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Major Events of the
Second World War
(1942-1943)
THE WAR YEARS
1942
Burma [March 1942]
There were two reasons for the Japanese invasion of Burma. First, the Japanese
knew it would serve them well if they cut overland access to China from Burma via
the famed Burma Road. Along this road a steady stream of military aid was being
transported from Rangoon to Chinese forces under Chiang Kai Shek's (Nationalist
Chinese.) Second, possession of Burma would place the Japanese at the gate of
India, where they believed a general insurrection against the British Raj would be
ignited once their troops had established themselves in Assam, within reach of
Calcutta.
Burma Road
Burma [March 1942]
Entering Burma from Thailand, the Japanese quickly captured Rangoon, cutting off
the Burma Road at source, and depriving the Chinese of their only convenient supply
base and port of entry. There followed many months of stalemate, as both sides tried
to probe each other's strengths and weaknesses. Heavy fighting would continue in
1944-45. [See Major Events of the Second World War: 1944-1945]
Malaysia
By December of 1941, it seemed the Japanese were everywhere at once in
overwhelming force. One of their most spectacular successes was their attack on
Malaya. They stormed down the Malay peninsula and took Singapore. Singapore
was supposed to be an impregnable city, but the defenses were pointed out to sea.
The Japanese came through the jungles on the land side. Allies news reports made a
big thing of Japanese troops’ special training for jungle warfare. The Japanese
troops were actually pulled out of fighting in China and sent to Malaya.
Singapore was supposed to be an impregnable city, but the defenses were pointed out to sea. The Japanese came through the
jungles on the land side.
Prince of Wales and Repulse Sunk
On December 10, 1941, the British sent the Battleship Prince of Wales and the battle
cruiser Repulse to aid in the defense of Singapore. The two ships had steamed out of
Singapore to intercept a Japanese invasion fleet, but instead, the Japanese found them.
Japanese torpedo bombers flying from airbases in French Indochina attacked them. The
Repulse sank within twenty minutes after the first torpedo struck it and the Prince of
Wales sank a short time afterwards. In less than an hour, two of the most powerful
surface ships had been lost.
Churchill fell to his knees when informed of the loss of the Prince of Wales
and the Repulse.
Japanese Secret Weapon at Singapore
The British commanders were confident that the Japanese attack against Singapore
would be a long and easily countered battle. The Japanese landed hundreds of miles
north of the city and the British expected the campaign to last 6 or more months. This did
not happen since the Japanese had a secret weapon, they issued bicycles to their troops.
The British command had based the Japanese attack timetable on their troops walking
down to Singapore. With the Imperial Japanese Army equipped with bicycles, they
traveled down much faster than expected.
The Fall of Singapore
The Japanese captured all of Malaya in less than two months. The garrison
defending Singapore surrendered on February 15, 1942. British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore, "the worst disaster and largest
capitulation in British history."
Japanese Conquer the Philippines (Spring 1942)
The Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941. U.S. General Douglas
MacArthur commanded 80,000 American and Filipino troops on the islands against
over 200,000 invading Japanese troops. For four months the American and Filipino
troops faced Hunger, disease, and around-the-clock bombardments. President
Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines. MacArthur
transferred the command of the Allied forces in the Pacific theater to Australia. On
leaving, General MacArthur promised the Filipino people his continued support. He
said, "I shall return."
Japanese Conquer the Philippines (Spring 1942)
Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, who took command of the American troops in the Philippines after MacArthur’s hasty flight
surrenders to the Japanese.
The Japanese defeat of the Americans in the Philippines was especially tragic. Over 75,000
American troops had surrendered on the Bataan Peninsula. The last battle in the
Philippines was on the island of Corregidor. After 14,000 Allied troops were killed and
another wounded 48,000, Over 10,000 U.S. and Filipino troops finally surrendered in on
May 5, 1942.
Bataan Death March
During the Bataan “Death March," 75,000 U.S. and Filipinos prisoners of war were
forced to walk 55 miles to prisoner of war camps. More than 7,000 died along the
way. Many of these prisoners died from injuries, sickness, and harsh treatment along
the way. Those held responsible for it were eventually tried as Criminals after the
war.
Strange… But True:
During the Bataan Death
March, the Japanese
confiscated chess books from
prisoners-of-war thinking
they were military codes.
The Japanese forced American soldiers to
walk over 65 miles to prisoner of war camps.
Atrocities During the Bataan Death March
Many of these marchers died or were
permanently injured during the ordeal. Even the
sick and wounded were expected to march. Those
who fell behind were executed by the Japanese
troops. Two thirds of the Americans who
participated in the forced march either died
during the march or shortly thereafter.
Japanese Prisoner-of-War Camps
There were more than 140,000 Allied prisoners in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps.
Of these, one in three died from starvation, work, and punishments or from diseases
for which there were no medicines to treat. The terms of the Geneva Convention
were ignored by the Japanese who made up rules and inflicted punishments at the
whim of the Japanese guards.
Very few of the Japanese guards spoke English
and prisoners were forced to learn Japanese in
order to understand commands they were given.
Failure to comply with instructions would merit
a beating. “Tenko,” was the name given to the
daily roll-call and prisoners had to call out their
prisoner number in Japanese.
Camps were encircled with barbed
wire or high wooden fencing and
those who attempted escape would
be executed in front of other
prisoners.
Japanese Prisoner-of-War Camps
Prisoners were rarely given fat in their diet and all were continuously hungry. The
majority survived on a meager diet of rice and vegetables, meat or fish once a
month and seaweed stew. Red Cross parcels were not distributed to the
prisoners. Illness was common as prisoners suffered from malnutrition, ulcers and
cholera.
Prisoner-of-War Camp: Punishments
Tied to a tree with
barbed wire for 48 hrs.
without food or water.
Forced to hold heavy
objects over your head
for extended periods of
time. Prisoner was
beaten if object was
dropped and forced to
repeat.
Placed in a sheet metal sweat box without
food or water for an extended period of
time.
Beaten with wooded rods for not bowing
to any Japanese guard or officer.
Beheaded for theft or caught with contraband.
Chester Nimitz
Admiral Chester William Nimitz was the commander of the U.S. naval forces in the Pacific
who led the Allied naval forces to victory in the Pacific in World War II. A brilliant
strategist of the "island-hopping" campaign, Nimitz commanded a broad offensive against
the Japanese that would move west from Hawaii toward major Japanese island outposts in
the central pacific.
It is the function of the Navy to carry
the war to the enemy so that it is not
fought on U.S. soil.
Admiral Chester William Nimitz
Battle for Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942)
Strange… But True
The youngest US serviceman was 12-
year-old Calvin Graham, USN. He
was wounded and given a
dishonorable discharge for lying
about his age. (His benefits were later
restored by act of Congress)
Allied naval units intercepted an invading Japanese naval force heading toward
Australia to disrupt the supply flow to MacArthur in Australia. This was the first great
naval battle between aircraft carriers and 'the first in which carrier-based airplanes
inflicted all damage. The battle was a stalemate as both sides withdrew. The United
States achieved its strategic goal of blocking further Japanese advance into the
southwest Pacific.
Coral Sea was the first great naval battle between aircraft carriers and 'the first in which carrier-
based airplanes inflicted all damage. The United States Navy loss the aircraft carrier, “Lexington.”
Doolittle Raid (April 1942)
On April 18, 1942 the United States surprised the Japanese when Lt. Colonel James
Doolittle led a bombing raid with a squadron of B-25's over Tokyo, Japan. The Doolittle
Raid had two real purposes: To give the American people at home a morale boost and
cause the Japanese to question their warlords.
Doolittle Raid Pilot Jacket
Doolittle Raid (April 1942)
The Japanese viewed
Allied soldiers as
cowards for
surrendering and
executed many. A few
Doolittle pilots who
fell into Japanese
hands were executed.
The raid did little physical damage, but the psychological damage to the Japanese was enormous.
For the first time, the Japanese had to worry about the war coming to their shores.
Why Midway?
Why did the Japanese decide to attack Midway Island? Doolittle’s attack on Japan made
Japanese leaders change their strategy. Midway Island was the last American base in the
North Pacific. The Japanese believed that an attack on Midway Island would lure the
American fleet into battle and enable the Japanese fleet to destroy it. The American fleet
had to be destroyed in order to protect Tokyo from being bombed by American B-25s
again. The Japanese were determined to wipe out any remaining ships of the decimated
American fleet when they sailed toward Midway.
Japanese Admiral Nagumo helped plan and led the Japanese task force which goal was to seize Midway Island
and destroy the already crippled U.S. Pacific fleet.
Code-Breaking at Midway
As the Japanese were planning their big attack on Midway Island in 1942, American naval
intelligence was listening in. The Americans had cracked the Japanese code and knew
something was planned for an attack on “AF.” The question then became, what was
“AF”? The intelligence people believed it was Midway, but needed to confirm their
suspicion. They arranged for Midway to report in the clear its water distillation
equipment had broken down. The Japanese soon reported that “AF” was having trouble
with its water supply. Now the report could go to Admiral Nimitz that Midway was the
target of a major Japanese attack. This information let Nimitz make the plan lead to a
crushing American victory at Midway.
AF水蒸留装置が
故障しました
Sir… the Japanese
Target is Midway….
Repeat… Midway.
Battle of Midway (June 4-6, 1942)
Strange… But True:
The term the whole nine yards came from WWII fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their planes on the ground, the .50
caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo
at a target, it had gone the whole nine yards.
Scratch three flat tops!
American pilot during the
Battle of Midway June 4, 1942
The turning point in the war came during the Battle of Midway, June 3–6, 1942 when
Americans shot down 38 Japanese planes and destroyed four Japanese carriers, thus
severely disabling the Japanese fleet at Midway Island in the Pacific. Midway stopped the
Japanese advance into the Pacific and forced Japan into defensive mode and turned the
tide of the war in the Pacific theater.
The Japanese seizure of the Aleutian Islands in June 1942 was strategically
unimportant, but the occupied islands did provide the Japanese with a base for
raiding Alaska. On May 11, 1943, the U.S. landed on Attu and the Japanese on
Attu were destroyed and fighting ended by May 30, 1943. A powerful Allied
amphibious force assaulted the island of Kiska on August 15, 1943. Kiska was
recaptured without combat because the Japanese secretly evacuated Kiska under
cover of heavy fog and retreated back to Japan.
