powers
of Japan and Italy. They were fighting the Allied Powers of
7
Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
Hitler's army began to take over much of Europe. They attacked
quickly in what was called Blitzkrieg or "lightning war". Soon
Germany had captured much of Europe including France, Denmark, and
Belgium.
However, the Allies fought back. On June 6, 1944 they invaded the
beaches of Normandy and soon liberated France. By March of 1945 the
Allies had defeated much of the German army. On April 30, 1945
Hitler committed suicide.
The Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing
Hitler was responsible for some of the most horrible crimes
committed in human history. He hated Jewish people and wanted to
exterminate them from Germany. He forced Jewish people to go to
concentration camps where 6 million Jews were killed during World
War II. He also had other people and races he didn't like killed
including handicapped people.
Facts about Hitler





Hitler loved the circus, especially the acrobats.
He never took his coat off, no matter how hot it got.
He didn't exercise and didn't like sports.
Only one of Hitler's 5 siblings survived childhood, his sister
Paula.
Hitler was temporarily blind from a mustard gas attack during
World War I.
Date:
The Allied Powers
Franklin
Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
United States
Charles de
Gaulle
Winston Churchill
Joseph Stalin
Great Britain
Russia
Chiang Kai-shek
China
8
France
A L L I E D
POWERS
World War II was fought between two major groups of nations. They
became known as the Axis and Allied Powers. The major Allied Powers
were Britain, France, Russia, and the United States.
The Allies formed mostly as a defense against the attacks of the
Axis Powers. The original members of the Allies included Great
Britain, France and Poland. When Germany invaded Poland, Great
Britain and France declared war on Germany.
Russia becomes and Ally
At the start of World War II, Russia and Germany were friends.
However, on 22 June 1941 Hitler, the leader of Germany, ordered a
surprise attack on Russia. Russia then became an enemy of the Axis
Powers and joined the Allies.
The US Joins the Allied Powers
The United States had hoped to remain neutral during World War II.
However, the US was attacked by surprise at Pearl Harbor by the
Japanese. This attack united the country against the Axis Powers
and turned the tide of World War II in the favor of the Allies.
Leaders of the Allied Powers:




Great Britain: Winston Churchill - Prime Minister of Great
Britain during most of World War II, Winston Churchill was a
great leader. His country was the last country fighting
against the Germans in Europe. He is known for his famous
speeches to his people when the Germans were bombing them
during the Battle of Britain.
United States: Franklin D. Roosevelt - One of the greatest
presidents in the history of the United States, President
Roosevelt led the country out of the Great Depression and
through World War II.
Russia: Joseph Stalin - Stalin's title was General Secretary
of the Communist Party. He led Russia through terrible and
devastating battles with Germany. Millions and millions of
people died. After winning the war, he set up the Eastern Bloc
of Soviet led communist states.
France: Charles de Gaulle - Leader of the Free French, de
Gaulle led the French resistance movement against Germany.
Other Allied leaders and generals in the war:
Britain:
9


Bernard Montgomery - General of the British Army, "Monty" also
led the ground troops during the invasion of Normandy.
Neville Chamberlain - Was the Prime Minister prior to Winston
Churchill. He wanted peace with Germany.
United States:





Harry S. Truman - Truman became president after Roosevelt
died. He had to make the call to use the atomic bomb against
Japan.
George Marshall - General of the US Army during World War II,
Marshall earned the Nobel Peace Prize for the Marshall Plan
after the war.
Dwight D Eisenhower - Nicknamed "Ike", Eisenhower led the US
Army in Europe. He planned and led the Invasion of the
Normandy.
Douglas MacArthur - MacArthur was General of the Army in the
Pacific fighting the Japanese.
George S. Patton, Jr. - Patton was an important general in
North Africa and Europe
Russia:


Georgy Zhukov - Zhukov was leader of the Russian Red Army. He
led the army that pushed the Germans back to Berlin.
Vasily Chuikov - Chuikov was the general who led the Russian
Army in defending Stalingrad against the fierce German attack.
China:


Chiang Kai-shek - Leader of the Republic of China, he allied
with the Chinese Communist Party to fight the Japanese. After
the war he fled from the communists to Taiwan.
Mao Zedong - Leader of the Communist Party of China, he allied
with Kai-shek in order to fight the Japanese. He gained
control of mainland China after the war.
Other countries that were part of the Allies:


Poland - It was the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 that
started World War II.
China - China was invaded by Japan in 1937. They became a
member of the Allies after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Other countries that were part of the Allied Nations included
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Belgium,
and Greece.
10
Interesting Facts




Great Britain, Russia, and the United States were sometimes
called the Big Three. When China was included they were called
the Four Policemen. It was the Four Policemen who founded the
United Nations.
General Patton's nickname was "Old blood and guts". General
MacArthur had the nickname "Dugout Doug".
There were 26 countries who signed the original Declaration by
United Nations on January 1, 1942. After the war, on 24
October 1945, 51 countries signed the Charter of the United
Nations.
Winston Churchill once said "a joke is a very serious thing".
He also said "A lie gets halfway around the world before the
truth has a chance to get its pants on".
11
Date
Personality of the Allied Powers
Harry
S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the
United States.
Served as President: 1945-1953
Vice President: Alben William Barkley
Party: Democrat
Age at inauguration: 60
Born: May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri
Died: December 26, 1972 in Independence,
Missouri
What is Harry S. Truman most known for?
Harry S. Truman became president when Franklin D. Roosevelt died.
He is most known for putting an end to World War II in the Pacific
by dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. He is also known for the
Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the Korean War.
Harry S. Truman's Presidency
President Roosevelt died shortly after being elected for his fourth
term and Truman became president. World War II was still raging at
the time, but things were looking up for the Allies. Just a few
months later the Germans surrendered, but President Truman still
had to deal with the Japanese.
The Atomic Bomb
The Japanese had all but been defeated in World War II, except they
were refusing to surrender. An invasion of Japan would likely cost
hundreds of thousands of American lives. At the same time the
United States had just developed a horrible new weapon, the atomic
bomb. Truman had to decide whether to invade or use the bomb. In an
effort to save the lives of U.S. soldiers he decided to use the
bomb.
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on
August 6, 1945. A few days later they dropped another on Nagasaki.
The devastation of these cities was unlike anything ever seen. The
Japanese surrendered shortly after.
International Issues
After World War II there were still many issues that Truman had to
deal with. First was the reconstruction of Europe, which was
ravaged by the war. He used the Marshall Plan to help European
nations rebuild.
12
Another major post-war issue was the Soviet Union and communism.
The Soviet Union had become a major power and wanted to spread
communism throughout the world. Truman helped to form the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Canada and Western Europe.
These countries would help to protect each other from the Soviet
Union. This also started the Cold War between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union.
With the spread of communism, wars began to break out in other
areas of the world. Truman sent U.S. troops to Korea to fight in
the Korean War. He also sent aid to Vietnam.
NOTES:
13
Date
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7th, 1941. Japanese
airplanes made a surprise attack on the US Navy in Pearl Harbor. They
destroyed many ships and killed many soldiers. It was this attack that
forced the United States to enter World War II.
Where is Pearl Harbor?
