1. AMERICA IN WORLD WAR II
CHAPTER 35

2. The Allies Trade Space For Time
After Pearl Harbor, the free world was on the edge of disaster
Japan running amok in Pacific and Germany might drive England to the wall before US aid could stem the tide.
ABC-1 agreement
Get Germany 1st and then move to Japan
Why is stopping Hitler a bigger priority?
Hitler might be able to crush Soviets and British
Plan: Devote enough energy to Japan to keep them from getting any more and begin to try to drive them back, but make Europe the first priority.
This strategy criticized by public, pacific commanders, China and far-east allies, but was sound.

3. Revving the Economic Engine
US had massive economic potential, but needed time to get geared up.
England in desperate shape.
America needed to time to convert factories to all-out war production.
Fear that skilled German scientists would come up with dramatic new weapons.
Had to feed and arm itself and allies.

4. The Shock Of War
National unity wasn’t a problem—Pearl Harbor had silenced isolationists.
West-Coast Japanese
110,000 interned in concentration camps. Why?
Most interned were well integrated into US
Lost millions in earnings and property.
Upheld by Supreme Court in Korematsu v. U.S.
Apologize in 1988 and pay reparations.

5. Japanese Internment
Waiting for the Signal From Home

6. Building The War Machine
War snapped US out of the depression.
Full employment.
War Production Board.
Henry J. Kaiser -Ship-building king (14 days per ship)

7. Rationing
War production board halted manufacture of non-essential items
War industries had first priority in transport and raw materials
National speed limit and gas rationing.
Food Rationing
Meat and butter
Farmers have bumper crops and boom time.

8. Do Your Part

9. Economic Bumps War caused Inflation. Why?
Full employment and scare consumer goods
WPB response.
Ceilings on wage increases
Unions gave no-strike pledge, but hated wage caps and some staged labor stoppages.
Mine workers under John L. Lewis were the worst.
Roosevelt took a tough stance.
1943 Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act
Authorized federal gov’t to seize and operate tied up industry; strikes were a criminal offense.

10. Manpower Shortage 15 Million men served in WWII.
216,000 women served in military in one capacity or another
Severe manpower shortage at home.
Braceros.

11. Rosie the Riveter
6 Million women took jobs outside the home; over half had never worked before. Rosie the Riveter.
Effect on Women’s movement
Wanted to keep working after the war
2/3 left or lost their jobs after war.

12. Wartime Migrations Reason for wartime migrations
1.6 million blacks moved from the south.
New race problems in northern cities.
Blacks resent their treatment.
FDR issues executive order prohibiting discrimination in defense industries
Fair Employment Practices Commission.

13. Internal Migration in the United States During World War II

14. Blacks Demand Fairness
Blacks adopt the Double V slogan.
Victory over Military segregation and dictators
NAACP membership shoots up and Congress for Racial Equality is established (CORE)
Move north continues after the war.

15. Economic Effect of War
Americans at home suffered very little from the war, especially when contrasted to the Brits and Russians.
War invigorated the US economy to an unprecedented level.
GNP doubled from 1940 to 1945 and pay checks went way up.
Disposable income more than doubled, but not much to spend on because all factories devoted to war.
The war, even more than the New Deal, leads to the Big Government of the second half of the 20th Century.

16. Federal Spending
All the federal spending finally cures the depression.
War cost $330 billion.
Where did money come from?
Forced US to borrow at unprecedented level and to raise taxes.
National debt goes from $49 Billion in 1941 to $259 Billion in 1945.

17. Figure 36.1: The National Debt, 1930–1950

18. THE RISING SUN IN THE PACIFIC
Japan attacks islands around them
Burma Road – US had been using this to support Jiang Jieshi (China)
General Douglas MacArthur – Philippines – forced to surrender
He fled to Australia
Bataan Death March – prisoner of war camps

19. JAPAN’S HIGH TIDE AT MIDWAY
Coral Sea
Japan going for Australia
Heavy losses for Japan
Aircraft carriers – important
Midway
Japan lost 4 carriers and the battle
Turning Point!!!!!

20. AMERICAN LEAPFROGGING TOWARD TOKYO
Guadalcanal
Japan loss – 20,000 / US loss - 1,700
New Guinea
Last buffer protecting Australia
Heavy Losses for Japan
MacArthur starts to return in Philippines
Leapfrogging

22. The Allied Halting Of Hitler
Battle of North Atlantic
German subs were sinking merchant ships faster than they could be built.
Code Breakers
North Africa
Erwin Rommel – Desert Fox
Bernard Montgomery (WINS)
9/42 Russia stalls the German steamroller on the outskirts of Stalingrad Turning point in USSR

23. The North African Second Front
Soviets are begging the allies to open second front. Allies recognize they need to.
Stalin’s concerns and fears
Allies concerns
Americans are willing to make a cross-channel invasion in 1942 but Churchill and England’s high command are against this.
British argue for an attack at the underbelly of Europe in the Mediterranean.

