Transcript World War Two in a nutshell, May 2013

World War II:
Canada’s Role
Grade 10 History
B. Hergott
World War Two in a Nutshell
• Rhineland, Austria,
Czechoslovakia,
Munich Agreement,
Rest of Czech, NonAggression Pact,
Poland, France,
Britain, Russia, Italy,
Pearl Harbour, Hong
Kong, Dieppe, D-Day,
Berlin, the Bomb.
The Road to World War II
Who are the other
people in this
picture and what
does the
cartoonist think
of them?
Rhineland
• Treaty of Versailles
took away land from
Germany.
• The Rhine River - a
great source of
national pride
• “unite the German
People”
Austria
• The Anschluss
• “The Sound of Music”
• unite the German
people
• not one shot fired
• Adolf Hitler’s
homeland.
Sudetenland
• Lebensraum - living
room for the German
people.
• First 1/2 of
Czechoslovakia
• worldwide reaction to
German/Nazi/Hitler
advances
Munich Agreement
• Great Britain’s
PM Neville
Chamberlain “Peace in
Our time”
• Adolf Hitler viewed
the agreement
differently.
• Perhaps delayed the
eventual war
Rest of Czechoslovakia
• Hitler’s troops went
against the Munich
Agreement and the
rest of the world
realized it was just a
matter of time until the
war was on.
Non-Aggression Pact
• Russia’s leader Josef Stalin
and Adolf Hitler despised
one another
• Stalin was getting nervous
as the world stood by and
watched Germany’s
aggressive expansion.
• Just a matter of time before
they fought.
• They made a deal not to
attack and divide up Poland
• world is shocked
Poland
• September 1st, 1939.
• Hitler’s troops move
into Poland and
because of a previous
alliance France and
Great Britain declare
war on Germany 2
days later.
• Canada joins the war
Sept 9, 1939.
Stalin
Hitler
•
The non-aggression pact was surprising. Hitler and Stalin were seen as natural enemies.
•
When Hitler talked of taking over new land for Germany, many thought that he meant
Russia.
•
Hitler also hated Communism, the form of government in Russia
Recap: The War Begins…
• When did WWII
break out?
• What was Hitler’s
last action before
Britain and France
declared war?
• What tactic did
Hitler use? Why was
it effective?
The two sides in World War Two were
similar to World War One:
The Axis Powers
Germany
Japan
Italy
The Allied Powers
Britain (Canada,
Australia etc.)
Soviet Union (Russia)
USA (1941)
• For an overview of the early part of the war
see:
• Canada Remembers
Enter Canada…
• How did Canada’s entry to
WWII differ than her entry to
WWI?
• What new law allowed Canada
to make her own decisions?
• Prime Minister Mackenzie
King was prepared to send
roughly 40 000 troops and
anticipated a role as the main
supplier of food and war
materials for Britain
The House of Commons on
September 7, 1939, the first day of
the special session in which
Canada's Parliament decided to
declare war on Germany. Canada
declared war on Sept. 10, 1939
• Hip Hughes - causes and effects of WWII
Blitzkreig
• “lightning war”
• planes, paratroopers,
tanks, armed forces
(soldiers)
• very quick form of
attack
• new and innovative
approach to battle
• other countries were
used to trenches etc.
• Blitzkreig
• http://www.knowmia.c
Phony War
• “Sitzkrieg” (Sept
1939-May 1940
• both sides ( GB + F )
and Germany build up
their armies in
preparation for war
• THEN in 1940, Hitler’s
modern army overran
Denmark, Norway,
Belgium, Luxembourg
and the Netherlands.
Soon, Hitler turned his
attention to France.
• France’s
“Maginot Line”
• maginot line
May 1940: Germany turned west and invaded France
and the Netherlands
• Hitler studies military
History
• Von Schlieffen Plan is
used once again.
• Germany uses the
Blitzkrieg and goes
around the Maginot Line
defenses and enter France
via Belgium.
• Little resistance from
Belgium or France
• 6 weeks later France
surrenders in railway car
German Advances until the Armistice-Battle of France: June 4-22, 1940
German Invasion of Denmark and Norway
The ‘Miracle’ of Dunkirk
•
•
•
•
Thousands of British troops raced across the English Channel to defend France. A
contingent of Canadian soldiers remained in Britain to defend against the expected
German invasion.