Pearl Harbor is located in Hawaii on the island of O'ahu. Hawaii is
located in the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan. During the
time of World War II, Hawaii was not a state, but a US territory.
Before the Attack
World War II had been raging in Europe and Asia for two years, but the
United States had not entered the war. The Empire of Japan was trying
to take over much of Asia and was worried about the US Navy in Hawaii.
They decided to strike in order to prevent the United States from
attacking them.
The Japanese thought that if they took out the war ships in Pearl
Harbor, then the United States Navy would be crippled and would never
attack. However, they were mistaken and the attack on Pearl Harbor had
just the opposite result. The US declared war the next day.
The Attack
The attack on Pearl Harbor came as a complete surprise. Hundreds of
Japanese fighter planes and bombers flew to Pearl Harbor and attacked.
The bombers dropped bombs and torpedoes on the war ships, while the
fighter planes attacked the US fighter planes on the ground so they
could not take off and fight back. There were two waves of attacks and
by the end of the second wave a number of US ships were destroyed.
The Numbers
Here are the casualties from both sides during the attack. Although
the Japanese inflicted considerable damage to the US Navy, they did
not cripple it. They damaged many ships including warships,
destroyers, and cruisers. They also destroyed a lot of the fighter
planes and aircraft at the base. However, all of the US ships but
three (the Arizona, the Utah, and the Oklahoma) were able to be
recovered and were used later during the war.
The biggest US loss was the sinking of the USS Arizona. Over 1,100 US
military personnel died when the Arizona sunk.
United
States
People
Japan
2,390
14
Killed
Navy
2,341
Civilian
49
People
Wounded
1,178
64
unknown
Armed forces 1,143
Civilian
35
Ships
Sunk or
Beached
12
Damaged
9
5
Aircraft
Destroyed
164
29
Damaged
159
74
(information in this table from www.nps.gov)
After the Attack
The citizens of the United States were in shock. They had tried to
avoid the war, but they could not ignore this attack. The Japanese had
hoped to break the Americans by attacking Pearl Harbor, instead they
united them. The next day, December 8th, 1941, the US declared war on
Japan. Three days later Japan's allies, Germany and Italy, declared
war on the United States. The United States was now a major part of
World War II.
The US Navy was able to recover from the attack on Pearl Harbor fairly
quickly. The Japanese had not damaged a number of important facilities
on the Hawaiian Islands, including oil storage depots and repair
yards. Also, no aircraft carriers were in Pearl Harbor at the time of
the attack. Aircraft carriers would soon become the most important
type of navy vessels in the war.
NOTES:
15
Date
D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy
On June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and
France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France.
With a huge force of over 150,000 soldiers, the Allies attacked and
gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II in
Europe. This famous battle is sometimes called D-Day or the
Invasion of Normandy.
Leading up to the Battle
Germany had invaded France and was trying to take over all of
Europe including Britain. However, Britain and the United States
had managed to slow down the expanding German forces. They were now
able to turn on the offensive.
To prepare for the invasion, the Allies amassed troops and
equipment in Britain. They also increased the number of air strikes
and bombings in German territory. Right before the invasion, over
1000 bombers a day were hitting German targets. They bombed
railroads, bridges, airfields, and other strategic places in order
to slow down and hinder the German army.
Deception
The Germans knew that an invasion was coming. They could tell by
all the forces that were gathering in Britain as well as by the
additional air strikes. What they didn't know was where the Allies
would strike. In order to confuse the Germans, the Allies tried to
make it look like they were going to attack north of Normandy at
Pas de Calais.
The Weather
Although the D-Day invasion had been planned for months, it was
almost cancelled due to bad weather. General Eisenhower finally
agreed to attack despite the overcast skies. Although the weather
did have some affect and on the Allies ability to attack, it also
caused the Germans to think that no attack was coming. They were
less prepared as a result.
16
The Invasion
The first wave of the attack began with the paratroopers. These
were men who jumped out of planes using parachutes. They jumped at
night in the pitch dark and landed behind enemy lines. Their job
was to destroy key targets and capture bridges in order for the
main invasion force to land on the beach. Thousands of dummies were
also dropped in order to draw fire and confuse the enemy.
In the next stage of the battle thousands of planes dropped bombs
on German defenses. Soon after, warships began to bomb the beaches
from the water. While the bombing was going on, underground members
of the French Resistance sabotaged the Germans by cutting telephone
lines and destroying railroads.
Soon the main invasion force of over 6,000 ships carrying troops,
weapons, tanks, and equipment approached the beaches of Normandy.
Omaha and Utah Beaches
American troops landed at Omaha and Utah beaches. The Utah landing
was successful, but the fighting at Omaha beach was fierce. Many US
soldiers lost their lives at Omaha, but they were finally able to
take the beach.
After the Battle
By the end of D-Day over 150,000 troops had landed in Normandy.
They pushed their way inland allowing more troops to land over the
next several days. By June 17th over half a million Allied troops
had arrived and they began to push the Germans out of France.
The Generals
The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces was Dwight D. Eisenhower
of the United States. Other Allied generals included Omar Bradley
from the United States as well as Bernard Montgomery and Trafford
Leigh-Mallory from Britain. The Germans were led by Erwin Rommel
and Gerd von Rundstedt.
Interesting Facts about D-Day



The troops needed the light of a full moon to see to attack.
For this reason there were only a few days during a month when
the Allies could attack. This led Eisenhower to go ahead with
the invasion despite the bad weather.
The Allies wanted to attack during high tide as this helped
the ships to avoid obstacles put in the water by the Germans.
Although June 6 is often called D-Day, D-Day is also a generic
military term that stands for the day, D, of any major attack.
17

The overall military operation was called "Operation
Overlord". The actual landings at Normandy were called
"Operation Neptune".
NOTES
Date
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima took place during World War II between the
United States and Japan. It was the first major battle of World War
II to take place on Japanese homeland. The island of Iwo Jima was a
strategic location because the US needed a place for fighter planes
and bombers to land and take off when attacking Japan.
Where is Iwo Jima?
Iwo Jima is a small island located 750 miles south of Tokyo, Japan.
The island is only 8 square miles in size. It is mostly flat except
for a mountain, called Mount Suribachi, located on the southern end
of the island.
When was the battle?
The Battle of Iwo Jima took place near the end of World War II. US
Marines first landed on the island on February 19, 1945. The
generals who planned the attack had thought that it would take
around a week to take the island. They were wrong. The Japanese had
many surprises for the US soldiers and it took over a month (36
days) of furious fighting for the US to finally capture the island.
The Battle
On the first day of the battle 30,000 US marines landed on the
shores of Iwo Jima. The first soldiers that landed weren't attacked
by the Japanese. They thought that the bombings from US planes and
battleships may have killed the Japanese. They were wrong.
The Japanese had dug all sorts of tunnels and hiding places all
over the island. They were waiting quietly for more marines to get
on shore. Once a number of marines were on shore they attacked.
Many US soldiers were killed.
18
The battle went on for days. The Japanese would move from area to
area in their secret tunnels. Sometimes the US soldiers would kill
the Japanese in a bunker. They would move on thinking it was safe.
However, more Japanese would sneak into the bunker through a tunnel
and then attack from behind.