Japanese Land in the Aleutian Islands (Alaska)
Strange… But True:
Following a massive naval bombardment
35,000 U.S. and Canadian troops stormed
ashore at Kiska in August 1943. Twenty-one
troops were killed in the firefight. It would
have been worse if there had been any
Japanese on the island. They had already
abandoned the island hours earlier under the
cover of fog.
Guadalcanal (August 1942-February 1943)
A Small island located near the Solomon Islands that marked the first territory
regained from the Japanese which marked a shift in momentum and initiative to
the United States. The U.S. attack was intended to capture the Japanese airfield
and secure a foothold for the long and bloody path to push the Japanese back.
The brutal and vicious fighting at Guadalcanal shaped the nature of combat
between Japanese and Americans in the Pacific.
Kill Japs… kill Japs… and keep on killing Japs.
U.S. Admiral William F. Halsey’s plan for defeating the
Japanese at Guadalcanal, 1942RecordingRecordingRecording
New Guinea
While the Allied campaign in Guadalcanal was going on, the United States and Australia
launched a joint offensive on November 16, 1942, into New Guinea, the control of which
the Japanese and Allied forces had both been struggling over for many months. As at
Guadalcanal, the Japanese displayed a tenacious will to fight for every inch of territory,
regardless of the cost in human lives. Although the majority of Japanese forces were
driven off the island by January 1943, the Allies were unable to remove them fully, and
fighting in New Guinea continued well into 1944.
Mosquito Fleet
The fast, wooden PT boat used by the American navy in World War II. The most famous
being PT-109, skippered by Lieutenant Junior Grade John F. Kennedy, a future president
of the United States.
Fall Blue: 1942 German Offensive
On June 28, 1942, the Germans launched a new offensive which objectives were to the
south of Kiev, seize the Caucasus oil fields, and take Stalingrad. The Soviets appeared
highly vulnerable and exhausted. The Soviets had fewer tanks and its best units remained
positioned in front of Moscow. Stalin remained convinced that Moscow was the Germans'
main target.
Germans Seize the Crimean Peninsula
In the beginning the German offensive was highly successful. The Germans defeated
the Soviets at Kharkov in May and reached Sebastopol in July. The German capture
of Sevastopol was halted by the valiant defense of Soviet Marines. However, after a
relentless 5-day artillery barrage of the city and bombardment by Luftwaffe
bombers, a renewed assault under German Generaloberst Manstein yielded greater
results. After key Soviet hilltop positions and defensive fortifications fell under
German control the Soviets evacuated Sevastopol. The Germans captured another
90,000 Soviet prisoners and gained control of the entire Crimean Peninsula.
Soviet Marines put up a valiant and brave defense of the important Soviet
port city of Sevastopol.
German Drive Into the Caucasus
Instead of securing to almost undefended Stalingrad, Hitler ordered a drive into the
Caucasus to seize the Grozny oil field. The Germans penetrated deep into the
Caucasus with great speed.
The German Approach to Stalingrad
By September, the Germans faced mounting problems. First, the front was now
more than 500 miles long, and the German supply lines were 1,300 miles long.
Second, the enthusiastic Germans underestimated the Soviet resistance whose
activities behind the German lines were intensifying. By October the German
offensive slowed to a crawl.
Somebody jokingly erected a skeleton saluting the first German
troops arrival at Stalingrad. But it was no joke… instead it was
an omen for the things to come.
German Advance Into Stalingrad
Did You Know? In the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviets suffered
more casualties than the United States did in the entire war.
Hitler was obsessed with capturing Stalingrad because it was named after Stalin. The
German 6th Army under General von Paulus was assigned the task to take Stalingrad in
order to block Soviet troop movements to the South. On August 22, 1942, the German
troops reached the Volga and entered the northern suburbs of Stalingrad.
Battle of Stalingrad: Ratte Krieg
Russian resistance became fierce as the two sides waged a ferocious battle of
attrition. The fighting proceeded street-by-street, block-by-block, and house-by-
house. The city was reduced to rubble, and movement was measured in meters. By
early November, the Germans held 90 percent of the city.
The concentration of effort in the defense of Stalingrad is a
grave mistake on the part of the Russians.
Adolf Hitler Sept. 6, 1942
Sniper Warfare at Stalingrad
During the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet snipers could occupy defensive positions
inside the rubble-strewn city and inflict significant casualties on wary Wehrmacht
troops. Because of the nature of fighting in city rubble, snipers were very hard to
spot and seriously hindered German morale.
Every German soldier must be made to feel he is living
under the muzzle of a Russian gun.
General Vasily Chuikov, Russian commander
Battle of Stalingrad 1942
As Part of their psychological
warfare, the Soviets played over
loudspeakers throughout the city
announcing that every 10 seconds
a German soldier died at
Stalingrad.
Vasily Zaytsev vs. Major Erwin König
The best known of these Soviet snipers was Vasily Zaytsev who was credited with over
250 confirmed kills within a 5-week period at Stalingrad. When the war ended Vasily
Zaytsev was credited with over 600 confirmed kills.
Part of William Craig’s book, Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, included a “sniper’s duel” between
Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director named Major Erwin König.
Highlights of the Battle of Stalingrad
Stalingrad witnessed scenes of savage street fighting.
The Germans were determined to take the city and the
Russians to hold it at all costs. Fighting proceeded
street-by-street, block-by-block, and house-by-house.
The city was reduced to rubble, and movement was
measured in meters. By early November, the Germans
held 90 percent of the city.
Highlights of the Battle of Stalingrad
Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Russian
woman sniper with 500 confirmed
Germans killed under her belt
during WWII. She turned out to be
one of the most successful snipers in
history and still holds the record for
the highest confirmed kill total of
any female sniper in history.
Russians Encircle the German 6th Army
Soviet General Zhukov took command and planned a counterattack. All
preparations were kept under tight security. Zhukov deliberately kept
reinforcements of the city to a minimum as he massed Russian troops to the north
and south of Stalingrad. On November 19, 1942, Zhukov unleashed the
counterattack against the northern and southern flanks, catching the Germans
off-guard. By November 23, the two Russian spearheads linked up 45 miles behind
Stalingrad, encircling the entire German 6th Army and one corps of the 4th
Panzer army.
I won't leave the Volga! I won't go back from the Volga.
Adolf Hitler
Russians Encircle the Germans at Stalingrad
Army requests immediate permission to surrender
in order to save lives of remaining troops.
Friedrich Paulus
Surrender is forbidden. Sixth Army will hold their
positions to the last man and the last round and by
their heroic endurance will make an unforgettable
contribution toward the establishment of a
defensive front and the salvation of the Western
world.
Adolf Hitler
Failed Calls for Supply at Stalingrad
Hitler refused Paulus's request for permission to break out of Stalingrad, but instead
ordered the doomed 6th Army to fight to the last man. Hitler ordered around-the-clock
supply deliveries by air, but the effort failed as only a small amount of the required
supplies arrived.
Reich Marshal Goering’s
failed promise to provided
500 tons of supplies daily
doomed the 6th Army.
Hitler Humiliated by Paulus
When the battle of Stalingrad seemed lost for the Germans, Hitler promoted Paulus to
Field Marshal and expected Paulus to commit suicide rather than surrender. His response
was: “I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian corporal.”
While a prisoner of war in the USSR, Paulus
publicly condemned Hitler’s regime and
made several radio broadcasts. Paulus
returned to Germany in 1956, thirteen years
after the defeat at Stalingrad.
I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian
corporal.
Field Marshal Paulus
Hitler promoted General Paulus to the rank of
Field Marshal knowing that no German Field
Marshal in German history had ever been
taken prisoner. Hitler became furious after
learning that Field Marshal Paulus refused to
kill himself and refused to promote anyone else
to the rank of Field Marshal for the duration of
the war.
German Surrender at Stalingrad
Out of food, ammunition, and against Hitler’s express orders not to surrender, Field
Marshal Paulus held out until February 2, 1943, then surrendered.
A thousand years hence, every German will speak with awe of
Stalingrad and remember that it was there that Germany put the
seal on her victory.
Joseph Goebbels
German Surrender at Stalingrad
The last German POWs weren’t released from the
Soviet Union until 1956. While the western Allies
released their final World War II prisoners in 1948,
many German POWs in the U.S.S.R. were kept under
lock and key for several more years. Most were used as
slave labor in copper or coal mines, and anywhere
between 400,000 and one million eventually died while
in Russian custody. Some 20,000 former soldiers were
still in Soviet hands at the time of Stalin’s death in 1953,
and the last 10,000 didn’t get their freedom until 1955
and 1956, a full decade after the war had ended.
Stalin Demands a Second Front
The Russians were suffering heavy casualties fighting the German invasion of Russia.
Stalin urged the Allies to open a “Second Front" in the west against Germany in 1942 to
help relieve pressure on the Russians from the German onslaught. Allies did so, but only
after a long delay and the result was disastrous. The Allies were not ready to begin
another assault on the Western front. They did remove some of the pressure on the
Eastern front as Stalin had demanded, but it will be in North Africa.
I suspect the Western Allies are not
doing enough and are quite happy to see
us Communists and Nazis destroy each
other in a bloodbath.
We’re both trying to tell
you that neither of us
have the manpower or
resources to make a
second front in Europe at
this time!!!
Tobruk [January-November 1942]
One of the primary flash points in North Africa was the key port of Tobruk, Libya, which
changed hands between the Germans and the British several times and was the site of
several major battles.
Originally in Italy’s sphere of influence, Tobruk fell to the British on January 12, 1941,
building upon the initiative they had seized after Italy’s defeat in Egypt the previous year.
In June 1942, Tobruk fell to the Germans after a long and intensive siege by Field
Marshal Erwin Rommel’s tank forces. Then, in November 1942, Tobruk fell once more to
the British and remained under their control for the rest of the war.
El Alamein [October 1942]
Perhaps the most decisive battle in North Africa was the Battle of El-Alamein, from
October 23 to November 3, 1942, in which a powerful British offensive defeated German
forces overwhelmingly. The British outnumbered the Germans two to one, and Rommel,
who had by this time earned the nickname “Desert Fox” for his brilliant surprise attacks,
pulled his Nazi Afrika Korps out of Egypt and retreated to Tunisia, which ended the
German threat to Egypt and the Suez Canal. El-Alamein became the “turning point” in
the war in North Africa.
"This is not the
beginning of the
end. It is the end
of the beginning."
Disaster at Dieppe (August 19, 1942)
The disastrous outcome of the small British raid at Dieppe in August 1942 convinced the British that they were not yet ready for
a large-scale invasion of the continent.