Despite Britain's valiant effort, the Germans advanced rapidly into France leaving
both British and French troops trapped.
In May, 1940, British troops had to be evacuated from the seaport town of Dunkirk
on the French coast.
300 000 soldiers were rescued by boats of all sizes- in addition to the British
destroyers, a makeshift fleet of sightseeing boats, river ferries, fishing boats and
privately owned crafts sailed across the British Channel to return the stranded
troops safely back to Britain.
• Despite the “miracle” it was a terrible defeat, much of the heavy British war
equipment had to be abandoned and France fell in six weeks.
At this point....
• Hitler has been
unstoppable
• He has control over
almost all of
continental Europe
and seems invincible
• . . . He turns his
attention to Britain
The Move to Centre Stage…
• QUESTION: How would Hitler’s
successes in Europe change Canada’s role
in war?
• ANSWER: Canada’s role in WWII
evolved to the centre stage:
-convoys became a vital lifeline to the
survival of Britain
-more Canadian troops sent to Britain
-Canadian increased wartime industries
such as food, guns, munitions, supplies
and armed forces
Battle of Britain: ‘The Blitz’
• First all out battle fought in
the air
• September 1940-May 1941,
the German air force
(Luftwaffe) launched
repeated bombing raids on
British towns and cities. This
was known as the BLITZ and
was an attempt to bomb
Britain into submission.
• “never have so many owed so
much to so few” (Churchill)
• despite being greatly
outnumbered the RAF and
RCAF hold off the Luftwaffe
Operation Barbarossa, June 1941
• in May 1941, Hitler ordered a
change of tactics. He decided to
halt the bombing of Britain and
break the Non-Aggression Pact
with Russia. He betrayed Stalin
and ignored the promises he had
made.
• Germany launches an attack
against Russia in Operation
Barbarossa.
• This was a bold move that would
prove to be an important turning
point in the War.
• Russia uses “scorched earth
Policy” as it retreats – destroying
its own property as it withdraws
• Battle of Stalingrad – Russian
hold off the many German
attempts to capture the city
The Russian Front
• On August 23rd, 1939, Stalin and
Hitler signed a “Non-Aggression
Pact” which vowed not to interfere
in each other’s business
• in May 1941, Hitler ordered a
change of tactics. He decided to halt
the bombing of Britain and break
the Non-Aggression Pact with
Russia. He betrayed Stalin and
ignored the promises he had made.
• On June 22nd, 1941, Germany
invaded the Soviet Union –
Operation Barbarossa
• Having purged his military of many
of its best officers, Stalin and the
Soviets were not ready for war
The Eastern Front
• Operation “Barbarossa” – began
on June 22nd, 1941
• The early days saw the Germans
drive into the Soviet Union almost
reaching Moscow by October
• Russia uses “scorched earth
Policy” as it retreats – destroying
its own property (crops, buildings
and bridges) as it withdraws
• The German army besieged
Leningrad for what was to
become a two year struggle
ending in the death of more than
one million civilians
• When the severe Russian winter
arrived the Nazi offensive broke
down and the German attack was
halted
The Tide Turns
• The Nazis needed supplies and
resources to continue the war so
victory in the Soviet Union was
essential
• From Sept. 14th, 1942 – Feb. 2nd,
1943 – the Germans and Russians
fought for the strategic city of
Stalingrad on the Volga River
• Hitler and the Nazis lost the battle
– 500 000 German and other
troops were killed or taken
prisoner
• By the Autumn of 1943 the
Germany army of 2.5 million
soldiers faced an army of 5.5
million Soviet soldiers
Operation Jubilee: Dieppe (1942)
• Failed Canadian
attack on the German
occupied French coast.
• Terrible losses.
• 5000 men started
• 2000 dead
• 1000 prisoners
• 2000 made it home
Italian Campaign, 1943
• From July 10th to August 17th ,1943–
the Allies including the Canadians
fought and took Sicily from the
German Army – Codenamed
“Operation Husky”
• The Campaign of Italy was designed
to take the pressure off their Russian
Allies and pull German troops out of
north-western Europe readying the
area for Operation “Overlord”
• 9th September, 1943 the attack began
on Italy
• The Canadians were forced to fight
for every metre of the mountainous
terrain as the Germans refused to give
it up
The Italians Surrender -- Germany vs Allies
• On the 8th of September,
1943, the Italian Government
surrenders
• When Italy formally
surrendered on September
8th, the Italians separated into
two camps, pro-Allied and
pro-German factions.