Raising the Flag of the United States
After 36 days of brutal fighting, the US had finally secured the
island of Iwo Jima. They placed a flag on top of Mount Suribachi.
When they raised the flag a picture was taken by photographer Joe
Rosenthal. This picture became famous in the United States. Later a
statue was made of the picture. It became the US Marine Corps
Memorial located just outside Washington, DC.
Interesting Facts






The famous picture of the US Flag being raised on Iwo Jima was
actually not the first flag raised by the US. Another smaller
flag pole had been put there earlier.
Although the US had more soldiers wounded on Iwo Jima than the
Japanese, the Japanese had many more deaths. This was because
the Japanese had decided to fight to the death. Out of 18,000
Japanese soldiers only 216 were taken prisoner. The rest died
in the battle.
Around 6,800 American soldiers died in the battle.
The US government awarded 27 soldiers with the Medal of Honor
for their bravery during the battle.
There were six men in the famous picture showing the US flag
being raised. Three were killed later in the battle. The other
three became famous celebrities in the US.
The Japanese dug 11 miles of tunnels within the island of Iwo
19
Jima.
NOTES:
Date
The War in Europe
World War II in Europe began when Hitler's Nazi Germany attacked
Poland. Germany had allies such as Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, and
Romania. These European countries were part of the Axis Powers.
The countries that fought against Germany and the Axis Powers in
Europe were called the Allied Powers. The main Allied Powers in Europe
were Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France. Later the United
States would help in defeating Hitler.
Leading up to War
When Germany lost World War I they were forced to sign the Treaty
of Versailles. This treaty not only took land from Germany, but
required that they pay huge amounts of money in reparations to
countries they had fought. As a result, the German economy did very
poorly. The citizens of Germany were not only humiliated that they
had lost World War I, but they were also poor and struggling. It
was during this time that Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came into
power. Hitler promised he would bring Germany back to power.
Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Soon he had made
himself dictator. Hitler said the country needed more land or
"living space". First Hitler took over the country of Austria.
Next, he took part of Czechoslovakia. The other European countries
didn't want war, so they didn't do anything. Finally, when Germany
invaded Poland in 1939, the other countries knew he would not stop.
France and Great Britain declared war on Germany and World War II
had begun.
The War
20
Prior to invading Poland, Germany had made a deal with the Soviet
Union. After Poland was defeated, the country was divided up
between Germany and the Soviet Union. Even though France and Great
Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, there wasn't a lot of
fighting at first.
It was in April of 1940 when Germany went on the attack again. On
April 9, 1940 Germany invaded Norway and Denmark. Soon after that,
they invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. On June 22, 1940
Germany signed an agreement that gave them control of the Northern
half of France.
Up until this point in the war, the Soviet Union had been allied
with Germany. However, on April 6, 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet
Union. Now the Soviet Union was on the side of the Allies.
The United States Enters the War
The United States had stayed neutral during the war. They tried to
help out the Allies, but did not want to enter the fighting.
However, on December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor.
The US became a major power within the Allies Alliance.
Three Fronts
By 1941 Germany had control over much of mainland Europe. They had
tried to take over Great Britain in 1940 with the Battle of
Britain, but failed. Germany's army was stretched thin and was
fighting on three fronts:
1. Eastern or Russian Front
2. Mediterranean Front and Africa
3. Western Front (France and Great Britain)
The Allies Start to Fight Back
In 1942 and 1943 the Allies began to fight back. The British Air
Force began to bomb Germany, taking the war to German soil. The
Allies also took control of northern Africa and then launched an
attack on Italy forcing southern Italy to surrender. At the same
time, the Russians defeated the German army on the Eastern Front
and started to push them back towards Germany.
End of World War II in Europe
On June 6, 1944 the Allies attacked the Germans on the Western
Front. This day is often called D-Day or the Invasion of Normandy.
21
The Allies defeated the Germans and pushed them out of France.
Germany then counterattacked and a great battle, called the Battled
of the Bulge, was fought. Hundreds of thousands of US troops held
the Germans back and the German army was finally defeated.
On May 7, 1945 Germany surrendered to the Western Allies. The next
day the Allies celebrated victory. May 8th is called V-E day or
"Victory in Europe" day.
Interesting Facts

After World War II, Germany was split in half; the western
half was controlled by the Western Allies and the eastern half
by the Soviet Union.
 Adolf Hitler committed suicide in a bunker on April 30, 1945
when he realized that Germany would lose the war.
 Around 200,000 US soldiers lost their lives in battle in World
War II in Europe.
 United States General Dwight D. Eisenhower was Supreme
Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. At one point he was
in charge of over 5 million soldiers.
 The war in the Eastern Front was called the Great Patriotic
War by the people in the Soviet Union.
NOTES:
Date
The War in the Pacific
There were two major places where World War II took place. These
places are sometimes called theaters of war. One theater of World
War II was in Europe, the other was in the Pacific. The Pacific
theater of war included Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines, and
many more islands and countries in Southeast Asia.
Leading up to the War
Japan wanted to become a strong country and a world leader.
However, because Japan was a small island country, they had to
import many natural resources. Some Japanese leaders felt they
needed to gain more land by conquering other countries.
In 1937 Japan invaded China. They wanted to dominate all of
Southeast Asia. They joined the Axis alliance with Germany and
Italy in 1940 by signing the Tripartite Pact. In 1941 a former
General of the Army, Hideki Tojo, became Prime Minister of Japan.
He had been a strong supporter of Japan joining the Axis Powers.
Now that he was Prime Minister, Tojo wanted Japan to attack the
22
United States.
Pearl Harbor
Although the US was trying to avoid getting involved in World War
II, Japan was worried that the US would try and stop them from
taking over some countries in Southeast Asia. They decided to
attack the US Navy hoping they could sink enough ships to keep the
US from ever attacking Japan.
On December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the US Navy at Pearl Harbor in
Hawaii. They surprised the US and sunk many ships. However, this
attack did not have the effect the Japanese had hoped. The US
joined the Allies in World War II the next day. The attack at Pearl
Harbor united the Americans with the goal of defeating the Axis
powers, and especially Japan.
The War
The Japanese quickly took over much of Southeast Asia and were well
on their way to dominance by 1942. However, the US won a critical
battle called the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. Badly
outnumbered, the US Navy sunk four Japanese aircraft carriers and
forced the Japanese to retreat. Winning this battle gave the
Americans cause for hope and was a turning point in the war in the
Pacific.
After the Battle of Midway the United States began to fight back
against the Japanese. They fought to take over strategic islands in
the Pacific. One of the first major battles was over the island of
Guadalcanal. After fierce fighting the US was able to take the
island, but they learned that fighting the Japanese was not going
to be easy. There were many battles over islands in the South
Pacific, these included Tarawa, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima took
36 days of fighting to take the island. Today a statue of marines
raising a flag on the island of Iwo Jima serves as the Marine Corps
Memorial in Washington DC.
The Atomic Bomb
Finally in 1945 the Japanese army had been pushed back to Japan.
However, the Japanese would not surrender. American leaders felt
that the only way to get Japan to surrender would be to invade the
main island of Japan. However, they feared this would cost the
lives of up to 1 million US soldiers.