The Dieppe Raid was a miserable failure for the British & Canadian troops. 3,623
of the 6,086 British & Canadian troops who made it ashore were killed, wounded,
or captured. The German losses amounted only to 311 killed and 280 wounded or
missing.
The bitter lessons learned from the Dieppe catastrophe in 1942 influenced the
Allied preparations for D-Day (Operation Overlord).
Operation Torch (Nov 1942)
On November 8, 1942, over 800 ships, carrying 185,000 men and 20,000 vehicles
landed on the Northern coast of Africa in Algeria. This action was code named
Operation Torch. The Free French in North Africa welcomed the landings while the
Vichy French opposed them.
The Americans initially encountered resistance from the Vichy French
troops, but quickly convinced them to turn against their Nazi masters.
Slaughter at Kasserine Pass
Kasserine Pass, Tunisia (February 14, 1943) was the first battle between U.S. and
German troops. The inexperienced Americans were slaughtered.
In North Africa, the American army
first encountered the German “Tiger”
heavy tank.
Strange… But True: : The initials GI originally stood for “galvanized iron” but
were later reinterpreted as government issue,” meaning uniforms and supplies.
In time, the abbreviation came to stand for American soldiers.
Nazis Defeated in North Africa
The Americans placed General George S. Patton in charge of U.S. troops in
North Africa after the Kasserine Pass disaster.
Patton launched a massive Allied counter-attack which pushed the Germans into
Tunis where 275,000 Germans and Italians were trapped and forced to surrender
on May 12, 1943.
No bastard ever won a war
by dying for his country. He
won it by making the other
poor bastard die for his
country.”
-General George S. Patton
“Ol’ Blood and Guts”
World War II
The American Home Front
War Production Board (WPB)
The War Production Board halted manufacture of nonessential items such as
passenger cars, and when the Japanese seized vital rubber supplies in British
Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, the U.S. imposed a national speed limit and
gasoline rationing to save tires. Many essential goods were rationed.
Segregated Units
African Americans served bravely and
with distinction in every theater of
World War II.
Most African American troops
performed a variety of menial tasks
such as; being relegated as cooks,
janitors, supply chores, and common
laborers.
The separation of African Americans and whites in the military. Prior to the desegregation of the
Armed Forces in 1948, African American troops could only serve in African American units under
the command of white officers.
A. Philip Randolph
Membership to the NAACP passed the
half-million mark, and a new
organization, the Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE), was founded in 1942. A. Philip Randolph
Philip Randolph, leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, threatened a “Negro March to
Washington” in 1941 to get better rights and treatment for African Americans, especially those
working in war production factories. On June 25, 1941, the president responded with
Executive Order 8802, declaring no discrimination in the employment of workers in
defense industries or government.
Racial Riots in America During WWII
In 1944, the mechanical cotton picker made the need for muscle nonexistent, so
blacks that used to pick cotton could now leave, since they were no longer needed.
They left the South and took up residence in urban areas. Such sudden “rubbing of
the races” did spark riots and cause tension, such as the 1943 attack on some
Mexican-American navy men in Los Angeles and the Detroit race riot (occurring in
the same year) that killed 25 blacks and 9 whites.
Fair Employment Act
The U.S. government prohibited discrimination in the national defense industry. Became
the first federal law against employment discrimination. It helped draw attention to the
injustices facing African Americans in the US.
While Blacks in the army still suffered degrading discrimination (i.e. separate blood banks), they still used the war as a
rallying cry against dictators abroad and racism at home, overall gaining power and strength.
Zoot-Suit Riots
Resentment against Mexican-Americans increased when whites believed that Mexican
youths who wore the flamboyant clothes were unpatriotic. In 1943, tensions between U.S.
sailors and Mexican-American youths erupted into violence in Los Angles when eleven
U.S. sailors claimed they were harassed by “zoot-suiters.” For an entire week, Mexican
youths were beaten and stripped of their clothes by angry white crowds as Los Angeles
police did little to stop the bloodshed.
What are zoot-suits? Zoot-suits are fashionable, loose, and baggy clothes worn by Mexican-American males in
Los Angles during the 1940s.
War Bonds
To raise money for the war, the government raised taxes, covering about 45 percent of
the cost of the war. War bonds were sold to Americans to help pay for the war. Through
the purchase of these bonds, Americans were loaning money to the government. The
bonds could be redeemed in the future for the purchase price plus interest.
War Bond Drives
In order to finance the war and give people a sense of involvement in the war effort,
bond drives were held usually by movie stars and heroic military personnel. The
treasury department sold about $40 billion "E" bonds to investors, and nearly twice the
amount in higher denomination. The bonds raised half the money for WWII.
Victory Gardens
Gardens in which citizens grew their own food in order to make sure enough
food was available to feed US troops fighting in the war.
Rationing
Efforts by the government to limit citizens' access to certain goods in order to
assure that enough remained to support the war effort. Certain items were
assigned points values.
Once a citizen used up all their points, they could no longer obtain these items
until they acquired more. In this way, the government forced the public to
conserve resources that were needed to support the war effort.
During World War II, bakers in the United
States were ordered to stop selling sliced
bread for the duration of the war on January
18, 1943. Only whole loaves were made
available to the public. It was never
explained how this action helped the war
effort.
Housewives to Factory Workers
Before the Second World War, women were expected to be 'housewives' or perhaps
to do certain 'women's jobs', such as nursing or being a domestic servant or shop
assistant. The war changed the world of work for women forever. When men went
to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that
were previously thought of unsuitable for women.
Jobs undertaken by women during the war included:
Mechanics
Engineers
Building ships and aircraft parts
Working in factories making bombs
Plumbers
Ambulance drivers
Nurses
Rosie the Riveter
The government created "Rosie the Riveter" to help meet the need for a larger labor
force. This publicity campaign, which focused on a fictional poster girl, encouraged
women to support the war by working outside the home. Rosie made it seem patriotic
rather than unfeminine to work outside the home. As a result, six million women joined
the 12 million already in the labor force to work in offices, factories, and at general labor
jobs that men usually held. They put on slacks, tied up their hair, and demanded the
same pay as men.
THE WAR YEARS
1943
Casablanca Conference (Jan. 14-23, 1943)
In the middle of the North African campaign, Roosevelt and Churchill met at
Casablanca and resolved to attack Italy before invading France. They also vowed
to pursue the war until the unconditional surrender of the Axis power, and tried to
reduce Soviet mistrust of the west.
The Allied announcement for accepting nothing less than
‘unconditional surrender’ only prolonged the war by
forcing the Axis to be more determined to fight to the
death or total war.
Unconditional surrender means the victor decides all the conditions
the loser must agree to them. The Allies wanted Germany and
Japan to agree to unconditional surrender.
Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Killed
On April 18, 1943, U.S. code breakers pinpoint the location of Japanese Admiral
Yamamoto flying in a Japanese bomber near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
Eighteen P-38 fighters then located and shot down Yamamoto plane. Yamamoto,
the architect of Pearl Harbor was killed.
Yamamoto spent several years in the U.S.
He studied at Harvard University from 1919-1921 and in
the mid-1920s spent several years as a naval attache in
Washington, D.C. He learned fluid English and traveled
America learning its customs and studied its business
practice. He also learned the card games bridge and
poker and became an avid player.
Yamamoto was outspoken against war with China and the U.S. He opposed the
war with China from the onset and invasion of Manchuria in 1931, a position
which attracted much displeasure from the very militarized Japanese
government. As warmongers in the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy began
craving a war with the U.S., Yamamoto knew that they couldn’t win a
prolonged war in the Pacific and openly said just that. In 1939, he was
promoted to Commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet by the Navy Minister
in an effort to save his life because powerful people resentful of Yamamoto’s
opposition to war wanted him assassinated. Killing Yamamoto would be
harder to achieve if the Admiral was at sea, surrounded by officers and men
loyal to him.
Battle of Kursk (July 1943)
The largest armored conflict in history between German and Soviet forces began on
July 4, 1943 along a 200-mile front with a total of roughly 5,000 tanks and 4,000
aircraft. With news of the Allied landing in Sicily, Hitler hastily halted his offensive
and sent some of his crack armored units involved in the battle to the Italian Front.
By July 14, 1943 the remaining German units were in full retreat, with the Soviets
pursuing them close behind. From this point forward, the USSR had the initiative
and commenced a long offensive push that would slowly drive the Germans back to
the west. What is so important
about Kursk anyway?
The Fuhrer must know
what he’s doing?
Hitler delayed the Citadel offensive until the new
Panzer V [Panther] could take part in greater
numbers. However, this delay allowed Soviet spies to
learn about the offensive and gave the Soviet army
time to make several defensive circles where the
Germans planned to attack.
Battle of Kursk (July 1943)
Preparations
The Red Army used 300,000 civilians to construct eight
lines of defenses to include over 4,970 miles of trenches.
Soviet Spy Network
Due to the Soviet spy
network in Switzerland,
the Russian army knew six
weeks in advance of the
impeding German assault
at Kursk and heavily
prepared defenses. Hitler
had to call off the Kursk
assault due to huge losses
and the Western Allied
invasion of Sicily.
Combat Ratio
During the Battle of Kursk, the Soviets would outnumber the
Germans 1.6 million to 780,000, a 3-to-1 advantage. About 26
percent of the total manpower of the Red Army
Largest Tank Battle in History
The Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in history. The
Germans had 2,928 tanks while the Russians had 5,128 tanks, or
about 46 percent of their entire tank force, during the initial
offensive. During the Soviet counteroffensive the Germans
fielded 3,253 tanks while the Soviets put over 7,300 tanks in the
field.
Highlights of the Battle of Kursk
Tank Graveyard
It is estimated that the German lost about 760
tanks and assault guns. The Soviets losses
during the German offensive came to 1,614
tanks and self-propelled guns destroyed or
damaged out of 3,925 vehicles put into battle,
41 percent of tanks and self-propelled guns
committed.
Casualties
The Germans suffered 200,000 dead,
wounded and missing. The Soviets suffered
863,000 killed, wounded and missing. The
Battle of Kursk was Germany's last chance
to turn the tide in the east.
Strange… But True:
The Russians tried to wreak havoc on
German Panzer divisions during
WWII by strapping bombs to the
backs of dogs and teaching them to
associate food with the underneath of
their enemies' tanks.
Sicilian Campaign (July 10 - August 17, 1943)
U.S. general, George Patton was
relieved of duty after he slapped a
shell-shocked soldier while
visiting wounded soldiers at a
medical hospital who he thought
was a coward. Hitler was very
surprised that the United States
would get rid of their best general
over such an incident.