• By September 26 the Allies
had built a force of 189,000
men and 30,000 vehicles.
• Following the Italian
surrender, the German Army
took control of the defence of
Germany
Ortona
• Ortona is an ancient city that
consists of narrow streets and
connected houses
• Much of Ortona was reduced to
rubble, making it difficult for the
Canadians to use tanks
• The Germans barricaded
themselves in houses and mined
the streets
• The fighting was house-to-houseliterally – the Canadians blasted
their way through walls to get from
building to building called
“mouseholing”
• The battle continued over
Christmas Day, 1943 but three
days later the Germans withdrew.
• Animated Map
The Liberation of Rome
• It took four major
offensives between
January and May 1944
before the Allies
including British, US,
French, Polish, and
Canadian Corps broke
through
• Rome was declared an
open city by the
German army and the
Allies took possession
on June 4th.
The Move on to France
• Having the Germans
occupied in Italy
allowed the allies to
move forward with
their plan to open up
the long awaited
western front in
Europe
• Winston Churchill and
Franklin Roosevelt
agreed it was time to
open up a new front in
the West through the
beaches of France
• The obvious choice for a
landing area was the Pas
de Calais so the Allies
decided to attack in
Normandy instead but
believed they had to
deceive the Germans
they intended to attack
elsewhere
• Normandy is a peninsula on the French Coast
• It was chosen because the Germans expected the attack to be on
the Pas de Calais
1.
2.
3.
4.
The enemy must remain
ignorant of the proposed
landing site
The enemy must be
prevented from bringing
up reinforcements quickly
once the allies landed
Complete Allied air and
naval superiority in the
English Channel
Local defences must
largely be destroyed by air
and sea bombardment
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
There would be five
sectors that would be
attacked:
Utah – American
Omaha – American
Gold – British
Juno – Canadian
Sword - British
• The Atlantic Wall was
an extensive system of
coastal fortifications
built by the Germans
between 1942 and
1944
• Built along the western
coast of Europe to
defend against an
anticipated AngloAmerican led Allied
invasion of the
continent from Great
Britain.
• Early in 1944, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was assigned to improve the defenses of
the Wall.
• A string of reinforced concrete pillboxes were built along the beaches to house
machine guns, antitank guns, and light artillery.
•Minefields and antitank obstacles were planted on the beaches and underwater
obstacles and mines were planted in the waters just off shore to destroy incoming
craft
•By the time of the invasion, the Germans had laid almost 6 million mines in northern
France.
• On the evening of June
5th paratroopers
dropped in to secure
bridges for the allied
advance
• Heavy bombers
dropped their payloads
on what was supposed
to be the beach
defences
• In the early morning
the largest armada of
ships left Britain for the
French coast
• Of the nearly 150,000
Allied troops who landed
or parachuted into the
invasion area, 14,000 were
Canadians
• The Royal Canadian Navy
contributed 110 ships and
10,000 sailors in support of
the landings while the
R.C.A.F. had helped
prepare the invasion by
bombing targets inland
• Canadians suffered 1074
casualties, including 359
killed.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Element of surprise (date, location)
Attack at low tide / first light
Massive air and naval support (paratroopers)
Dividing of beaches (different objectives based
on geography, location, German defences)
5. Breaking of German defences with Allied tanks
(pincers) and troops encircling Nazis
The Liberation of Northwest Europe
• September 1944 the British
captured the Belgian port of
Antwerp (docking port for
supplies)
• Canadians given the task of
securing the Scheldt Estuary
(70-kilometre long Scheldt
River estuary linking
Antwerp to the sea)
• After 5 weeks of difficult
fighting, the 1st Canadian
Army with support from
other countries secured the
Schedlt Estuary
• By Nov. 8, 1944- Allies had
cleared the ports but at a
cost of 12 873 Allies
casualties, half of them
missing
The Battle of the Bulge
• The Ardennes Offensive known to the
general public as the Battle of the
Bulge, started on December 16, 1944
• Three powerful German armies plunged
into the semi-mountainous, heavily
forested Ardennes region of eastern
Belgium and northern Luxembourg.