24. Operation Torch Invade North Africa 11/42. Ike in command.
Biggest sea-born invasion up to that time.
American troops get pummeled by Germans in first battle at Kasserine pass. Patton takes charge.
U.S. and Brits begin to drive Germans East.
Forced Germans to surrender in Tunisia 5/43

25. Casablanca Churchill and Roosevelt Jan. 1943. Agree to invade Sicily.
Many on American staff don’t like this idea.
Churchill and Roosevelt agree to insist on unconditional surrender of Germany. Why?
Soviets would like it
Forestall charges of future broken treaties
Enemy must now fight until the last bunker
Casablanca

26. Sicily Sicily invaded and falls 8/43.
Mussolini is deposed soon thereafter and Italy unconditionally surrenders.
Germans don’t leave and carry on fight in Italy

27. Invasion of Italy
9/43 Allies invade toe of Italy and start fighting up the boot.
Bogs down; amphibious invasion along the Western coast at Anzio.
Very slow going in Italy fighting through the mountains.
Allies finally get Rome 2 days before D-Day.
Do not finish in Italy until 5 days before German surrender.

28. Italy Assessed Benefits: Problems:
Does divert some German troops and provides us with air bases from which we can easily bomb Germany.
Does open the Mediterranean to Allies greatly restricting Germans.
Problems:
Delayed the cross-channel invasion by many months, giving Soviets a chance to get further into Eastern Europe before the war ends.
Increased Soviet suspicion

30. Tehran Conference Late Nov. 1943 Purpose
Stalin Roosevelt Churchill
Late Nov. 1943
Purpose
Plan an East and West simultaneous attack
First meeting of Roosevelt and Stalin

31. Eisenhower’s D-day Invasion Of France
Eisenhower is given command of D-day landing.
June 6, Biggest sea-borne invasion in history.
Land near Normandy.
Five beaches. Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah, Omaha

32. D-Day Very hard fighting;
Have to break out before Germans bring in reinforcements and drive invasion back into the ocean.
US has Air superiority.
US has used paratroopers the night of the D-day invasion
Hitler dithers on the day of the invasion.
August, 1944, invasion of southern France opens a second front.
Patton breaks out and races to the German border, but is forced to stall when he can’t get enough supplies.

33. Election of 1944
Election of 1944 comes at a bad time—the war is reaching its climax
Republicans nominate Dewey, popular governor of New York. He is only 42 and is very liberal for a Republican.
FDR is re-nominated as a matter of course.
Roosevelt is in very poor health.
VP, Henry Wallace (distrusted), dumped and replaced by Truman. Why?
Inconspicuous Senator

34. Roosevelt Again
FDR wins by 3 Million votes and in the Electoral College. Reasons?

35. Battle of the Bulge December 1944, Germany was wobbling.
Dec. 16, 1944 Hitler unleashes a powerful all-out counter-offense in the snow-shrouded and foggy Ardennes forest. Battle of the Bulge.
Allies are thrown back in disarray.
German target is port of Antwerp. Why?
It was the key to the Allied supply operation

37. Battle of the Bulge
Problem—Germans are very low on fuel and lack air support.
101st Airborne is surrounded but refuses to surrender at Bastogne.
Constantly shelled, low supplies, no winter clothing.
Patton drives north in record time and relieves Bastogne.

38. V-E Day March 1945 American Troops reach the Rhine
April, 1945 just outside Berlin, US forces meet up with Soviets who have been driving in from the East.
Discover the concentration camps.
April 12, 1945, Roosevelt dies.
Truman, who is totally out of the loop, is hastily sworn in.
April 30, 1945, Hitler commits suicide as Berlin is falling around him.
May 7, 1945, Germany surrenders unconditionally.

39. Japan Dies Hard American subs devastate Japan’s merchant fleet.
Massive fire-bomb raids of Japanese cities.
March, 1945, destroy ¼ of Tokyo and killed over 80,000. As devastating as later Nuclear attacks.
MacArthur recaptures New Guinea.

40. Leyte Gulf and Philippine
October, 1944, biggest naval battle in history. Leyte Gulf.
Japan’s naval power is destroyed.
Kamikazes.
Jan. 1945, recapture Philippine mainland.
Douglas MacArthur returns to Philippines

41. Okinawa and Iwo Jima
Spring 1945 vicious battles on Okinawa and Iwo Jima.
Japanese fight to the last man, inflicting severe casualties.
Impact on US strategic thinking?
Japan will never unconditionally surrender

42. Atomic Awfulness
Invasion of Japan is assumed will cost America thousands of casualties.
Japan is sending out peace-feelers, but does not appear willing to surrender unconditionally.
Potsdam Conference - July 1945 Allies agree again to unconditional surrender.
Japan wants to keep the emperor.
Manhattan Project. Very secret.
First atomic bomb in New Mexico July 1945.
Nagasaki and Hiroshima—Japanese surrender.
Hiroshima—70,000 instant deaths and 60,000 more over next months due to radiation.
Nagasaki – 80,000 killed or missing
Soviets enter the war just after the first bomb and overrun Manchuria and Korea (hence North Korea)
Japan surrenders August 10, 1945 if they can keep their emperor Hirohito. US accepts on August 14, 1945

43. Why Does Truman Use the Bomb?
Avoid US casualties, but clear Japan would likely surrender before Invasion.
To show Soviets what we have
To prevent Soviets from being involved in Pacific longer and grabbing more territory and having a say in rebuilding of Japan.
Probably most important