Codenamed Operation Husky, its objective was to knock Italy out of the war and
to divert some German strength away from the Russian front. The Allied
invasion force numbering about 160,000 men was divided between the British
Eighth Army under General Montgomery and the U.S. Seventh Army under
General Patton. Patton captured Palermo (capital of Sicily) by July 22, 1943 and
captured 275,000 Italian soldiers. The island was secured on August 17, 1943
when Patton captured Messina.
Italy’s Role in the War
Italy’s participation in World War II provided little strategic benefit for Germany;
in fact, it actually hindered the German war effort by diverting German forces
from more important tasks. All of Italy’s actions were undertaken at the whim of
its dictator, Mussolini, whose decisions became so erratic and potentially costly
that his own underlings eventually decided to overthrow him. Indeed, the battles
that resulted from Italy’s initially frivolous and aimless campaigns became
increasingly devastating. The each campaign ballooned into huge endeavors that
cost tens of thousands of lives.
Mussolini Overthrown (July 1943)
For the remainder of the war, Mussolini was to become a puppet of Hitler and led the defense of northern
Italy.
On July 25, 1943, the day after the fall of Sicily, Italy’s Fascist ruler Benito
Mussolini, was overthrown by a peaceful coup. Italian officials promptly began
approaching the Allies about an armistice and joined the Allies. King Victor
Emmanuel ordered Mussolini to be arrested and imprisoned. Hitler sent his elite
S.S. commandos and rescued Mussolini from his mountain top imprisonment.
Italy Surrenders [Sept. 8 1943]
Italy officially surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943. Italy joined the
Allies and General Badoglio became Italy's new leader after it surrendered.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
In September 1943, troops of the Italian Acqui Division were
massacred of by the S.S. because they refused to continue to
fight against the western allies after Italy surrendered.
Instead, they fought Germans for nine days before running
out of ammunition. Some 1,500 Italian soldiers died in the
fighting, 5,000 were massacred after surrendering, and the
rest were shipped to prison camps in Germany
“Italy has laid down her arms. The immediate and unconditional surrender was announced today
by General Eisenhower.”
War report on Italy's surrender in WWII September 8, 1943
Invasion of the Italian Mainland (Sept. 1943)
Although Italy officially surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943, the Allied
invasion of Italy proceeded as planned because there were still a large number of
German forces stationed in the country. British forces landed at Taranto, on the
southeastern tip of Italy, on September 2, 1943, but the main invasion began on
September 9, the day after Italy’s surrender when the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lt.
Gen. Mark W. Clark landed on beaches along the Gulf of Salerno. The Allied forces
planned to fight their way across the country to meet in the middle.
“Soft Underbelly” turned into a "Tough Old Gut.”
Churchill compared the Italian campaign with that of a crocodile. The Italian peninsula
defended by an already defeated Italian army was thought to be an easy conquest, or
the soft underbelly of a crocodile. Western Europe, defended by the Germans was
considered the tough scaly skin of the crocodile. But, the Italian campaign proved very
difficult as German troops rushed to overrun Italy and made good use of the
treacherous mountain terrain for their defense, thus making any Allied movements
difficult against battle-hardened German troops.
After Italy capitulated on Sept 8, 1943, Hitler rushed troops into Italy.
Most of these troops were withdrawn from the Eastern front just as the
Soviets launched a massive counter offensive in the summer of 1943.
German resistance and the slow and
treacherous fighting proved very difficult
and the U.S. forces in particular suffered
great casualties.
Soviet Victories in the Ukraine (Summer-Fall 1943)
During the late summer and autumn of 1943, the Soviets advanced steadily,
achieving a series of victories as they pushed the Germans westward across the
Ukraine. The first major victory came in August 1943 when the Red Army
recaptured the city of Kharkov. By November 1943 the Russians reoccupied the
Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Germany’s southern army group was now in full-scale
retreat and would be Driven from Soviet territory early in 1944.
Captured German troops were marched through towns to by the
thousands to boost Soviet citizen morale.
Allied Air War Over Germany
Strategic bombing during World War II included the sustained bombing of railways, harbors, cities (civilian areas), and
industrial areas in enemy territory. The strategy is the air power theory that major victories can best be won by attacking the
enemy's industrial and political infrastructure, rather than purely military targets.
Air power and strategic bombing was the key to Allied victory in Europe. Strategic Bombing called
for a sustained air offensive to destroy Germany’s will and capacity to wage war. In 1942, the new
commanding officer of the RAF’s Bomber Command, Arthur Harris, championed area bombing of
Germany's large industrial cities. After the United States entered the air war in Europe in 1942,
Allied air policy adopted "round-the-clock" bombing missions over Germany. The British bombed
at night while the United States Army Air Corps bombed Germany during the day.
Life and Death at 20,000 Feet
B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers were on the cutting edge of
technology. The bombers flew 20,000 feet, but were not pressurized.
Temperatures inside the planes often fell to 20-40 degrees below zero.
More US servicemen
died in the Air Corps
than the Marine
Corps. While
completing the
required 30 missions
your chance of being
killed was 71%.
Heavy losses suffered by U.S. bombers showed that they needed
fighter support. The development of P-51 Mustangs in early 1944
allowed huge bomber formations to protect bombers against the
Luftwaffe over Germany.
Firestorm on the Ground
Ploesti Air Raids
Ploesti was a vast complex of oil refinery facilities located some 30 miles north of
Bucharest, Romania. It supplied an estimated sixty percent of the refined oil necessary to
keep the German war machine running.
Code-named Tidal Wave, 178 U.S. B-24s bombers left Libya on August 1, 1943 and
raided Ploesti. Surrounded by hundreds of anti-aircraft emplacements, the attacking
Americans had lost the element of surprise when German radar detected their low-flying
aircrafts’ approach. Known as, "Black Sunday," the Americans lost 53 aircraft, each
with a crew of ten. Approximately 42% of Ploesti’s refining capacity had been destroyed,
however, it took only a few days for the Germans to bring the complex back to its
previous fuel output. The Ploesti refineries remained operational until the Soviet Army
overran the facility in August 1944.
Five Congressional
Medals of Honor
were awarded for
the mission, three
posthumously. This
is the most awarded
for a single combat
mission.
Tuskegee Airmen
The first African-American aviators in the U.S. Army Air Force were known as the
Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee program began in 1941, at the Tuskegee Institute, when
the 99th Pursuit Squadron was established. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to
racial discrimination in the U.S. Army and there were several attempts made to cancel
the Tuskegee Airmen program because of racism. Of the 450 African-American Tuskegee
Airmen served in combat missions in the European Theater of Operations, in the
Mediterranean, and in North Africa only 66 died in combat. Between May of 1943 and
June of 1945 the Tuskegee Airmen flew a total of 15,533 sorties, destroyed 251 enemy
airplanes, and became the only fighter group to have a perfect record protecting the
bombers.
The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded a total of 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses 8 Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, 3
Distinguished Unit Citations, and 744 Air Medals and Clusters for their service in the U.S. military.
“Island Hopping”
U.S. Strategy for Victory (1943-1945)
The island-hopping theory across the Pacific was like a frog having to leap across a pond, but not having to land on every lily
pad on it’s way. By doing so, thousands of islands could be by-passed and by-passing many Japanese-held islands.
U.S. strategy called for by-passing many Japanese held islands and cutting off Japanese
supply routes began in November 1943. Therefore, frontal attacks against strong Japanese
positions were avoided if possible. Island invasions would be limited only by the range of
land-based aircraft and the availability of carrier-borne planes. These bypassed Japanese
positions were thereby left isolated and strategically impotent (starved into submission.)
Two Planned Routes for Island-Hopping Advance
American military leaders created a plan to defeat Japan that called for a two-pronged attack to
keep Japanese forces divided. Most American military leaders agreed that only an invasion of
Japan's main island would stop the Japanese.
Admiral Nimitz and the
Pacific Fleet were to hop
from island to island to
get close to Japan.
General MacArthur’s
troops would advance
through the Solomon
Islands, capture the
north coast of New
Guinea, and retake the
Philippines.
Strange… But True
Japanese Soldier Found Hiding on Guam in 1972
Local farmers discovered Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who, unaware that
World War II was over, had been hiding the jungles of Guam for 28 years.
Guam, a US possession in the western Pacific, was attacked and captured by the
Japanese in 1941. Three years later, American forces retook the island. It was at
this time that Yokoi, left behind by the retreating Japanese, went into hiding
rather than surrender to the enemy. He handcrafted survival tools and waited for
his countrymen to return and hand him his next orders. After his discovery in
1972, he was discharged and sent home to Japan, where he was hailed as a
national hero. He subsequently married and returned to Guam for his honeymoon.
Shōichi Yokoi was a Japanese sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. He was among the last
three Japanese holdouts to be found after the end of hostilities in 1945, discovered in the jungles of Guam in January 1972;
almost 28 years after US forces had regained control of the island in 1944.
Navajo “Code Talkers"
A large number of Native Americans also served as soldiers in World War II. Members
of the Navajo tribe played a very important role in every assault that the U.S. Marines
conducted in the Pacific from 1942-1945.
The Navajo were known as the "code talkers." They transmitted messages by telephone
and radio in their native language. Their main job was to gather information on tactics,
troop movements, and orders over the telephone and radio. The Japanese, who were
skilled code breakers, remained confused by the Navajo language. They were never able
to break the code.
Japanese Island Defenses
“Bushido” Japanese Strategy for Victory (1942-1945)
The Japanese attitude toward suicide is different from Western viewpoint. Suicide for the Japanese is
much more acceptable and in some cases a duty. A disgraced officer was expected to commit suicide.
Japanese soldiers were expected to die rather than surrender, and on many Pacific islands they did.
Japanese soldiers were taught that death was light as a feather and that dying for the emperor was
glorious. Japanese officers would lead their soldiers on suicide charges rather than face dishonorable
surrender.
“Bushido” Japanese Strategy for Victory (1942-1945)
Bushido is based on the ancient and
traditional samurai style of fighting
which embraced Death Before
Dishonor.
Strange… But True: All Japanese officers were automatically
promoted to the next highest rank upon their death in combat.
Makin and Tarawa [November 20, 1943]
On November 20, 1943, U.S. Marines landed on Tarawa. The U.S. Marines suffered
3,000 casualties after four bitter days of fighting before they could secure the island.
Tarawa provided a rude shock to the U.S. military because the Japanese defenders
almost fought to the last man.
