Ch. 35 Notes
America in WWII
1. When the U.S. entered the war, we agreed
with Great Britain that strategy wise we
should concentrate on defeating Germany
first.
2. We sent a small force to the Pacific to
attempt to keep Japan busy until we could
focus all our efforts on them.
Participation in the War Effort
1. In contrast to WWI, there was nearly unanimous
support for U.S. involvement in WWII because of
the bombing of Pearl Harbor, including from
immigrants – the war effort actually had the
effect of further assimilating immigrants into
U.S. society.
2. And even despite discrimination at home, large
numbers of minorities joined the military and
fought in the war – the military will still be
segregated though, so there will be no
integrated units, especially with whites and
blacks.
Tuskegee Airmen
1. The Army Air Corp’s
99th Squadron will be
an all African American
unit known as the
Tuskegee Airmen.
2. They first served in
North Africa and never
lost a bomber they
were assigned to
protect.
The Wind Talkers
1. During WWII, Native
Americans moved off
reservations in large
numbers seeking
employment.
2. 25,000 will serve in the
armed forces, many of
them as wind talkers.
3. The military used the
Comanche and Navajo
language as code – the
Germans and Japanese
could not decipher it.
Bracero Program
1. 300,000 Mexican
Americans will serve in
the armed forces.
2. The U.S. government
will also start the
Bracero Program,
which was an
agreement with the
Mexican government
to bring thousands of
Mexican agricultural
workers into the U.S.
to harvest crops in the
west – this program
outlived the war.
1. Prejudice and fear against
the Japanese in the U.S.
led to the interment of
over 110,000 JapaneseAmericans – the large
majority of them being
U.S. born – with Executive
Order #9066.
2. In Korematsu v. U.S., the
Supreme Court upheld the
government’s decision to
do so.
3. In 1988 the U.S.
government officially
apologized for its actions
and approved the payment
of reparations in the
amount of $20,000 to each
survivor.
Japanese
Interment
Japanese Interment Camps
Women in the
War
1. Once again, many
women joined the
workforce as men went
off to war.
2. Over 6 million women
worked outside of the
home (although a large
number of them went
back when the war was
over citing family
obligations)
3. The government
established over 3,000
daycare centers to
provide for their
children as they worked.
Women in the Military
1. The armed forces
enlisted over 200,000
women.
2. The WAACS (army),
WAVES (navy), WASPS
(air force) and SPARS
(coast guard) used
women in non-combat
duties.
Industry Supports the War
1. The War Production Board took charge of
American industry to insure fast, efficient
wartime production.
2. The Office of Price Administration controlled
inflation by rationing essential goods – inflation
was also kept in check by federally imposed
wages and price controls.
3. The War Labor Board helped control inflation by
imposing ceilings on wages (to keep costs down)
Industry Supports the War
1.
African Americans
2.
3.
4.
Over 1.5 million African Americans
left the south to find jobs in the
west and north during the war –
this led to racial tensions erupting
across the country.
A Phillip Randolph, the lead of the
first all African American union,
threatened FDR with a march on
Washington to demand equal
employment opportunities for
African Americans.
FDR responded by creating the
Fair Employment Practices
Commission, which saw to it that
no hiring discrimination practices
were used against African
Americans seeking employment in
wartime industries.
The Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE) was also formed during
this time – it will later be an
integral part of the civil rights
movement.
Paying for the War
1. The U.S. debt went from
around $49 billion in
1941 to $259 billion by
1945.
2. The estimated cost of
the war was over $330
billion – 2/5’s of the cost
were paid from current
revenues, the rest was
borrowed, largely
through the sell of
bonds.
The Battle of the
Atlantic
1. After the U.S.’s entry
into the war, Hitler was
determined to prevent
foods and supplies from
reaching Great Britain
and the Soviet Union.
2. He ordered submarine
raids on U.S. ships on
the Atlantic – in the first
four months they sunk
87 U.S. ships.
3. Over time, the U.S. got
better at tracking the Uboats and eventually
inflicted huge loses on
the German navy.
The War in Europe
1. Stalin wanted the U.S. to
immediately open up a
western front to relieve
the pressure on the Soviet
Union – we couldn’t do
this because Great Britain
would bear the brunt of
it.
2. In the summer of 1942,
the German army took
the offensive in southern
Soviet Union but were
eventually defeated at the
Battle of Stalingrad – this
will be a huge turning
point in the war.
1. Instead of invading
western Europe, we set
our sights on Northern
Africa and Italy first (the
soft under-belly of
Europe).
2. This proved successful –
German general Erwin
Rommel (the Desert Fox)
will be defeated at the
Battle of El Alamein in
1942 – another major
turning point in the war.
3. Once we take North Africa,
we will invade Sicily.
