Ch. 24-World War II Lessons

Lesson 1 -World War Comes to Texas 1. True 2. False; When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, World War II began. 3. False; In 1941 Japanese warplanes attacked U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor.

4. True 5. True 6. False; Texas had 15 army bases where soldiers trained during the war.

7. True 8. False; Oveta Culp Hobby commanded the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) throughout the war. 9. True

Texans Fight in Europe and Asia 1. Dwight D. Eisenhower - Commanding general of Allied forces in Europe 2. Chester W. Nimitz - Commanded U.S. Pacific Fleet

4. Audie Murphy-- The most highly decorated American in World War II 3. Leonard Roy Harmon - Became the first African American to have a wartime ship named after him 4. Audie Murphy-- The most highly decorated American in World War II  

5. James Earl Rudder - Knocked out German gun emplacements during the Allies’ D-Day invasion of France 6. Samuel Dealey -The most highly decorated sailor in the war 7. Silvestre Herrera - Tejano who received Medal of Honor

In 1942 the Japanese captured the islands of the Dutch East Indies In 1942 the Japanese captured the islands of the Dutch East Indies. Many American, British, and Australian troops were taken prisoner, including about 500 Texans. Captured troops were sent to a prisoner-of- war camp in Burma and forced to work on a railroad. The Japanese refused to reveal the location of Texans and American troops. These troops became known as the Lost Battalion. More than 130 prisoners died due to harsh conditions and cruel treatment.

Tejano soldiers fought alongside Anglo soldiers, but most African Americans fought in segregated units. African Americans were not given combat roles until the war was almost over. Black soldiers trained separately and were housed in separate barracks. The discrimination Tejanos and African Americans faced strengthened their determination to gain equal rights after the war.

Lesson 2-The Home Front Daily Life in Wartime 1. Cities conducted blackouts at night to guard against possible enemy air attack. 2. Edith Whatley McKanna was a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and the first woman in Texas to have a pilot’s license.

3. The State Guard was created by the Texas legislature in 1941 to provide security at home. 4.People used coupons that allowed them to buy rationed items that they needed. 5. Communities collected scrap metal for use in the manufacture of planes, tanks, and ships. 6. Prisoner-of-war (POW) camps in Texas held enemy prisoners.

Texas Industry and Agriculture During the War 1. True 2. False; The coastal region between the Brazos and Sabine Rivers became one of the most heavily industrialized places in the world. 3. True

4. False; Between 1940 and 1943, some 500,000 rural Texans moved to cities. 5. True 6. False; During the war, many Texas farmers switched from growing cotton to producing meat and food crops.

Victory at Last In 1945, armies of the Soviet Union entered Germany from the east. British and American forces pushed in from the West. In May of 1945, Adolf Hitler killed himself and the German government surrendered to the Allies.

In August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima In August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. A few days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan surrendered, signaling the end of World War II. Governments and leaders sought ways to rebuild their countries after the war.