Of the 30,000 Japanese defenders on Tarawa,
only 17 surrendered. The rest died in the
name of their emperor.
Photographs and newsreels showing American causalities were
usually forbidden because it would hurt U.S. morale.
Tehran Conference [Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 1943]
From November 28 to December 1, 1943, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin all met together
for the first time, at a conference in Tehran, Iran. The three leaders discussed detailed
plans for the Allied invasion of Europe, which Churchill and Roosevelt had decided to
postpone at the Casablanca Conference earlier that year. The invasion would be code-
named Operation Overlord. Stalin was frustrated by the delay, but Churchill and
Roosevelt insisted that the extra time was needed to sufficiently degrade Germany’s
military strength. At the end of the meeting, Stalin committed the USSR to enter the war
against Japan once Germany was defeated.

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Major Events of WWII [power point] 1942 43

  • 1. Major Events of the Second World War (1942-1943)
  • 3. Burma [March 1942] There were two reasons for the Japanese invasion of Burma. First, the Japanese knew it would serve them well if they cut overland access to China from Burma via the famed Burma Road. Along this road a steady stream of military aid was being transported from Rangoon to Chinese forces under Chiang Kai Shek's (Nationalist Chinese.) Second, possession of Burma would place the Japanese at the gate of India, where they believed a general insurrection against the British Raj would be ignited once their troops had established themselves in Assam, within reach of Calcutta. Burma Road
  • 4. Burma [March 1942] Entering Burma from Thailand, the Japanese quickly captured Rangoon, cutting off the Burma Road at source, and depriving the Chinese of their only convenient supply base and port of entry. There followed many months of stalemate, as both sides tried to probe each other's strengths and weaknesses. Heavy fighting would continue in 1944-45. [See Major Events of the Second World War: 1944-1945]
  • 5. Malaysia By December of 1941, it seemed the Japanese were everywhere at once in overwhelming force. One of their most spectacular successes was their attack on Malaya. They stormed down the Malay peninsula and took Singapore. Singapore was supposed to be an impregnable city, but the defenses were pointed out to sea. The Japanese came through the jungles on the land side. Allies news reports made a big thing of Japanese troops’ special training for jungle warfare. The Japanese troops were actually pulled out of fighting in China and sent to Malaya. Singapore was supposed to be an impregnable city, but the defenses were pointed out to sea. The Japanese came through the jungles on the land side.
  • 6. Prince of Wales and Repulse Sunk On December 10, 1941, the British sent the Battleship Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser Repulse to aid in the defense of Singapore. The two ships had steamed out of Singapore to intercept a Japanese invasion fleet, but instead, the Japanese found them. Japanese torpedo bombers flying from airbases in French Indochina attacked them. The Repulse sank within twenty minutes after the first torpedo struck it and the Prince of Wales sank a short time afterwards. In less than an hour, two of the most powerful surface ships had been lost. Churchill fell to his knees when informed of the loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse.
  • 7. Japanese Secret Weapon at Singapore The British commanders were confident that the Japanese attack against Singapore would be a long and easily countered battle. The Japanese landed hundreds of miles north of the city and the British expected the campaign to last 6 or more months. This did not happen since the Japanese had a secret weapon, they issued bicycles to their troops. The British command had based the Japanese attack timetable on their troops walking down to Singapore. With the Imperial Japanese Army equipped with bicycles, they traveled down much faster than expected.
  • 8. The Fall of Singapore The Japanese captured all of Malaya in less than two months. The garrison defending Singapore surrendered on February 15, 1942. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore, "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history."
  • 9. Japanese Conquer the Philippines (Spring 1942) The Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941. U.S. General Douglas MacArthur commanded 80,000 American and Filipino troops on the islands against over 200,000 invading Japanese troops. For four months the American and Filipino troops faced Hunger, disease, and around-the-clock bombardments. President Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines. MacArthur transferred the command of the Allied forces in the Pacific theater to Australia. On leaving, General MacArthur promised the Filipino people his continued support. He said, "I shall return."
  • 10. Japanese Conquer the Philippines (Spring 1942) Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, who took command of the American troops in the Philippines after MacArthur’s hasty flight surrenders to the Japanese. The Japanese defeat of the Americans in the Philippines was especially tragic. Over 75,000 American troops had surrendered on the Bataan Peninsula. The last battle in the Philippines was on the island of Corregidor. After 14,000 Allied troops were killed and another wounded 48,000, Over 10,000 U.S. and Filipino troops finally surrendered in on May 5, 1942.
  • 11. Bataan Death March During the Bataan “Death March," 75,000 U.S. and Filipinos prisoners of war were forced to walk 55 miles to prisoner of war camps. More than 7,000 died along the way. Many of these prisoners died from injuries, sickness, and harsh treatment along the way. Those held responsible for it were eventually tried as Criminals after the war. Strange… But True: During the Bataan Death March, the Japanese confiscated chess books from prisoners-of-war thinking they were military codes. The Japanese forced American soldiers to walk over 65 miles to prisoner of war camps.
  • 12. Atrocities During the Bataan Death March Many of these marchers died or were permanently injured during the ordeal. Even the sick and wounded were expected to march. Those who fell behind were executed by the Japanese troops. Two thirds of the Americans who participated in the forced march either died during the march or shortly thereafter.
  • 13. Japanese Prisoner-of-War Camps There were more than 140,000 Allied prisoners in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. Of these, one in three died from starvation, work, and punishments or from diseases for which there were no medicines to treat. The terms of the Geneva Convention were ignored by the Japanese who made up rules and inflicted punishments at the whim of the Japanese guards. Very few of the Japanese guards spoke English and prisoners were forced to learn Japanese in order to understand commands they were given. Failure to comply with instructions would merit a beating. “Tenko,” was the name given to the daily roll-call and prisoners had to call out their prisoner number in Japanese. Camps were encircled with barbed wire or high wooden fencing and those who attempted escape would be executed in front of other prisoners.
  • 14. Japanese Prisoner-of-War Camps Prisoners were rarely given fat in their diet and all were continuously hungry. The majority survived on a meager diet of rice and vegetables, meat or fish once a month and seaweed stew. Red Cross parcels were not distributed to the prisoners. Illness was common as prisoners suffered from malnutrition, ulcers and cholera.
  • 15. Prisoner-of-War Camp: Punishments Tied to a tree with barbed wire for 48 hrs. without food or water. Forced to hold heavy objects over your head for extended periods of time. Prisoner was beaten if object was dropped and forced to repeat. Placed in a sheet metal sweat box without food or water for an extended period of time. Beaten with wooded rods for not bowing to any Japanese guard or officer. Beheaded for theft or caught with contraband.
  • 16.
  • 17. Chester Nimitz Admiral Chester William Nimitz was the commander of the U.S. naval forces in the Pacific who led the Allied naval forces to victory in the Pacific in World War II. A brilliant strategist of the "island-hopping" campaign, Nimitz commanded a broad offensive against the Japanese that would move west from Hawaii toward major Japanese island outposts in the central pacific. It is the function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy so that it is not fought on U.S. soil. Admiral Chester William Nimitz
  • 18. Battle for Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942) Strange… But True The youngest US serviceman was 12- year-old Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded and given a dishonorable discharge for lying about his age. (His benefits were later restored by act of Congress) Allied naval units intercepted an invading Japanese naval force heading toward Australia to disrupt the supply flow to MacArthur in Australia. This was the first great naval battle between aircraft carriers and 'the first in which carrier-based airplanes inflicted all damage. The battle was a stalemate as both sides withdrew. The United States achieved its strategic goal of blocking further Japanese advance into the southwest Pacific. Coral Sea was the first great naval battle between aircraft carriers and 'the first in which carrier- based airplanes inflicted all damage. The United States Navy loss the aircraft carrier, “Lexington.”
  • 19. Doolittle Raid (April 1942) On April 18, 1942 the United States surprised the Japanese when Lt. Colonel James Doolittle led a bombing raid with a squadron of B-25's over Tokyo, Japan. The Doolittle Raid had two real purposes: To give the American people at home a morale boost and cause the Japanese to question their warlords. Doolittle Raid Pilot Jacket
  • 20. Doolittle Raid (April 1942) The Japanese viewed Allied soldiers as cowards for surrendering and executed many. A few Doolittle pilots who fell into Japanese hands were executed. The raid did little physical damage, but the psychological damage to the Japanese was enormous. For the first time, the Japanese had to worry about the war coming to their shores.
  • 21. Why Midway? Why did the Japanese decide to attack Midway Island? Doolittle’s attack on Japan made Japanese leaders change their strategy. Midway Island was the last American base in the North Pacific. The Japanese believed that an attack on Midway Island would lure the American fleet into battle and enable the Japanese fleet to destroy it. The American fleet had to be destroyed in order to protect Tokyo from being bombed by American B-25s again. The Japanese were determined to wipe out any remaining ships of the decimated American fleet when they sailed toward Midway. Japanese Admiral Nagumo helped plan and led the Japanese task force which goal was to seize Midway Island and destroy the already crippled U.S. Pacific fleet.
  • 22. Code-Breaking at Midway As the Japanese were planning their big attack on Midway Island in 1942, American naval intelligence was listening in. The Americans had cracked the Japanese code and knew something was planned for an attack on “AF.” The question then became, what was “AF”? The intelligence people believed it was Midway, but needed to confirm their suspicion. They arranged for Midway to report in the clear its water distillation equipment had broken down. The Japanese soon reported that “AF” was having trouble with its water supply. Now the report could go to Admiral Nimitz that Midway was the target of a major Japanese attack. This information let Nimitz make the plan lead to a crushing American victory at Midway. AF水蒸留装置が 故障しました Sir… the Japanese Target is Midway…. Repeat… Midway.
  • 23. Battle of Midway (June 4-6, 1942) Strange… But True: The term the whole nine yards came from WWII fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their planes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it had gone the whole nine yards. Scratch three flat tops! American pilot during the Battle of Midway June 4, 1942 The turning point in the war came during the Battle of Midway, June 3–6, 1942 when Americans shot down 38 Japanese planes and destroyed four Japanese carriers, thus severely disabling the Japanese fleet at Midway Island in the Pacific. Midway stopped the Japanese advance into the Pacific and forced Japan into defensive mode and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific theater.