Instead of invading, President Harry S. Truman decided to use a new
weapon called the atomic bomb. The first atomic bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. It completely destroyed the
city and killed thousands and thousands of people. Japan did not
surrender. Another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. This
23
time the Japanese decided to surrender.
Japan Surrenders
On August 15, 1945 Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced that Japan
would surrender. Later on September 2, 1945 the Japanese signed a
surrender treaty with US General Douglas MacArthur aboard the
battleship USS Missouri. This day was called V-J Day which means
Victory in Japan.
Other Facts about World War II in the Pacific

In order to attack Japan, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James
H. Doolittle demonstrated that large B-25 bomber planes could
take off from air craft carriers.
 Japanese fighter pilots would purposely crash their planes
into US ships in what were called Kamikaze attacks.
 The Soviet Union had been at peace with Japan during much of
World War II. They agreed to attack Japanese forces in
Manchuria on August 8, 1945. This also helped in forcing Japan
to surrender.
 The Japanese were guilty of many war crimes during World War
II. This includes the killing of up to 20 million Chinese
people. They had a policy called "Kill All, Burn All, and Loot
All". They used biological weapons and tortured prisoners of
war. As a result, many Japanese leaders were executed after
the war including Prime Minister Hideki Tojo.
NOTES:
Date
The Holocaust
What was it?
The Holocaust is one of the most terrible events in human history.
It occurred during World War II when Hitler was leader of Germany.
Six million Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis. This included
as many as 1 million Jewish children. Millions of other people that
Hitler didn't like were killed as well. This included Polish
24
people, Catholics, Serbs, and handicapped people. It is thought
that the Nazis murdered as many as 17 million innocent people.
Why did Hitler and the Nazis do it?
Hitler hated Jewish people and blamed them for Germany losing World
War I. He considered Jewish people to be less than human. Hitler
also believed in the superiority of the Aryan race. He wanted to
use Darwinism and breeding to create a race of perfect people.
Hitler wrote in his book Mein Kampf that when he became ruler he
would rid Germany of all the Jews. Not many people believed he
would really do this, but as soon as he became Chancellor he
started his work against the Jews. He made laws that said Jews had
no rights. Then he organized attacks on Jewish businesses and
homes. On November 9, 1938 many Jewish homes and businesses were
burnt down or vandalized. This night was called the Kristallnacht
or "Night of Broken Glass".
Ghettos
During World War II when the Nazis would take over a city in Europe
they would force all of the Jewish people into one area of town.
This area was called a ghetto and was fenced in with barbed wire
and guarded. There was little food, water, or medicine available.
It was also very crowded with multiple families sometimes sharing a
single room to live in.
Concentration Camps
All Jewish people were eventually to be brought to concentration
camps. They were told they were relocating to a new and better
place, but this was not the case. Concentration camps were like
prison camps. People were forced to do hard labor. The weak were
quickly killed or died of starvation. Some camps even had gas
chambers. People would be led into the chambers in large groups
only to be killed with poison gas. The concentration camps were
horrible places.
Hiding
Many Jewish people hid from the Nazis during World War II. They
would hide with non-Jewish families. Sometimes they would pretend
to be a part of the family and sometimes they would hide in hidden
rooms or in a basement or attic. Some were able to eventually
escape across the border into a free country, but many hid for
years sometimes in the same room.
NOTES:
25
Date
The U.S. Home Front
Even though the fighting in World War II was all the way across the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the war changed the lives of everyone
in America. The war effort in the United State was often called the
home front
26
Rationing
Because of the war, many products were in short supply. Metal had
to be used to make tanks and battle ships. Medicine was needed for
the battlefields. Also, some products were hard to get as they came
from countries that were at war. Rubber for tires was especially
difficult to get because much of it was imported from Southeast
Asia.
By the end of the war, many products were rationed. Each family
would get ration stamps allowing them to buy a certain amount of a
type of product. Products rationed included tires, automobiles,
sugar, gasoline, meat, butter, and coal.
Women go to work
When World War II began in 1939 there were around 190,000 men in
the US Army. By the time the war ended in 1945, there were over 10
million. On top of this, factories in the US were at full capacity
making arms, tanks, ships, and vehicles for the war. There was a
shortage of workers.
27
To fill the gap and help build supplies for the war, many women
went to work. They took on tough physical labor jobs that
previously had been done mostly by men. Women who went to work in
factories were nicknamed Rosie the Riveter. They played a major
role in keeping the factories running smoothly and producing much
needed planes, tanks, and other arms for the war.
Japanese Americans
At the time of the war there were many citizens of the United
States of Japanese descent. After Pearl Harbor, many people didn't
trust them and were worried that they would help Japan to invade
America. In 1942 President Roosevelt signed a bill that ordered
Japanese Americans to go to internment camps. These camps were
almost like prisons. They were guarded by soldiers and surrounded
by barbed wire.
Around 110,000 Japanese Americans were forced into the internment
camps. They had to leave their homes, shops, and jobs. Many lost
their homes and most of their possessions. In 1988 President Ronald
Reagan signed a bill that gave reparations of $20,000 to the
survivors. In 1989 President George H.W. Bush gave a formal
apology.
Entertainment and Propaganda
The US government knew that Americans must stay united in the war
effort in order to win the war. They created all sorts of posters
that showed patriotism and ways that people could help with the war
effort from home. There were also lots of wartime movies showing
how brave the soldiers were and how evil Hitler and the enemy was.
All movie scripts had to be approved by the government.
Many celebrities fought in the war. Baseball players such as Joe
28
DiMaggio and Ted Williams enlisted and fought. Also movie stars
such as Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable joined the army. At one point
the commissioner of Major League Baseball wrote a letter to
President Roosevelt asking if professional baseball should continue
during the war. Roosevelt responded that they should keep playing
baseball because it was good for the country's moral.
Interesting Facts

Factories in the United States built over 80,000 tanks,
300,000 military planes, 2 million trucks, and millions of
rifles and machine guns.
 The Allied countries produced significantly more military
weapons, vehicles, and aircraft than the Axis countries.
 The United States supplied its Allies with as much as half of
their military weapons and arms. This was a boon to the US
economy and helped bring an end to the Great Depression.
The Tuskegee Airmen
African Americans have played a significant role in U.S.
military history over the past 300 years. They were denied
military leadership roles and skilled training because many
believed they lacked qualifications for combat duty. Before
1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S.
military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted
pressure that resulted in the formation of an all AfricanAmerican pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941.
They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Tuskegee Airmen" refers to all who were involved in the socalled "Tuskegee Experiment," the Army Air Corps program to
train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft. The
Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers,
maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the
personnel who kept the planes in the air.
The military selected Tuskegee Institute to train pilots because
of its commitment to aeronautical training. Tuskegee had the
facilities, and engineering and technical instructors, as well
as a climate for year round flying. The first Civilian Pilot
Training Program students completed their instruction in May
1940. The Tuskegee program was then expanded and became the
center for African-American aviation during World War II.
The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become
one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II.
They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and
maintain sophisticated combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen's
achievements, together with the men and women who supported
29
them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military.