Operation Torch
The Invasion of Italy
1. When Sicily is
captured, it led to the
overthrow of
Mussolini and Italy’s
surrender.
2. However, the Germans
refused to pull out of
Italy.
3. Rome was finally
captured in June of
1944 – it was the first
Axis capital to fall.
Operation Overlord
1. In June of 1944, the U.S.
finally opened up a
western front in Europe.
2. June 6, 1944 (D-Day) Allied
forces landed on the
beaches of Normandy – it
was the largest land-seaair operation in military
history.
3. Led by Dwight
Eisenhower, the invasion
will be successful and
Allied troops will begin
pushing towards Germany
(Paris was liberated by
August).
Operation Overlord
Presidential Election of 1944
1. In 1944, FDR will run
against Thomas Dewey.
2. The only real issue for the
Democrats was who would
be vice president – Henry
Wallace was replaced by
Harry Truman.
3. FDR easily defeated
Dewey, largely because of
the success the U.S. was
having in the war.
4. However, FDR died on
April 12, 1945 – Truman
had to finish out the war.
Battle of the Bulge
1. By October of 1944, U.S.
troops had reached
Germany.
2. In a last ditch effort,
Hitler launched a major
offensive, hoping to
break through Allied
lines and reach Dunkirk,
Belgium.
3. U.S. troops were able to
halt the German
advance (battle spanned
a month) and the
Germans took such huge
losses that their war was
over.
1. The Yalta Conference
was the second meeting
between FDR, Churchill
and Stalin (the first
occurred in Tehran,
Iran).
2. At the Yalta Conference
(Feb. 1945) they agreed
that their priority was
the unconditional
surrender of Germany –
they also agreed to the
partition of Germany
after her defeat.
Yalta Conference
Germany’s Surrender
1. By March of 1945, U.S. troops had reached
Germany’s Rhine River – they discovered and
liberated several concentration camps.
2. On April 29, 1945, Hitler and his new bride Eva
Braun committed suicide.
3. By May, the German’s had surrendered – May 8,
1945 was designated as VE Day – Victory in
Europe Day.
4. Of course, the war wasn’t over because we still
had to defeat Japan.
Potsdam
Conference
1. The Potsdam
Conference was
attended by Atlee,
Truman and Stalin (July
– Aug. 1945).
2. At the Potsdam
Conference, they
finalized their plans for
Germany and issued
an ultimatum to Japan
– surrender or face
“complete and utter
destruction”.
The War in the Pacific
1. U.S. troops in the Pacific were led by General
Douglas MacArthur.
2. The strategy they used in the Pacific was known
as island hopping – they would bypass the most
heavily fortified Japanese outposts and capture
nearby islands.
3. They would then build airfields and use their
bombers to attack the more heavily fortified
Japanese positions.
4. Island hopping proved to be very successful.
Battle of the Coral Sea
1. The first naval battle in
histroy in which all the
fighting was done by
carrier-based aircraft
was the Battle of the
Coral Sea.
2. This battle (May 1942)
stopped the Japanese
drive towards
Australia.
Battle of Midway
1. The Japanese then
began headed east
towards Hawaii.
2. At the Battle of
Midway (June 1942),
U.S. Admiral Chester
Nimitz will defeat the
Japanese navy – this
will be a turning point
in the war in the Pacific
because the Japanese
will lose four carriers.
Battle for Guam
1. In July of 1944 the U.S.
will retake Guam – this
will be important
because from Guam the
U.S. can launch bombers
against the islands of
Japan.
2. The island of Iwo Jima
will be captured in
February of 1945 – this
will give damaged
bombers a place to land
as they return from
Japan.
Battle of Okinawa
1. In April of 1945, the U.S.
will invade Okinawa –
this island is important
because it will give the
U.S. a jumping off point
for a land invasion of
Japan.
2. The Japanese will
unleash 1900 Kamikaze
attacks on U.S. ships (we
lose 30) but we will the
battle – 7,600 U.S. lives
and 110,000 Japanese
lives will be lost.
Truman Drops the Bomb
1. After Okinawa, MacArthur informs Truman that a Normandy
type invasion could result in up to 1.5 million Allied deaths.
2. In Truman’s mind, the only way to prevent this loss of life was
to use our new atomic bombs, which had been developed by
the Office of Scientific Research and Development as part of
the Manhattan Project – we had developed the bomb
because we believed Germany might develop one first.
3. On August 6, 1945, we dropped a bomb on Hiroshima and on
August 9, 1945, we dropped another on Nagasaki.
4. After the second bomb, Japan agreed to surrender.
5. September 2, 1945, the official day of Japan’s surrender,
becomes known as VJ Day, or Victory in Japan Day – we allow
Emperor Hirohito to remain as a figurehead but the Allied
forces will govern Japan (MacArthur).
The Bomb