  • 24. The Japanese seizure of the Aleutian Islands in June 1942 was strategically unimportant, but the occupied islands did provide the Japanese with a base for raiding Alaska. On May 11, 1943, the U.S. landed on Attu and the Japanese on Attu were destroyed and fighting ended by May 30, 1943. A powerful Allied amphibious force assaulted the island of Kiska on August 15, 1943. Kiska was recaptured without combat because the Japanese secretly evacuated Kiska under cover of heavy fog and retreated back to Japan. Japanese Land in the Aleutian Islands (Alaska) Strange… But True: Following a massive naval bombardment 35,000 U.S. and Canadian troops stormed ashore at Kiska in August 1943. Twenty-one troops were killed in the firefight. It would have been worse if there had been any Japanese on the island. They had already abandoned the island hours earlier under the cover of fog.
  • 25. Guadalcanal (August 1942-February 1943) A Small island located near the Solomon Islands that marked the first territory regained from the Japanese which marked a shift in momentum and initiative to the United States. The U.S. attack was intended to capture the Japanese airfield and secure a foothold for the long and bloody path to push the Japanese back. The brutal and vicious fighting at Guadalcanal shaped the nature of combat between Japanese and Americans in the Pacific. Kill Japs… kill Japs… and keep on killing Japs. U.S. Admiral William F. Halsey’s plan for defeating the Japanese at Guadalcanal, 1942RecordingRecordingRecording
  • 26. New Guinea While the Allied campaign in Guadalcanal was going on, the United States and Australia launched a joint offensive on November 16, 1942, into New Guinea, the control of which the Japanese and Allied forces had both been struggling over for many months. As at Guadalcanal, the Japanese displayed a tenacious will to fight for every inch of territory, regardless of the cost in human lives. Although the majority of Japanese forces were driven off the island by January 1943, the Allies were unable to remove them fully, and fighting in New Guinea continued well into 1944.
  • 27. Mosquito Fleet The fast, wooden PT boat used by the American navy in World War II. The most famous being PT-109, skippered by Lieutenant Junior Grade John F. Kennedy, a future president of the United States.
  • 28. Fall Blue: 1942 German Offensive On June 28, 1942, the Germans launched a new offensive which objectives were to the south of Kiev, seize the Caucasus oil fields, and take Stalingrad. The Soviets appeared highly vulnerable and exhausted. The Soviets had fewer tanks and its best units remained positioned in front of Moscow. Stalin remained convinced that Moscow was the Germans' main target.
  • 29. Germans Seize the Crimean Peninsula In the beginning the German offensive was highly successful. The Germans defeated the Soviets at Kharkov in May and reached Sebastopol in July. The German capture of Sevastopol was halted by the valiant defense of Soviet Marines. However, after a relentless 5-day artillery barrage of the city and bombardment by Luftwaffe bombers, a renewed assault under German Generaloberst Manstein yielded greater results. After key Soviet hilltop positions and defensive fortifications fell under German control the Soviets evacuated Sevastopol. The Germans captured another 90,000 Soviet prisoners and gained control of the entire Crimean Peninsula. Soviet Marines put up a valiant and brave defense of the important Soviet port city of Sevastopol.
  • 30. German Drive Into the Caucasus Instead of securing to almost undefended Stalingrad, Hitler ordered a drive into the Caucasus to seize the Grozny oil field. The Germans penetrated deep into the Caucasus with great speed.
  • 31. The German Approach to Stalingrad By September, the Germans faced mounting problems. First, the front was now more than 500 miles long, and the German supply lines were 1,300 miles long. Second, the enthusiastic Germans underestimated the Soviet resistance whose activities behind the German lines were intensifying. By October the German offensive slowed to a crawl. Somebody jokingly erected a skeleton saluting the first German troops arrival at Stalingrad. But it was no joke… instead it was an omen for the things to come.
  • 32. German Advance Into Stalingrad Did You Know? In the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviets suffered more casualties than the United States did in the entire war. Hitler was obsessed with capturing Stalingrad because it was named after Stalin. The German 6th Army under General von Paulus was assigned the task to take Stalingrad in order to block Soviet troop movements to the South. On August 22, 1942, the German troops reached the Volga and entered the northern suburbs of Stalingrad.
  • 33. Battle of Stalingrad: Ratte Krieg Russian resistance became fierce as the two sides waged a ferocious battle of attrition. The fighting proceeded street-by-street, block-by-block, and house-by- house. The city was reduced to rubble, and movement was measured in meters. By early November, the Germans held 90 percent of the city. The concentration of effort in the defense of Stalingrad is a grave mistake on the part of the Russians. Adolf Hitler Sept. 6, 1942
  • 34. Sniper Warfare at Stalingrad During the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet snipers could occupy defensive positions inside the rubble-strewn city and inflict significant casualties on wary Wehrmacht troops. Because of the nature of fighting in city rubble, snipers were very hard to spot and seriously hindered German morale. Every German soldier must be made to feel he is living under the muzzle of a Russian gun. General Vasily Chuikov, Russian commander Battle of Stalingrad 1942 As Part of their psychological warfare, the Soviets played over loudspeakers throughout the city announcing that every 10 seconds a German soldier died at Stalingrad.
  • 35. Vasily Zaytsev vs. Major Erwin König The best known of these Soviet snipers was Vasily Zaytsev who was credited with over 250 confirmed kills within a 5-week period at Stalingrad. When the war ended Vasily Zaytsev was credited with over 600 confirmed kills. Part of William Craig’s book, Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, included a “sniper’s duel” between Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director named Major Erwin König.
  • 36. Highlights of the Battle of Stalingrad Stalingrad witnessed scenes of savage street fighting. The Germans were determined to take the city and the Russians to hold it at all costs. Fighting proceeded street-by-street, block-by-block, and house-by-house. The city was reduced to rubble, and movement was measured in meters. By early November, the Germans held 90 percent of the city.
  • 37. Highlights of the Battle of Stalingrad Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Russian woman sniper with 500 confirmed Germans killed under her belt during WWII. She turned out to be one of the most successful snipers in history and still holds the record for the highest confirmed kill total of any female sniper in history.
  • 38. Russians Encircle the German 6th Army Soviet General Zhukov took command and planned a counterattack. All preparations were kept under tight security. Zhukov deliberately kept reinforcements of the city to a minimum as he massed Russian troops to the north and south of Stalingrad. On November 19, 1942, Zhukov unleashed the counterattack against the northern and southern flanks, catching the Germans off-guard. By November 23, the two Russian spearheads linked up 45 miles behind Stalingrad, encircling the entire German 6th Army and one corps of the 4th Panzer army. I won't leave the Volga! I won't go back from the Volga. Adolf Hitler
  • 39. Russians Encircle the Germans at Stalingrad Army requests immediate permission to surrender in order to save lives of remaining troops. Friedrich Paulus Surrender is forbidden. Sixth Army will hold their positions to the last man and the last round and by their heroic endurance will make an unforgettable contribution toward the establishment of a defensive front and the salvation of the Western world. Adolf Hitler
  • 40. Failed Calls for Supply at Stalingrad Hitler refused Paulus's request for permission to break out of Stalingrad, but instead ordered the doomed 6th Army to fight to the last man. Hitler ordered around-the-clock supply deliveries by air, but the effort failed as only a small amount of the required supplies arrived. Reich Marshal Goering’s failed promise to provided 500 tons of supplies daily doomed the 6th Army.
  • 41. Hitler Humiliated by Paulus When the battle of Stalingrad seemed lost for the Germans, Hitler promoted Paulus to Field Marshal and expected Paulus to commit suicide rather than surrender. His response was: “I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian corporal.” While a prisoner of war in the USSR, Paulus publicly condemned Hitler’s regime and made several radio broadcasts. Paulus returned to Germany in 1956, thirteen years after the defeat at Stalingrad. I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian corporal. Field Marshal Paulus Hitler promoted General Paulus to the rank of Field Marshal knowing that no German Field Marshal in German history had ever been taken prisoner. Hitler became furious after learning that Field Marshal Paulus refused to kill himself and refused to promote anyone else to the rank of Field Marshal for the duration of the war.
  • 42. German Surrender at Stalingrad Out of food, ammunition, and against Hitler’s express orders not to surrender, Field Marshal Paulus held out until February 2, 1943, then surrendered. A thousand years hence, every German will speak with awe of Stalingrad and remember that it was there that Germany put the seal on her victory. Joseph Goebbels
  • 43. German Surrender at Stalingrad The last German POWs weren’t released from the Soviet Union until 1956. While the western Allies released their final World War II prisoners in 1948, many German POWs in the U.S.S.R. were kept under lock and key for several more years. Most were used as slave labor in copper or coal mines, and anywhere between 400,000 and one million eventually died while in Russian custody. Some 20,000 former soldiers were still in Soviet hands at the time of Stalin’s death in 1953, and the last 10,000 didn’t get their freedom until 1955 and 1956, a full decade after the war had ended.
  • 44. Stalin Demands a Second Front The Russians were suffering heavy casualties fighting the German invasion of Russia. Stalin urged the Allies to open a “Second Front" in the west against Germany in 1942 to help relieve pressure on the Russians from the German onslaught. Allies did so, but only after a long delay and the result was disastrous. The Allies were not ready to begin another assault on the Western front. They did remove some of the pressure on the Eastern front as Stalin had demanded, but it will be in North Africa. I suspect the Western Allies are not doing enough and are quite happy to see us Communists and Nazis destroy each other in a bloodbath. We’re both trying to tell you that neither of us have the manpower or resources to make a second front in Europe at this time!!!
  • 45. Tobruk [January-November 1942] One of the primary flash points in North Africa was the key port of Tobruk, Libya, which changed hands between the Germans and the British several times and was the site of several major battles. Originally in Italy’s sphere of influence, Tobruk fell to the British on January 12, 1941, building upon the initiative they had seized after Italy’s defeat in Egypt the previous year. In June 1942, Tobruk fell to the Germans after a long and intensive siege by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s tank forces. Then, in November 1942, Tobruk fell once more to the British and remained under their control for the rest of the war.
  • 46. El Alamein [October 1942] Perhaps the most decisive battle in North Africa was the Battle of El-Alamein, from October 23 to November 3, 1942, in which a powerful British offensive defeated German forces overwhelmingly. The British outnumbered the Germans two to one, and Rommel, who had by this time earned the nickname “Desert Fox” for his brilliant surprise attacks, pulled his Nazi Afrika Korps out of Egypt and retreated to Tunisia, which ended the German threat to Egypt and the Suez Canal. El-Alamein became the “turning point” in the war in North Africa. "This is not the beginning of the end. It is the end of the beginning."