NOTES:
Date
US Women of WW 2
Women played an important role for the United States in World War
II. Although they did not enter combat as soldiers, many women
helped by serving in the armed forces. They also helped to keep the
country together at the home front. Women worked in factories
producing ships, tanks, munitions and other much needed products
for the war effort
Women in the Armed Forces
Many women served in the armed forces during the war. Some served
as nurses in the Army Nurse corps. This could be a dangerous job as
some nurses worked in hospitals that were close to the war front.
They served in a variety of areas including field hospitals, ship
hospitals, medical transport planes, and evacuation hospitals. Many
soldier's lives were saved by these brave nurses.
Women also served in the Women's Army Corps or WAC. This was a
branch of the armed forces started up in 1942. Women served in noncombat areas such as mechanics repairing vehicles, army post
offices sorting mail, and working in communications and warning
systems. There were 150,000 women in the WAC by the end of the war.
They served throughout the military, even landing in Normandy only
a few weeks after D-Day.
At first many men did not want women in the armed forces. It was
Eleanor Roosevelt and General George Marshall who eventually got
the WAC approved. Later, women troops were such good soldiers that
some leaders suggested that women should be drafted.
Women's Air Force Service Pilots
Women also served as pilots as Women's Air Force Service Pilots or
WASPs. These were women who already had pilot's licenses. They flew
military planes between army bases and flew cargo planes carrying
supplies. This freed up men pilots for combat missions.
Rosie the Riveter
30
Perhaps one of the largest contributions of women during World War
II was keeping our factories running. With 10 million men in the
army, many women were needed to run the country's factories. They
produced much needed planes, tanks, warships, guns, and other
munitions for the war.
In order to inspire women to work in the factories, the US
government came up with the "Rosie the Riveter" campaign. Displayed
on posters and magazines, Rosie the Riveter was a character that
portrayed a strong patriotic woman who worked in the factories to
help the country. There was even a popular song called "Rosie the
Riveter". The campaign was successful as hundreds of thousands of
women entered the work force taking on jobs that had been
previously done by men.
31
Notes:
Date
The Atomic Bomb
At the start of World War II in 1939 the atomic bomb had not yet
been invented. However, scientists discovered about that time that
32
a powerful explosion might be possible by splitting an atom. This
type of bomb could destroy large cities in a single blast and would
change warfare forever.
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was the name for the research and development
program for the atomic bomb. It started small, but as the bomb
became more real, the United States added scientists and funding to
be sure they were the first to have the bomb. Ironically, many of
the scientists involved in making the bomb had defected from
Germany. By the end of the project, funding had reached $2 billion
and there were around 200,000 people working on the project.
The First Atomic Bomb
On July 16, 1945 the first atomic bomb was exploded in the New
Mexico desert. The explosion was massive and the equivalent to
18,000 tons of TNT. Scientists figured that the temperature at the
center of the explosion was three times hotter than at the center
of the sun.
Although the scientists were happy they had successfully made the
bomb, they also were sad and fearful. This bomb would change the
world and could cause mass destruction and death. When President
Harry Truman heard of the bomb's success he wrote "We have
discovered the most terrible bomb in the history of the world".
Deciding to Drop the Bomb
By the time the first atomic bomb had been made, Germany had
already surrendered and World War II in Europe was over. Japan was
defeated as well, but would not surrender. The US was contemplating
an invasion of Japan. Army leaders figured that anywhere from
500,000 to 1 million US and Allied soldiers would die in an
invasion. President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb instead.
Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb named Little Boy was dropped on
Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion was huge, the city was destroyed,
and tens of thousands of people were killed. The bomb was dropped
by a plane named the Enola Gay which was piloted by Colonel Paul
Tibbetts. The bomb itself was over 10 feet long and weighed around
10,000 pounds. A small parachute was on the bomb in order to slow
its drop and allow the plane time to fly away from the blast zone.
Nagasaki
Despite witnessing the terrible destruction of the bomb on
33
Hiroshima, Emperor Hirohito and Japan still refused to surrender.
Three days later, on August 9, 1945, another atomic bomb, nicknamed
Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Again the devastation was
horrible.
Surrender
Six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Emperor Hirohito and Japan
surrendered to US forces. The Emperor announced this on the radio.
It was the first time most Japanese had heard his voice.
NOTES:
Date
After the War
34
Many things changed once World War II was over. Much of Europe and
Eastern Asia had been destroyed by the fighting and bombings that
had taken place over many years. Also, many country's borders
needed to be set and governments re-established where Germany or
Japan had taken over.
Europe
Germany had occupied much of Europe during World War II. Many of
the countries in the west returned to the same governments and
borders they had prior to the war. However, Germany was divided up
into Eastern and Western Germany. The Eastern part was controlled
by the USSR (Russia) and the Western part by the Allies.
The USSR also took control of many of the countries in Eastern
Europe where they had fought the Germans. These included Poland,
Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.
Europe was in much need of financial aid due to all the roads,
bridges, buildings and more that had been destroyed in the
fighting. The United States offered Aid in the form of the Marshall
Plan to help Europe recover.
Japan and Eastern Asia
The US and the Allies occupied Japan. They maintained control as
Japan recovered from the war. Japan would become an independent
nation again in 1952.
In Korea, the Allies and the USSR (Russia) divided up the country
into North and South Korea. The plan was for Russia to control the
North and the Allies the South until a free election could be held
for the entire country. This never happened as Russia later refused
and the country is still split to this day with North Korea
controlled by communists.
In China, a civil war continued that had started prior to World War
II. It was between the communists and the nationalists. The
communists won and the nationalists fled to Taiwan.
United Nations
The Allies formed the United Nations in order to try and prevent
World War III from happening. The United Nations was formed on
October 24, 1945. There were 51 original member nations including 5
permanent Security Council members: China, France, the Soviet
Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Cold War Begins
Europe became divided into the Eastern Bloc of nations and the
35
West. The Eastern Bloc was led and controlled by the Soviet Union
(Russia). These countries were run by communist governments and had
their own alliance called the Warsaw Pact. The Western countries,
including the United States, formed an alliance against communism
called NATO.
These two alliances, NATO and the Warsaw Pact, would take part in
an arms race war called the Cold War. The Cold War never escalated
into full war due to the fear of what would happen to the world if
many countries started dropping atomic bombs. The Cold War would
last for the next 45 years.
NOTES
36
Writing Activities for Unit 7
Paragraph Format for Unit 7 Writing Activities
 Introduction sentence
 Supporting detail one
 Supporting detail two
 Supporting detail three
 Conclusion sentence
Writing Assignment 7-1
Write a paragraph to describe Germany’s aggression in Europe and
a paragraph to describe Japan’s aggression in Asia.
Writing Assignment 7-2
37
Describe the major events of World War II by writing a paragraph
on each event:
 Pearl Harbor
 Iwo Jima
 D-Day
 VE Day
 VY Day
 Holocaust
Writing Assignment 7-2
38
Writing Assignment 7-3
Discuss the decision of President Harry S. Truman to drop an
atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by
writing a three paragraph essay.
39
Writing Assignment 7-3
40
Writing Assignment 7-4
Describe the impact of women and the role they played on the
home front during World War II, in a three paragraph essay.
41
Writing Assignment 7-4
42
Writing Assignment 7-5
Write a paragraph to discuss the contribution of the Tuskegee
Airmen during World War II.
