U.S. History 11: Unit 13 The Aftermath of WWII Coach Styles Note Packet 13-1

Today I checked the ledger I wished to see the bill Arlington Do you know the price of freedom? Have you ever checked the cost? Our liberty we take for granted Thoughtless of lives once lost. Today I checked the ledger I wished to see the bill I thought it time to reckon Ere freedom’s bell stood still. ‘Twas here I found freedom’s portal With those that turned the key A door opened for justice Slammed in the face of tyranny.

Stones standing for heroes fallen Nameless faces charred America’s brothers, sons, and husbands Freedom’s song they’ve all inspired. My beating heart sits heavy With thoughts of blood once shed Liberty holds new meaning When you walk among the dead. Leaving, I feel proud, yet humble As my tear-dimmed eyes look up To see freedom’s unfurled banner And thank God for life’s full cup. Doug Styles, Memorial Day 1986

Note Packet 13-1 WWII ended in in such a dramatic and devastating way that it was clear that humanity could not survive another global war.

“The war to end all wars.” Note Packet 13-1 Civilized men across the globe hoped and believed that World War One (then known as “The Great War”) would in fact be what they called it then… “The war to end all wars.” After 20 years, evil and ambitious men ventured once again to attain their goals of conquest through violence and terror—they almost succeeded. But in the end they failed—proving once again the Biblical truth that those who “live by the sword will die by the sword.”

Note Packet 13-1 The Axis Powers were defeated in WWII because they repudiated human values and human faith—thus making enemies of those in the world who cherished humanity. In the end, it was those who cherished these things—and who knew that freedom and liberty were God’s gift to all mankind, and not just to those born in more blessed areas of the world—who found the victory. And even though the enemy had been defeated and the weapons of war were silenced, complete justice had yet to be served.

Note Packet 13-1 During World War II, Allied authorities made the decision not to pursue war criminals until after an Allied victory (for fear of reprisals against Allied P.O.W.s). Instead, officials were to secretly gather evidence of war crimes to be used when the war ended. Many Nazis fled after the war (as many as 10,000 to the United States). In the end, most of the Nazis who might have been tried for war crimes either evaded capture or were simply not prosecuted.

The Nuremberg Trial tried 21 of the top surviving Nazi officials. Note Packet 13-1 Others who were caught or about to be captured (including the infamous Goebbels, Ley, and Himmler) committed suicide before they could be tried or executed. Many Nazi war crimes trials were held at Nuremberg, Germany (ironically the site of one of Hitler’s largest rallies). The Nuremberg Trial tried 21 of the top surviving Nazi officials.

14 were sentenced to hang, the rest were given prison sentences. Note Packet 13-1 These men were charged with crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. 14 were sentenced to hang, the rest were given prison sentences. Other Nazi war criminals were tried in other countries as well.

Note Packet 13-1 An International Military Tribunal for the Far East was set up in Tokyo in May 1946 to try Japanese officials and military personnel who committed war crimes.

Note Packet 13-1 Trials for Japanese war criminals were held in other Japanese cities and various other Pacific locations as well. 5,600 Japanese were tried and 4,400 were convicted of war crimes committed during WWII. Over 1,000 of those convicted were put to death (including General Homma from Bataan and Prime Minister Hideki Tojo—shown bottom right).

Freedom’s Heavy Price: The Cost of World War II Note Packet 13-1 Freedom’s Heavy Price: The Cost of World War II

Almost 300,000 American soldiers were killed in combat. Note Packet 13-1 Almost 300,000 American soldiers were killed in combat. Many Americans who died in battle or in P.O.W. or concentration camps were buried close to where they fell. After the war, many were disinterred and brought to Arlington National Cemetery. Over 9,000 U.S. soldiers are buried atop Omaha Beach. Over 326,000 British soldiers and over 60,000 British civilians were killed during the war. Over 10 million Soviet soldiers died in combat and more than 3 million more died as P.O.W.s. Over 7 million civilians in the Soviet Union were killed.

Note Packet 13-1 The Germans suffered more than 4 million combat-related deaths and nearly 600,000 civilians died in Allied bombing attacks. Japan suffered over 1.5 million military and 300,000 civilian deaths, although some estimates suggest that due to the after-effects of the atomic bomb, it is closer to 1 million. Of the more than 6 ½ million Jews killed during the Holocaust, over 1 million were Jewish children under the age of 15.