  • 47. Disaster at Dieppe (August 19, 1942) The disastrous outcome of the small British raid at Dieppe in August 1942 convinced the British that they were not yet ready for a large-scale invasion of the continent. The Dieppe Raid was a miserable failure for the British & Canadian troops. 3,623 of the 6,086 British & Canadian troops who made it ashore were killed, wounded, or captured. The German losses amounted only to 311 killed and 280 wounded or missing. The bitter lessons learned from the Dieppe catastrophe in 1942 influenced the Allied preparations for D-Day (Operation Overlord).
  • 48. Operation Torch (Nov 1942) On November 8, 1942, over 800 ships, carrying 185,000 men and 20,000 vehicles landed on the Northern coast of Africa in Algeria. This action was code named Operation Torch. The Free French in North Africa welcomed the landings while the Vichy French opposed them. The Americans initially encountered resistance from the Vichy French troops, but quickly convinced them to turn against their Nazi masters.
  • 49. Slaughter at Kasserine Pass Kasserine Pass, Tunisia (February 14, 1943) was the first battle between U.S. and German troops. The inexperienced Americans were slaughtered. In North Africa, the American army first encountered the German “Tiger” heavy tank. Strange… But True: : The initials GI originally stood for “galvanized iron” but were later reinterpreted as government issue,” meaning uniforms and supplies. In time, the abbreviation came to stand for American soldiers.
  • 50. Nazis Defeated in North Africa The Americans placed General George S. Patton in charge of U.S. troops in North Africa after the Kasserine Pass disaster. Patton launched a massive Allied counter-attack which pushed the Germans into Tunis where 275,000 Germans and Italians were trapped and forced to surrender on May 12, 1943. No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor bastard die for his country.” -General George S. Patton “Ol’ Blood and Guts”
  • 51. World War II The American Home Front
  • 52. War Production Board (WPB) The War Production Board halted manufacture of nonessential items such as passenger cars, and when the Japanese seized vital rubber supplies in British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, the U.S. imposed a national speed limit and gasoline rationing to save tires. Many essential goods were rationed.
  • 53. Segregated Units African Americans served bravely and with distinction in every theater of World War II. Most African American troops performed a variety of menial tasks such as; being relegated as cooks, janitors, supply chores, and common laborers. The separation of African Americans and whites in the military. Prior to the desegregation of the Armed Forces in 1948, African American troops could only serve in African American units under the command of white officers.
  • 54. A. Philip Randolph Membership to the NAACP passed the half-million mark, and a new organization, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), was founded in 1942. A. Philip Randolph Philip Randolph, leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, threatened a “Negro March to Washington” in 1941 to get better rights and treatment for African Americans, especially those working in war production factories. On June 25, 1941, the president responded with Executive Order 8802, declaring no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government.
  • 55. Racial Riots in America During WWII In 1944, the mechanical cotton picker made the need for muscle nonexistent, so blacks that used to pick cotton could now leave, since they were no longer needed. They left the South and took up residence in urban areas. Such sudden “rubbing of the races” did spark riots and cause tension, such as the 1943 attack on some Mexican-American navy men in Los Angeles and the Detroit race riot (occurring in the same year) that killed 25 blacks and 9 whites.
  • 56. Fair Employment Act The U.S. government prohibited discrimination in the national defense industry. Became the first federal law against employment discrimination. It helped draw attention to the injustices facing African Americans in the US. While Blacks in the army still suffered degrading discrimination (i.e. separate blood banks), they still used the war as a rallying cry against dictators abroad and racism at home, overall gaining power and strength.
  • 57. Zoot-Suit Riots Resentment against Mexican-Americans increased when whites believed that Mexican youths who wore the flamboyant clothes were unpatriotic. In 1943, tensions between U.S. sailors and Mexican-American youths erupted into violence in Los Angles when eleven U.S. sailors claimed they were harassed by “zoot-suiters.” For an entire week, Mexican youths were beaten and stripped of their clothes by angry white crowds as Los Angeles police did little to stop the bloodshed. What are zoot-suits? Zoot-suits are fashionable, loose, and baggy clothes worn by Mexican-American males in Los Angles during the 1940s.
  • 58. War Bonds To raise money for the war, the government raised taxes, covering about 45 percent of the cost of the war. War bonds were sold to Americans to help pay for the war. Through the purchase of these bonds, Americans were loaning money to the government. The bonds could be redeemed in the future for the purchase price plus interest.
  • 59. War Bond Drives In order to finance the war and give people a sense of involvement in the war effort, bond drives were held usually by movie stars and heroic military personnel. The treasury department sold about $40 billion "E" bonds to investors, and nearly twice the amount in higher denomination. The bonds raised half the money for WWII.
  • 60. Victory Gardens Gardens in which citizens grew their own food in order to make sure enough food was available to feed US troops fighting in the war.
  • 61. Rationing Efforts by the government to limit citizens' access to certain goods in order to assure that enough remained to support the war effort. Certain items were assigned points values. Once a citizen used up all their points, they could no longer obtain these items until they acquired more. In this way, the government forced the public to conserve resources that were needed to support the war effort. During World War II, bakers in the United States were ordered to stop selling sliced bread for the duration of the war on January 18, 1943. Only whole loaves were made available to the public. It was never explained how this action helped the war effort.
  • 62. Housewives to Factory Workers Before the Second World War, women were expected to be 'housewives' or perhaps to do certain 'women's jobs', such as nursing or being a domestic servant or shop assistant. The war changed the world of work for women forever. When men went to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that were previously thought of unsuitable for women. Jobs undertaken by women during the war included: Mechanics Engineers Building ships and aircraft parts Working in factories making bombs Plumbers Ambulance drivers Nurses
  • 63. Rosie the Riveter The government created "Rosie the Riveter" to help meet the need for a larger labor force. This publicity campaign, which focused on a fictional poster girl, encouraged women to support the war by working outside the home. Rosie made it seem patriotic rather than unfeminine to work outside the home. As a result, six million women joined the 12 million already in the labor force to work in offices, factories, and at general labor jobs that men usually held. They put on slacks, tied up their hair, and demanded the same pay as men.
  • 65. Casablanca Conference (Jan. 14-23, 1943) In the middle of the North African campaign, Roosevelt and Churchill met at Casablanca and resolved to attack Italy before invading France. They also vowed to pursue the war until the unconditional surrender of the Axis power, and tried to reduce Soviet mistrust of the west. The Allied announcement for accepting nothing less than ‘unconditional surrender’ only prolonged the war by forcing the Axis to be more determined to fight to the death or total war. Unconditional surrender means the victor decides all the conditions the loser must agree to them. The Allies wanted Germany and Japan to agree to unconditional surrender.
  • 66. Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Killed On April 18, 1943, U.S. code breakers pinpoint the location of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto flying in a Japanese bomber near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Eighteen P-38 fighters then located and shot down Yamamoto plane. Yamamoto, the architect of Pearl Harbor was killed. Yamamoto spent several years in the U.S. He studied at Harvard University from 1919-1921 and in the mid-1920s spent several years as a naval attache in Washington, D.C. He learned fluid English and traveled America learning its customs and studied its business practice. He also learned the card games bridge and poker and became an avid player. Yamamoto was outspoken against war with China and the U.S. He opposed the war with China from the onset and invasion of Manchuria in 1931, a position which attracted much displeasure from the very militarized Japanese government. As warmongers in the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy began craving a war with the U.S., Yamamoto knew that they couldn’t win a prolonged war in the Pacific and openly said just that. In 1939, he was promoted to Commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet by the Navy Minister in an effort to save his life because powerful people resentful of Yamamoto’s opposition to war wanted him assassinated. Killing Yamamoto would be harder to achieve if the Admiral was at sea, surrounded by officers and men loyal to him.
  • 67. Battle of Kursk (July 1943) The largest armored conflict in history between German and Soviet forces began on July 4, 1943 along a 200-mile front with a total of roughly 5,000 tanks and 4,000 aircraft. With news of the Allied landing in Sicily, Hitler hastily halted his offensive and sent some of his crack armored units involved in the battle to the Italian Front. By July 14, 1943 the remaining German units were in full retreat, with the Soviets pursuing them close behind. From this point forward, the USSR had the initiative and commenced a long offensive push that would slowly drive the Germans back to the west. What is so important about Kursk anyway? The Fuhrer must know what he’s doing? Hitler delayed the Citadel offensive until the new Panzer V [Panther] could take part in greater numbers. However, this delay allowed Soviet spies to learn about the offensive and gave the Soviet army time to make several defensive circles where the Germans planned to attack.
  • 68. Battle of Kursk (July 1943) Preparations The Red Army used 300,000 civilians to construct eight lines of defenses to include over 4,970 miles of trenches. Soviet Spy Network Due to the Soviet spy network in Switzerland, the Russian army knew six weeks in advance of the impeding German assault at Kursk and heavily prepared defenses. Hitler had to call off the Kursk assault due to huge losses and the Western Allied invasion of Sicily. Combat Ratio During the Battle of Kursk, the Soviets would outnumber the Germans 1.6 million to 780,000, a 3-to-1 advantage. About 26 percent of the total manpower of the Red Army Largest Tank Battle in History The Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in history. The Germans had 2,928 tanks while the Russians had 5,128 tanks, or about 46 percent of their entire tank force, during the initial offensive. During the Soviet counteroffensive the Germans fielded 3,253 tanks while the Soviets put over 7,300 tanks in the field.
  • 69. Highlights of the Battle of Kursk Tank Graveyard It is estimated that the German lost about 760 tanks and assault guns. The Soviets losses during the German offensive came to 1,614 tanks and self-propelled guns destroyed or damaged out of 3,925 vehicles put into battle, 41 percent of tanks and self-propelled guns committed. Casualties The Germans suffered 200,000 dead, wounded and missing. The Soviets suffered 863,000 killed, wounded and missing. The Battle of Kursk was Germany's last chance to turn the tide in the east. Strange… But True: The Russians tried to wreak havoc on German Panzer divisions during WWII by strapping bombs to the backs of dogs and teaching them to associate food with the underneath of their enemies' tanks.
  • 70. Sicilian Campaign (July 10 - August 17, 1943) U.S. general, George Patton was relieved of duty after he slapped a shell-shocked soldier while visiting wounded soldiers at a medical hospital who he thought was a coward. Hitler was very surprised that the United States would get rid of their best general over such an incident. Codenamed Operation Husky, its objective was to knock Italy out of the war and to divert some German strength away from the Russian front. The Allied invasion force numbering about 160,000 men was divided between the British Eighth Army under General Montgomery and the U.S. Seventh Army under General Patton. Patton captured Palermo (capital of Sicily) by July 22, 1943 and captured 275,000 Italian soldiers. The island was secured on August 17, 1943 when Patton captured Messina.