43
Review:
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Which nation below was NOT a member of the Allied Powers?
Great Britain
France
Poland
Germany
United States
2. What was the group of nations called that were fighting against the
Allies?
a. The Nazis
b. The Axis Powers
c. The European Alliance
d. The Northern Powers
e. The Big Three
3.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Who was the leader of Great Britain through much of World War II?
Margaret Thatcher
Joseph Stalin
Neville Chamberlain
Charles de Gaulle
Winston Churchill
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
What member of the Big Three Allies began the war on the side of Germany?
Russia
United States
France
China
Great Britain
5.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Who was the leader of Russia during World War II?
Winston Churchill
Vladimir Putin
Joseph Stalin
Mikhail Gorbachev
Vladimir Lenin
6.
it
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
In what country did Charles de Gaulle lead a freedom fighting force after
was taken over by the Germans?
Denmark
France
Italy
Belgium
Poland
7.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
What Allied leader made the decision to drop the atomic bomb?
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Harry S. Truman
Douglas MacArthur
Franklin D. Roosevelt
George Marshall
8. True or False: The Republic of China and the Communist Party of China
joined together to fight against the Japanese during the war.
a. TRUE
44
b. FALSE
9. What United States general led the army in the Pacific and the fighting
against Japan?
a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
b. George S. Patton
c. George Marshall
d. Douglas MacArthur
e. Bernard Montgomery
10. What Allied Power was invaded by Germany to start World War II?
a. Austria
b. France
c. Poland
d. Denmark
e. Great Britain
11. Which of the following countries was NOT a member of the Axis Powers?
a. Germany
b. Japan
c. Italy
d. France
e. Hungary
12. Who was the dictator of Italy that installed a fascist regime?
a. Adolf Hitler
b. Benito Mussolini
c. Joseph Stalin
d. Ugo Cavallero
e. Emperor Hirohito
13. Of the major Axis Powers, which leader remained in power for many years
after the war?
a. Hideki Tojo
b. Yamamoto
c. Adolf Hitler
d. Benito Mussolini
e. Emperor Hirohito
14. What title did Adolf Hitler take in 1934 that meant leader?
a. Dictator
b. King
c. Fuhrer
d. Emperor
e. Minister
15. What was the job of German leader Heinrich Himmler in the government?
a. He was in charge of the concentration camps
b. He was in charge of the Gestapo police
c. He was second in command after Adolf Hitler
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
16. Which of the major Axis Powers was the first to surrender to the Allies?
45
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Italy
Germany
Japan
They all surrendered together
None of the above
17. What was the document that all three Axis powers signed in 1940? It was
later signed by Hungary.
a. The Pact of Blood
b. The Axis of Evil
c. The Axis Agreement
d. The Pact of Steel
e. The Tripartite Pact
18. True or False: The Axis Powers at one point ruled much of Europe,
Southeast Asia, and North Africa.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
19. What Scandinavian country did not sign the Tripartite Pact, but did fight
with the Axis powers against Russia?
a. Denmark
b. Finland
c. Iceland
d. Sweden
e. Norway
20. What brilliant German general commanded the German army during the
Invasion of Normandy?
a. Erwin Rommel
b. Hermann Goring
c. Heinrich Himmler
d. Walter Model
e. Erich Raeder
21. What country did Hitler take over first in his effort to gain more living
space?
a. Denmark
b. Austria
c. France
d. Russia
e. Hungary
22. What two countries declared war on Germany when the German army invaded
Poland?
a. The United States and France
b. The Soviet Union and China
c. Great Britain and Denmark
d. France and Great Britain
e. Greece and Spain
23. What country made a deal with Germany to divide up Poland?
a. The Soviet Union
46
b.
c.
d.
e.
France
Italy
Japan
Hungary
24. Why did the United States enter World War II to help Great Britain and
the Soviet Union?
a. Because they were eager to join in the war
b. Because they were good friends with the communist Soviet Union
c. Because Japan, an ally of Germany, attacked the US at Pearl Harbor
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
25. Who were the Germans fighting on the Eastern Front?
a. France
b. The United States
c. Great Britain
d. The Soviet Union
e. Finland
26. What was the name of the battle where the Allies attacked the western
front on the coast of France on June
6, 1944?
a. Invasion of Normandy
b. Battle of Iwo Jima
c. Battle of the Bulge
d. Battle of Britain
e. Liberation of Paris
27. Why did the Soviet Union change sides and end up fighting for the Allies?
a. Because they wanted to help France
b. Because Germany invaded the Soviet Union
c. Because they liked the United States
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
28. What happened to Germany after World War II?
a. It was left alone to be rebuild
b. It was wiped off the map and the land given to other countries
c. It was split between the western Allies and the Soviet Union
d. It was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles
e. It voted to become communist and the entire country joined the Soviet
Union
29. What was the last great battle on the western front in Europe?
a. Battle of Britain
b. Invasion of Normandy
c. Battle of Iwo Jima
d. Battle of Stalingrad
e. Battle of the Bulge
30. What United States general was Supreme Commander over the Allied forces
in Europe?
a. George Marshall
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
c. Douglas MacArthur
47
d. Omar Bradley
e. George S. Patton
31. What country was the main Axis power in the Pacific theater of World War
II?
a. Soviet Union
b. China
c. Japan
d. United States
e. Australia
32. What Prime Minister of Japan pushed for Japan to attack the United
States?
a. Hirohito
b. Hideki Tojo
c. Osami Nagano
d. Yamamoto
e. Fumimaro Konoe
33. What day did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
a. 2-Sep-39
b. 31-Oct-40
c. 17-May-41
d. 7-Dec-41
e. 4-Jul-42
34. True or False: Japan achieved their main goal in attacking Pearl Harbor
when the United States entered World War II on side of the Allied Powers.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
35. What did the United States victory at the Battle of Midway do for the
Americans in the war?
a. It weakened the Japanese by sinking four aircraft carriers
b. It gave the Americans cause for hope
c. It was a turning point in the war
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
36. The picture of marines raising a flag that was used for the Marine Corps
Memorial was taken on what island?
a. Guadalcanal
b. Honshu
c. Shikoku
d. Mikura
e. Iwo Jima
37. When the Japanese forces withdrew to mainland Japan, what did the United
States decide to do?
a. Invade Japan even though it would likely cost the lives of 1 million
soldiers
b. Leave Japan alone and enact economic sanctions
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c. Drop the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima
d. Leave the invasion of Japan up to the Chinese
e. Put a permanent blockade around the country of Japan
38. What US general accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces?
a. Douglas MacArthur
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
c. Omar Bradley
d. George Marshall
e. George S. Patton
39. What were Kamikaze attacks?
a. A very fast attack with overwhelming forces
b. An attack using combined navy and air force units
c. When the US forces would land on the shore of an island
d. When Japanese planes would purposely crash into US ships
e. A surprise attack from a soldier hidden in a hole in the ground
40. Why did the Japanese want to take over other countries?
a. Because they were worried that the other countries would attack them
b. Because they felt they needed the natural resources to become a major
world power
c. Because the other countries attacked them first
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
41. What day was Pearl Harbor attacked by the Japanese?
a. 1-Sep-39
b. 7-Dec-41
c. 4-Jun-42
d. 3-Sep-43
e. 6-Jun-44
42. Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
a. Because they wanted to prevent the US from attacking Japan
b. Because they wanted to continue to take over countries in Southeast Asia
c. Because they wanted to cripple the US Navy
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
43. What was the reaction of the United States to the attack?
a. They fled back to the US coast and let Japan have Southeast Asia
b. They asked Great Britain for help
c. They let Japan have the islands of Hawaii
d. They waited several months to see what would happen next
e. They declared war on Japan the next day
44. What important type of naval vessel was not destroyed in the attack?
a. Warships
b. Destroyers
c. Aircraft carriers
d. Cruisers
e. None of the above
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45. About how long did the attack on Pearl Harbor last?
