1. How was Georgia Impacted by WWII
Unit 10

2. What started the war?
Germany, Japan, and Italy sought to become world powers and invade other smaller countries – they became the Axis Powers
Hitler and the Nazi Party staged a blitzkrieg (lightning war) against Poland
Allied Powers were Poland, Great Britain, and France.
Rather than actively fight, the United States passed the Lend-Lease Act under Roosevelt. This allowed us to lend or rent military good to anyone in the Allied Powers when they were running out of money

3. What Changed?
December 7, 1941, Japanese made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and killed over 2300 military personnel and destroyed 19 ships
The U.S. declared war on Japan
Now the was in two theaters: the European Theater and the Pacific Theater
European Theater
Pacific Theater
Allieds defeated Italy and German
June 6, 1944 was D-Day and France was liberated
Germany was defeated on V-E Day
Thousands were liberated from concentration camps
Allieds used “island hopping” to overtake Japan
Japan was warned and then bombed
First B-29 atomic bomb was dropped om Hiroshima in August 1945
Second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later
Japan surrendered – This was V-J Day

4. The Holocaust
Hitler’s plan was to exterminate all Jews and other “undesirables” in the Holocaust.
Dachau and Auschwitz were two of the most notorious concentration camps
Over 6 million Jews died

5. Georgia’s Contribution to WWII
Bell Aircraft in Marietta built B-29 Bombers – It is part of Lockheed Martin today
Liberty Ships were cargo ships were built in the ports of Savannah and Brunswick for moving supplies to troops
Farmers grew crops to feed the troops
Fort Benning continued to train Infantry for war
Warner Robins Air Force Base trained soldiers to maintain war planes
Many women joined the Military

6. Names to Know
William Hartsfield – Made Atlanta an aviation hub and pushed for integrating schools
Ivan Allen, Jr. – Was responsible for bringing professional athletic teams to Atlanta for the purpose of improving our image as a major city
Ellis Arnall – Was a Georgia governor that gave 18 year olds right to vote, established the Department of Corrections, and restored accreditation to our colleges
Richard Russell – Was a U.S. Senator from and became a leader for Georgia
Carl Vinson – “Father of the two-ocean navy” in WWII in Europe and the Pacific
Richard B. Russell, Jr. – “Father of the school lunch program”
One important note:
The key reason for migration of people into Georgia since the 1960’s is our diversified economy