  • 71. Italy’s Role in the War Italy’s participation in World War II provided little strategic benefit for Germany; in fact, it actually hindered the German war effort by diverting German forces from more important tasks. All of Italy’s actions were undertaken at the whim of its dictator, Mussolini, whose decisions became so erratic and potentially costly that his own underlings eventually decided to overthrow him. Indeed, the battles that resulted from Italy’s initially frivolous and aimless campaigns became increasingly devastating. The each campaign ballooned into huge endeavors that cost tens of thousands of lives.
  • 72. Mussolini Overthrown (July 1943) For the remainder of the war, Mussolini was to become a puppet of Hitler and led the defense of northern Italy. On July 25, 1943, the day after the fall of Sicily, Italy’s Fascist ruler Benito Mussolini, was overthrown by a peaceful coup. Italian officials promptly began approaching the Allies about an armistice and joined the Allies. King Victor Emmanuel ordered Mussolini to be arrested and imprisoned. Hitler sent his elite S.S. commandos and rescued Mussolini from his mountain top imprisonment.
  • 73. Italy Surrenders [Sept. 8 1943] Italy officially surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943. Italy joined the Allies and General Badoglio became Italy's new leader after it surrendered. Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In September 1943, troops of the Italian Acqui Division were massacred of by the S.S. because they refused to continue to fight against the western allies after Italy surrendered. Instead, they fought Germans for nine days before running out of ammunition. Some 1,500 Italian soldiers died in the fighting, 5,000 were massacred after surrendering, and the rest were shipped to prison camps in Germany “Italy has laid down her arms. The immediate and unconditional surrender was announced today by General Eisenhower.” War report on Italy's surrender in WWII September 8, 1943
  • 74. Invasion of the Italian Mainland (Sept. 1943) Although Italy officially surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943, the Allied invasion of Italy proceeded as planned because there were still a large number of German forces stationed in the country. British forces landed at Taranto, on the southeastern tip of Italy, on September 2, 1943, but the main invasion began on September 9, the day after Italy’s surrender when the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark landed on beaches along the Gulf of Salerno. The Allied forces planned to fight their way across the country to meet in the middle.
  • 75. “Soft Underbelly” turned into a "Tough Old Gut.” Churchill compared the Italian campaign with that of a crocodile. The Italian peninsula defended by an already defeated Italian army was thought to be an easy conquest, or the soft underbelly of a crocodile. Western Europe, defended by the Germans was considered the tough scaly skin of the crocodile. But, the Italian campaign proved very difficult as German troops rushed to overrun Italy and made good use of the treacherous mountain terrain for their defense, thus making any Allied movements difficult against battle-hardened German troops. After Italy capitulated on Sept 8, 1943, Hitler rushed troops into Italy. Most of these troops were withdrawn from the Eastern front just as the Soviets launched a massive counter offensive in the summer of 1943. German resistance and the slow and treacherous fighting proved very difficult and the U.S. forces in particular suffered great casualties.
  • 76. Soviet Victories in the Ukraine (Summer-Fall 1943) During the late summer and autumn of 1943, the Soviets advanced steadily, achieving a series of victories as they pushed the Germans westward across the Ukraine. The first major victory came in August 1943 when the Red Army recaptured the city of Kharkov. By November 1943 the Russians reoccupied the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Germany’s southern army group was now in full-scale retreat and would be Driven from Soviet territory early in 1944. Captured German troops were marched through towns to by the thousands to boost Soviet citizen morale.
  • 77. Allied Air War Over Germany Strategic bombing during World War II included the sustained bombing of railways, harbors, cities (civilian areas), and industrial areas in enemy territory. The strategy is the air power theory that major victories can best be won by attacking the enemy's industrial and political infrastructure, rather than purely military targets. Air power and strategic bombing was the key to Allied victory in Europe. Strategic Bombing called for a sustained air offensive to destroy Germany’s will and capacity to wage war. In 1942, the new commanding officer of the RAF’s Bomber Command, Arthur Harris, championed area bombing of Germany's large industrial cities. After the United States entered the air war in Europe in 1942, Allied air policy adopted "round-the-clock" bombing missions over Germany. The British bombed at night while the United States Army Air Corps bombed Germany during the day.
  • 78. Life and Death at 20,000 Feet B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers were on the cutting edge of technology. The bombers flew 20,000 feet, but were not pressurized. Temperatures inside the planes often fell to 20-40 degrees below zero. More US servicemen died in the Air Corps than the Marine Corps. While completing the required 30 missions your chance of being killed was 71%. Heavy losses suffered by U.S. bombers showed that they needed fighter support. The development of P-51 Mustangs in early 1944 allowed huge bomber formations to protect bombers against the Luftwaffe over Germany.
  • 80. Ploesti Air Raids Ploesti was a vast complex of oil refinery facilities located some 30 miles north of Bucharest, Romania. It supplied an estimated sixty percent of the refined oil necessary to keep the German war machine running. Code-named Tidal Wave, 178 U.S. B-24s bombers left Libya on August 1, 1943 and raided Ploesti. Surrounded by hundreds of anti-aircraft emplacements, the attacking Americans had lost the element of surprise when German radar detected their low-flying aircrafts’ approach. Known as, "Black Sunday," the Americans lost 53 aircraft, each with a crew of ten. Approximately 42% of Ploesti’s refining capacity had been destroyed, however, it took only a few days for the Germans to bring the complex back to its previous fuel output. The Ploesti refineries remained operational until the Soviet Army overran the facility in August 1944. Five Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded for the mission, three posthumously. This is the most awarded for a single combat mission.
  • 81. Tuskegee Airmen The first African-American aviators in the U.S. Army Air Force were known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee program began in 1941, at the Tuskegee Institute, when the 99th Pursuit Squadron was established. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to racial discrimination in the U.S. Army and there were several attempts made to cancel the Tuskegee Airmen program because of racism. Of the 450 African-American Tuskegee Airmen served in combat missions in the European Theater of Operations, in the Mediterranean, and in North Africa only 66 died in combat. Between May of 1943 and June of 1945 the Tuskegee Airmen flew a total of 15,533 sorties, destroyed 251 enemy airplanes, and became the only fighter group to have a perfect record protecting the bombers. The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded a total of 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses 8 Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, 3 Distinguished Unit Citations, and 744 Air Medals and Clusters for their service in the U.S. military.
  • 82. “Island Hopping” U.S. Strategy for Victory (1943-1945) The island-hopping theory across the Pacific was like a frog having to leap across a pond, but not having to land on every lily pad on it’s way. By doing so, thousands of islands could be by-passed and by-passing many Japanese-held islands. U.S. strategy called for by-passing many Japanese held islands and cutting off Japanese supply routes began in November 1943. Therefore, frontal attacks against strong Japanese positions were avoided if possible. Island invasions would be limited only by the range of land-based aircraft and the availability of carrier-borne planes. These bypassed Japanese positions were thereby left isolated and strategically impotent (starved into submission.)
  • 83. Two Planned Routes for Island-Hopping Advance American military leaders created a plan to defeat Japan that called for a two-pronged attack to keep Japanese forces divided. Most American military leaders agreed that only an invasion of Japan's main island would stop the Japanese. Admiral Nimitz and the Pacific Fleet were to hop from island to island to get close to Japan. General MacArthur’s troops would advance through the Solomon Islands, capture the north coast of New Guinea, and retake the Philippines.
  • 84. Strange… But True Japanese Soldier Found Hiding on Guam in 1972 Local farmers discovered Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who, unaware that World War II was over, had been hiding the jungles of Guam for 28 years. Guam, a US possession in the western Pacific, was attacked and captured by the Japanese in 1941. Three years later, American forces retook the island. It was at this time that Yokoi, left behind by the retreating Japanese, went into hiding rather than surrender to the enemy. He handcrafted survival tools and waited for his countrymen to return and hand him his next orders. After his discovery in 1972, he was discharged and sent home to Japan, where he was hailed as a national hero. He subsequently married and returned to Guam for his honeymoon. Shōichi Yokoi was a Japanese sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. He was among the last three Japanese holdouts to be found after the end of hostilities in 1945, discovered in the jungles of Guam in January 1972; almost 28 years after US forces had regained control of the island in 1944.
  • 85. Navajo “Code Talkers" A large number of Native Americans also served as soldiers in World War II. Members of the Navajo tribe played a very important role in every assault that the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942-1945. The Navajo were known as the "code talkers." They transmitted messages by telephone and radio in their native language. Their main job was to gather information on tactics, troop movements, and orders over the telephone and radio. The Japanese, who were skilled code breakers, remained confused by the Navajo language. They were never able to break the code.
  • 87. “Bushido” Japanese Strategy for Victory (1942-1945) The Japanese attitude toward suicide is different from Western viewpoint. Suicide for the Japanese is much more acceptable and in some cases a duty. A disgraced officer was expected to commit suicide. Japanese soldiers were expected to die rather than surrender, and on many Pacific islands they did. Japanese soldiers were taught that death was light as a feather and that dying for the emperor was glorious. Japanese officers would lead their soldiers on suicide charges rather than face dishonorable surrender.
  • 88. “Bushido” Japanese Strategy for Victory (1942-1945) Bushido is based on the ancient and traditional samurai style of fighting which embraced Death Before Dishonor. Strange… But True: All Japanese officers were automatically promoted to the next highest rank upon their death in combat.
  • 89. Makin and Tarawa [November 20, 1943] On November 20, 1943, U.S. Marines landed on Tarawa. The U.S. Marines suffered 3,000 casualties after four bitter days of fighting before they could secure the island. Tarawa provided a rude shock to the U.S. military because the Japanese defenders almost fought to the last man. Of the 30,000 Japanese defenders on Tarawa, only 17 surrendered. The rest died in the name of their emperor. Photographs and newsreels showing American causalities were usually forbidden because it would hurt U.S. morale.
  • 90. Tehran Conference [Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 1943] From November 28 to December 1, 1943, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin all met together for the first time, at a conference in Tehran, Iran. The three leaders discussed detailed plans for the Allied invasion of Europe, which Churchill and Roosevelt had decided to postpone at the Casablanca Conference earlier that year. The invasion would be code- named Operation Overlord. Stalin was frustrated by the delay, but Churchill and Roosevelt insisted that the extra time was needed to sufficiently degrade Germany’s military strength. At the end of the meeting, Stalin committed the USSR to enter the war against Japan once Germany was defeated.