a. 10 minutes
b. 30 minutes
c. Two hours
d. 6 hours
e. 2 days
46. When this ship was sunk at Pearl Harbor, over one thousand US soldiers
lost their lives.
a. USS Arizona
b. USS Utah
c. USS Oklahoma
d. USS Chicago
e. USS Cooper
47. What day of the week did the Japanese attack?
a. Saturday
b. Sunday
c. Tuesday
d. Thursday
e. Friday
48. True or False: The Japanese achieved their objective of crippling the US
Navy and keeping the US from helping other countries in Southeast Asia.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
49. What facilities in Hawaii did the Japanese not attack that allowed the US
Navy to recover quickly?
a. Storage depots
b. Repair facilities
c. Both of the above
d. None of the above
e. They destroyed everything
50. What is the name of the memorial of the attack?
a. World War II Memorial
b. Hawaiian Island Memorial
c. USS Oklahoma Memorial
d. Pearl Harbor Memorial
e. USS Arizona Memorial
51. What is another name for the Invasion of Normandy?
a. Battle of France
b. Battle of the Bulge
c. D-Day
d. V-E Day
e. Invasion of France
52. Who was the main commander of the Allied Forces for the invasion?
a. Erwin Rommel
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
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c. George S. Patton
d. Bernard Montgomery
e. Douglas MacArthur
53. What group of soldiers led the first wave of invaders?
a. The generals
b. The submariners
c. The Calvary
d. The paratroopers
e. The medics
54. What country were the Allied Forces trying to free from the Germans with
the Invasion of Normandy?
a. Soviet Union
b. Italy
c. Greece
d. Great Britain
e. France
55. On what two beaches did the American troops land at?
a. Gold and Juno
b. Sword and Utah
c. Omaha and Utah
d. Pointe du Hoc and Omaha
e. Juno and Sword
56. Which beach was it where the fighting was fierce and the Americans lost
many lives?
a. Omaha
b. Gold
c. Utah
d. Juno
e. Sword
57. Who was the leader of the German forces during the Invasion of Normandy?
a. Dwight D. Eisenhower
b. Erwin Rommel
c. Adolf Hitler
d. Trafford Leigh-Mallory
e. Omar Bradley
58. What was
a. Operation
b. Operation
c. Operation
d. Operation
e. Operation
the military name for the overall plans for invasion?
Sea Lion
Grey Sky
Beach Landing
Overlord
Free France
59. True or False: The invasion was nearly cancelled due to bad weather.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
60. How many Allied troops landed on the first day of the invasion?
a. 8,000
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b.
c.
d.
e.
15,000
60,000
90,000
150,000
61. What two countries fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima?
a. Germany and the Soviet Union
b. Italy and the United States
c. Great Britain and Japan
d. Japan and the United States
e. France and Germany
62. What is Iwo Jima?
a. A river on the south side of Japan
b. A mountain on the coast of China
c. A small island south of Japan
d. A city in the South Pacific
e. A large island just north of Japan
63. How long did the US generals think it would take to win the Battle of Iwo
Jima?
a. One day
b. One week
c. Two weeks
d. One month
e. Two months
64. How long did it actually take for the US to capture Iwo Jima?
a. Two days
b. One week
c. Just over one month
d. Two months
e. Three months
65. What happened when the first marines landed on the shore of Iwo Jima?
a. They were not attacked and thought the Japanese were dead
b. They were met with a fierce attack
c. The Japanese came out to fight in force
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
66. How did the Japanese use the many tunnels they had dug around the island?
a. To keep safe from bombings
b. To sneak up behind US soldiers
c. To move around the island
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
67. What photographer took the famous picture of the marines raising the flag
at Iwo Jima?
a. Eddie Adams
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b.
c.
d.
e.
Walker Evans
Robert Capa
Ansel Adams
Joe Rosenthal
68. True or False: Most of the Japanese soldiers were taken prisoner after
they surrendered.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
69. How many US soldiers died in the battle?
a. 27
b. 190
c. 1,200
d. 6,800
e. 18,900
70. The Japanese had prepared for a mighty battle. If you put all the tunnels
they had dug into the island together, how long would they be?
a. 100 yards
b. One mile
c. Two miles
d. Four miles
e. Eleven miles
71. What did ration stamps do?
a. Let you send items to soldiers at war
b. Allowed people to buy only a limited amount of a product
c. Force people to buy certain products
d. Soldiers used them to get ammunition
e. Generals gave them to soldiers as a reward for bravery
72. What was rationed in the United States during World War II?
a. Butter and sugar
b. Cars and gasoline
c. Coal and meat
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
73. How many American men were members of the armed forces by the time World
War II was over in 1945?
a. 150,000
b. 500,000
c. One million
d. Three million
e. Ten Million
74. What important role did women play in the US home front?
a. They stayed at home
b. They baked goods that were sent to the front
c. They worked in the factories making weapons and ammo
d. They taught the young boys how to fight and shoot a gun
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e. They did not play an important role
75. What was the nickname for women who went to work in factories?
a. Rosie the Riveter
b. Cathy the Carpenter
c. Amy the Ammo Maker
d. Harriet the Hammerer
e. Wendy the Welder
76. Where were many Japanese Americans sent after the attack on Pearl Harbor?
a. Home to Japan
b. Iwo Jima
c. Japanese reservations
d. Internment camps
e. Prison
77. Around how many war planes were made in the United States during World
War II?
a. 2,000
b. 10,000
c. 300,000
d. 1 million
e. 2 million
78. True or False: Many famous celebrities such as movie stars and
professional baseball players joined the US armed forces during the war.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
79. What US President offered an official apology to Japanese Americans for
the way they were treated during World War II?
a. Franklin D. Roosevelt
b. John F. Kennedy
c. Jimmy Carter
d. George H. W. Bush
e. Bill Clinton
80. How did the United States government try to keep moral up at home during
the war?
a. With posters showing patriotism
b. With movies about heroic soldiers
c. With posters showing how people could help the war effort
d. With movies about how evil Hitler was
e. All of the above
81. Which of the following was NOT an area where women served in the US armed
forces?
a. Nurses in army hospitals close to the fighting at the war front
b. Communication operators and warning analysts
c. Repair mechanics for various vehicles
d. Fighter pilots running bombing raids in Germany
e. Pilots of cargo planes
82. What did Rosie the Riveter inspire many women to do?
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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Join the army and fight
Become nurses that helped near the fighting
Take on tough factory jobs in the USA
Become spies for the Allies in Europe
Write love letters to their husbands at war
83. What
a. Women
b. Women
c. Women
d. Women
e. Women
did WASP stand for in the army?
