Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

World War Two 1939-1945

Conflict and War: Europe, 1939

Treaty of Versailles did little to restore prosperity and stability in Euro; WW2 just a continuation

The Politics of Appeasement

Brit and France let some violations of Treaty slide, Hitler began conscription 1935 and rearmed
Rome-Berlin Axis 1935 b/w Hitler and Mussolini, signed Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan
1936 Hitler re-occupied Rhineland; determined to seize land for growing population
Hitler met with chancellor of Austria, Austrian Nazi into cabinet, chancellor resigns; March 14, 1938 Austria declared union with Germany → the “Annexation”

Maintaining International Order

United States was very isolationist, Brit and France had little pub support for war against Germ
1930s France built Maginot Line length of French-Germ boarder to withstand bombardment

The Spanish Civil War: 1936-1939

1936 General Francisco Franco lead fascist party and met resistance from republicans govn’t
Three year civil was in Spain “Last Great Cause”; support from Hitler/Mussolini
Spain became testing ground for Nazi weaponry/tactics – April 26, 1937 first strategic bombing raid by the German Air Force on civilian town in Spain

Peaceful Co-existence? The Munich Agreement

Policy of appeasement by Brit climaxed with Munich Agreement Sept 29, 1938

Hitler and the Sudetenland

Munich Conference on Sept 29, 1038 Chamberlain, Daladier, Mussolini, Hitler agreed to transfer Sudetenland to Germ by Oct 10 and deal with Pol/Hung claims later
A month later after assassination of Nazi diplomat in Paris, “night of broken glass”
A few months later Third Reich claimed the rest of Czechoslovakia

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

Spring 1939 Hitler demanded territorial concessions in Poland; Brit and France abandoned appeasement and guaranteed Polish boarders
August 23, 1939 Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact laid basis for division of Poland; SU free hand in Finland/Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania in return for no opposition to Germs aggression in West
Sept 1, 1939 ultimatum sent to Germany: agree to withdrawal from Poland by 9am Sept 3^rd or face consequences – no reply
Brit declared war Sept 1^st joined by: France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada

War Again

Total War Through Technology

Terror bombing, long-range bombers, incendiary bombs, targeting civilians

The Invasion of Poland

New mechanized warfare called Blitzkrieg – armoured tanks supported by ground troops and air support
Sept 25 Soviets/Nazis signed agreement to divide/dismantle the Polish state
Hitler turned Poland into a worker state to supply the needs of the Third Reich

The Phony War

1939-1940 phony war because it was prep for war and no one was actually fighting
In this period Soviet Union and Germany aggressively seized more territory; March 12 Finland, fall of 1940 Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became absorbed by Soviet Union
April 9, 1940 planned invasion of Denmark and Norway
Winston Churchill was handed power of Brit May 10, 1940
May 15^th, Germany smashed Netherlands and Belgium and was poised to invade France

The Fall of France

June 1940 France fell to Nazis and Allied armies pushed to English Channel
France didn’t adapt to new realities of war and there was little support from French people
French signed terms of surrender June 22
By June 1940 Hitler/fascist allies controlled all of Western Euro and Soviets dominated East

The Miracle of Dunkirk

Admiral Bertram Ramsey and Captain Day planned evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in Operation Dynamo
338 226 troops rescued from the French coast – gave Allies a boost

The Battle of Britain

A month after the battle of Britain, Hitler clung to illusion of Third Reich co-existing with B.E.
Operation Sea Lion was code for German invasion of Britain July 10, 1940– done through the air
By July 1940 Brits producing more aircrafts and developed radar
Early Sept Hitler gave order to bomb London, then Churchill ordered bombing of Berlin
Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion, continued night raids, turned attention to East

Widening Aggression

The Tripartite Pact

Fascist Germany and Italy, plus Japan sighed Tripartite Pact Sept 1940 for mutual support in event of an attack from a new enemy

Operation Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa code name given to Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union
Barbarossa had aim of exterminating “undesirables” (coms, Jews, others with Asiatic features)
Marked: high point, end of interest warfare, beginning of warfare involving govn’ts/armies/partisan organizations
June 22, 1941; 3 million troops spanned German-Russian border
Hitler decided to attack Moscow for eco reasons – the German army came to halt b/c it was not prepared for the harsh winters
Stalin ordered massive counterattack and stopped Nazi advance

War in the Pacific

The Sino-Japanese War

Japanese determined to defeat Western nations and establish Jap sphere of influence in Pacific
1937 skirmish b/w Chinese and Japanese- Japanese broke through Chinese defense and captured capital of Nanking – followed by 4 months of bloody massacre

The Rape of Nanking

Japanese entered Nanking and started campaign of rape, murder, looting
Dec. 1937-March 1938 – 250 000 to 300 000 people killed

The Attack on Pearl Harbor

1941 US imposed trade ban due to Japan’s occupation of Into-China
By 1944 US navy outnumbered Japanese 10:3
Japan struck Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941
Brit in support of US declared war on Japan, Germany/Italy declared war on the US
1942 Japan conquered western Pacific and southeast Asia: Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore

Diplomacy and Coalition Warfare

The United States Enters the War

Allied powers, Brit/Soviet Union/United States, referred to themselves as the United Nations
United states committed to Euro First Policy – defeating Nazi Germ & securing democracy

Strategic Disputes

Brits favoured indirect approach, America wanted direct approach with massive invasion through northwestern France
At Arcadia Conference in Washington decision for Brit-Am counteroffensive in Mediterranean in 1942

The Critical Juncture

May 1942 Hitler diverted army south to Crimea and oil fields – severing SU lifeline for forced surrender
SU got stronger with more nationalism and better trained soldiers
End of Jan 1943 German Sixth Army forced to surrender

The Raid at Dieppe

Assault launched August 19, 1942 – biggest hit to CDN military – most shot before off beach
Why here? – to move Germ troops from Russia, trail for full invasion, best trained CDN troops, CDNs training in England eager to see active duty

1942: A Turning Point

Allies successfully counter attacked on 3 fronts: Egypt, North Africa, Russia

The Casablanca Conference

1943 Churchill and Roosevelt met here to map out future of their combined war efforts
Achieved joint declaration that Western Allies would only accept unconditional surrender from Axis powers
Brits plan was to fight Germans in North Africa, Sicily, Italian mainland
June 1940 Italian invasion of Egypt – Italian defeats in Africa and Balkans brought Germs to Mediterranean

Operation Husky: The Invasion of Sicily

American, Brit, CDN troops launch Operation Husky
After 6 weeks the island of Sicily fell and Allies began prep for invasion of mainland Italy
Fascist Grand Council withdrew support for Mussolini – July 25 asked to resign as PM
Mussolini imprisoned and King Victor Emmanuel 3^rd took command of armed forces; Marshal Pietro Badolgilio became PM
Germans landed in Italy and planned cross channel invasion called Operation Overlord – long/costly and didn’t end until collapse of the Germ army

Canada’s Role in Italy

CDNs became spearhead for Allies drive towards Rome – opened June 5, 1944

Total War and Strategic Bombing

Total war- civilians became legitimate targets for both sides

The Teheran Conference

Meeting of Allies: Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill – November 1943
Agreed on invasion from West in summer of 1944

Operation Overlord: The Normandy Invasion

Invasion of France across English channel and naval and air support from American/Brit aircraft
Landed on beaches of Normandy June 6^th 1944 – 156 000 troops traveled to beaches of Juno, Sword, Gold, Omaha, Utah under heavy air bombardment – beached consolidated June 10
By July Allies secured Caen and moved to Paris

Hitler’s Last Stand

Hoping to negotiate peace before Germ was crushed army officers tried to assassinate Hitler
Stauffenberg placed a briefcase with a bomb it in beside Hitler, Hitler moved it, bomb went off, he survived and killed 5 000 suspected conspirators
By late fall Paris, Belgium, Netherlands liberated
Hitler launched final attack on German-Belgium border December 16, 1944

Reorganizing Europe

The Yalta Conference

Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin met once more from Feb 4-11, 1945 to decide fate of Germ
Germany would be demilitarized and the Nazis routed – Germany divided into four zones of occupation (one for each of the Big Three and one for France)

The United Nations is Born

Meeting in San Francisco in April 1945 to replace the League of Nations
General Assembly, Security Council with 5 perm members
1944 Americans and British set up the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund

Hitler is Destroyed

April 22 Hitler realized his defeat
April 30 Hitler and mistress Eva Braun withdrew into air-raid shelter of Reich Chancellory in Berlin
Hitler nominated Admiral Karl Donitz as his successor and then him and Braun committed suicide
May 8, 1945 VE Day and German forces surrendered unconditionally

The Holocaust: A War Within The War

Only 10% of Jewish children living in occupied Euro survived
Holocaust had three stages: deportation, “ghettoization”, and extermination

The Final Solution

Refers to the Nazi plan to exterminate all the Jews – meeting in January 1942 to work out details

The Death Toll

14 mil Russians, 6 mil Poles, 1.7 mil Yugos, 600 000 French, 357 000 Brits, 405 000 Americans, 109 000 Brit Commonwealth = 40 million people

Planning the Postwar Era

The Potsdam Conference

Soviet Union emerge as great power – set stage for the Cold War rhetoric
Three Allies, Stalin, Churchill, Truman met near Berlin July 17, 9145

An Iron Curtain Descends

Euro divided b/w communist-controlled East and democracies of the West – Cold War

The Impact of War on Society

Rations on food, War Economy Decree in Germ,

Changes in the North American Family

One million more families formed, ↑ birth rate, ↑ marriages, ↓ marriage age

Victory in the Pacific

Truman called for Japan’s surrender July 26 – leader: “kill it with silence”

The Nuclear Age is Born

August 6, 1945 Hiroshima target of nuclear attack, second on Nagasaki – Hirohito accepted surrender August 14, 1945 VJ Day