Air Force Service Pilots
Association of Standard Professionals
Attack Squadron Pilots
Army Submarine Personnel
About Standing Patiently
84. What two people were influential in getting women into the military?
a. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
b. Eleanor Roosevelt and General Marshall
c. President Roosevelt and General MacArthur
d. General Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth
e. Rosie the Riveter and Eleanor Roosevelt
85. About how many women were a part of the armed forces by the end of World
War II?
a. 1,000
b. 5,000
c. 25,000
d. 75,000
e. 150,000
86. What was the name used by women who tried to demoralize the US soldiers
in the Pacific, telling them on the radio that they could not win the war?
a. Wartime Sally
b. Osaka Flower
c. Kyoto Lily
d. Tokyo Rose
e. Judy Japan
87. What was Eva Braun famous for?
a. Flying fighter missions for the British
b. Helping Jewish people to hide in Nazi Germany
c. Being the mistress of Adolf Hitler
d. Being a sharpshooter for the Soviet army
e. She was a German spy in France
88. Which of the following was NOT something that Eleanor Roosevelt was
famous for?
a. Supporting the Troops
b. Helping to get the WAC approved
c. Pushing for the Japanese American internment camps
d. Helped to boost moral on the US home front
e. Supporting Civil Rights
89. Who bravely stayed in London despite having the opportunity to go to a
safer place?
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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Queen Elizabeth
Anne Frank
Sophie Scholl
Eva Braun
90. True or False: Women played a large role in World War II both in the
armed forces and at the home front.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE
91. What was the Holocaust?
a. A battle in World War II
b. When six million Jewish people were killed by the German Nazis
c. A time when all people in Germany were made to work hard for little food
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
92. What book did Hitler write where he said he wanted to rid Germany of the
Jews?
a. His Journal
b. The Third Reich
c. Buch von Adolf
d. Mein Kampf
e. Wellenlager
93. Besides wanting to kill all of the Jewish people, who else did Hitler
want to get rid of?
a. Polish
b. Catholics
c. Handicapped
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
94. When the Germans took over a city in Europe, what was the place in town
called where they put the Jewish people?
a. The Prison
b. The Asylum
c. The Jail
d. The Dungeon
e. The Ghetto
95. What was the name of the places where they would take the Jews and make
them work or kill them?
a. Labor prisons
b. Concentration camps
c. Ghost towns
d. Jail houses
e. Work precincts
96. What were gas chambers?
a. Places where people had to work until they passed out
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b.
c.
d.
e.
Places where they tortured prisoners
Places where Jewish people were killed by poisonous gas
All of the above
None of the above
97. What young girl wrote a journal of her life hiding for two years from the
Nazis?
a. Anne Frank
b. Eva Braun
c. Sophie Scholl
d. Eleanor Roosevelt
e. Cary Schindler
98. How many innocent people have historians estimated that Hitler and the
Nazis killed?
a. 1 million
b. 3 million
c. 6 million
d. 11 million
e. 17 million
99. Who was Corrie ten Boom?
a. A Jewish lady who protested against the Germans
b. A German fighter pilot
c. A Dutch lady who helped Jewish people to hide from the Nazis
d. A Danish lady who spied on the Germans
e. A French freedom fighter
100. What nationality was Oskar Schindler, the man who helped save many
Jewish people during World War II?
a. French
b. German
c. Polish
d. Dutch
e. Jewish
101. What scientist wrote a letter to President Roosevelt telling him of the
potential of an atomic bomb?
a. J. Robert Oppenheimer
b. Thomas Edison
c. Henry Ford
d. Albert Einstein
e. Nikola Tesla
102. What was the name of the secret project in the United States to develop
an atomic bomb?
a. The New York Project
b. The Manhattan Project
c. The Nuclear Project
d. The Atom Splitting Project
e. The Oppenheimer Project
103. Where was the first atomic bomb exploded?
a. In a secret lab in Washington, D.C.
b. Hiroshima, Japan
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c. The desert in New Mexico
d. The desert in Nevada
e. Nagasaki, Japan
104. How much money did the United States government invest into the making
of the atomic bomb?
a. $100,000
b. $1 million
c. $10 million
d. $500 million
e. $2 billion
105. What president made the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan in
World War II?
a. Harry S. Truman
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. John F. Kennedy
d. Dwight D. Eisenhower
e. George W. Bush
106. Why did the United States decide to drop the bomb rather than invade
Japan with soldiers?
a. Because the bomb was easier and quicker
b. Because they estimated that 500,000 to 1 million Allied soldiers would die
in an invasion
c. Because they wanted to see if the bomb would work
d. Because they did not have the soldiers or weapons left to attack Japan
e. Because they did not think they could defeat the Japanese
107. What Japanese city was the atomic bomb first dropped on?
a. Nagasaki
b. Tokyo
c. Hiroshima
d. Osaka
e. Kobe
108. What was the nickname of the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki?
a. Little Boy
b. Big Man
c. Chubby Kid
d. Stocky Dude
e. Fat Man
109. What scientist and leader of the atomic bomb research team is considered
the father of the atomic bomb?
a. J. Robert Oppenheimer
b. Thomas Edison
c. Isaac Newton
d. Albert Einstein
e. Neils Bohr
110. True or false: The American scientists were scared when they saw that
their bombed worked as expected.
a. TRUE
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b. FALSE
111. What happened to the country of Germany after World War II?
a. It was split up between the four countries around it
b. It was divided into two
c. France took control of the German government
d. It was left alone and given aid to recover
e. It kept many of the countries it had conquered
112. What happened to the country of Poland after World War II?
a. It was freed and gained a large portion of Germany
b. It was divided up between the USSR and Hungary
c. It was left alone and became a democratic leader
d. It joined NATO as part of Western Europe
e. It became communist and under the control of the USSR
113. What did the United States do to help Europe recover?
a. Nothing
b. Took control of several countries
c. Provided aid through the Marshall Plan
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
114. What was the situation throughout much of Europe after the war?
a. The countries were devastated
b. Roads and bridges needed repair
c. Cities and buildings needed to be rebuilt
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
115. What are the rules of war called that many leaders broke during World
War II?
a. The Rules of War
b. The Geneva Convention
c. The Bill of Rights
d. The Fairness Act
e. The United Agreement
116. What was the war called between NATO and the Eastern bloc of communist
nations?
a. The Cold War
b. The Nuclear Winter
c. The Bomb Race
d. The Icy War
e. The Frozen Battle
117. Which of the following countries was not a permanent member of the
United Nations security council?
a. France
b. Soviet Union
c. United States
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d. China
e. Germany
118. What was the alliance of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc of
communist nations called?
a. The Communist Group
b. The Warsaw Pact
c. The Pact of Steel
d. The Iron Union
e. The United People
119. What Asian country was divided into North and South after the war and is
still divided today?
a. Japan
b. China
c. Korea
d. Laos
e. Indonesia
120. What was the alliance of western countries against communism called?
a. SALT
b. The Warsaw Pact
c. NASA
d. NATO
e. The United Nations
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