• Their goal was to reach the sea, trap
four allied armies, and impel a
negotiated peace on the Western front.
• Allied forces fought Germans
• German losses were critical- reserves
gone, Luftwaffe had been broken and
German army pushed back on two fronts
(east and west) -- Germany now
retreating
Berlin
• Allies converge on
Berlin
• Russia from the east
and British, Canadian,
American, French
troops from the west
• Hitler remains holed
up in a bunker below
the city
• May 6th, 1945
Germany surrenders
The Final Days
• In April 1945, the battle is
coming to a close.
• On the 30th April, Hitler
commits suicide together
with his mistress Eva
Braun hours after they
were married.
• Hitler gave strict orders
for his body to be burned,
so that his enemies
wouldn't do what they had
done to Mussolini, who
was publicly displayed
hanging upside down.
• May 6th, 1945 Germany
surrenders
The Soviets Arrive – Berlin Falls
• By 2 May, the Reichstag,
the old German parliament
falls and Berlin surrenders
to Marshall Zukhov, who
receives the honour of
being the conqueror of
Berlin.
• The battle for Berlin cost
the Soviets over 70,000
dead. Many of them died
because of the haste with
which the campaign was
conducted.
VE-Day
• The major Allied ground
offensive from the west
against German territory
began on 8 February 1945
• In April, Canadian troops
liberated most of the
Netherlands
• The Germans formally
surrendered on 8 May 1945,
known as Victory-inEurope, or ‘V-E’ Day
• Crash Course
Why was the US Fighting Japan?
• September 1940. The U.S. placed an
embargo on Japan by prohibiting
exports of steel, scrap iron, and
aviation fuel to Japan, due to Japan's
takeover of northern French
Indochina.
• June 1941 through the end of July
1941. Japan occupied southern
Indochina. Two days later, the U.S.,
Britain, and the Netherlands froze
Japanese assets.
• The U.S. wanted to stop Japanese
expansion but the American people
were not willing to go to war to stop
it.
Pearl Harbor
• Prior to December 1941, Japan
pursued two simultaneous courses:
try to get the oil embargo lifted on
terms that would still let them take
the territory they wanted, and to
prepare for war.
• Their greatest concern was the
U.S. Pacific Fleet, based in Pearl
Harbor so the Japanese navy
planned to cripple the Pacific Fleet
by a surprise attack.
• The U.S. had broken the Japanese
diplomatic code and knew an
attack was imminent. A warning
had been sent from Washington,
but it arrived too late.
The Attack!
• On December 7th 1941 the first
wave of Japanese airplanes left 6
aircraft carriers and struck Pearl
Harbor a few minutes before 8 AM
local time.
• Over the course of two hours, they
killed or wounded over 3,500
Americans and sank or badly
damaged 18 ships - including all 8
battleships of the Pacific Fleet
• At least 1,177 lives were lost when
the Battleship U.S.S. Arizona
exploded and subsequently sank.
• Both USA and Canada formally
declared war on Japan following
attack on Pearl Harbour
War in the Pacific
• Now that Germany had unconditionally
surrendered (VE Day), the Allies could now
put all effort to fighting Japan in the Pacific
• Memories of Pearl Harbour still resonated
with Americans who wanted revenge
• After Pearl Harbour, both USA and Canada
interned Japanese- Americans and Japanese
Canadians
Hong Kong (Dec
• Japan invaded Hong
Kong the day after they
invaded Pearl Harbour
• 2000 Canadian troops
were stationed there
when the attack
occurred
• the Canadians helped to
fight off the Japanese
for 17 days but
eventually were forced
to surrender.
th
8 ,
1941)
Outcomes
• 300 Canadians killed
• 493 Canadians wounded
• remaining soldiers
became POW’s
(prisoners of war )
• 257 died in POW camps
as a result of starvation,
torture and outright
murder
Was the United States Justified in
Dropping the Atomic Bomb?
• Following FDR’s death, Harry
Truman becomes President of
the United States
• Truman decided to use the bomb
on Japan--- why?
• What do you think?
Justified or Unjustified?
Pros and Cons to Dropping the Bomb
YES- JUSTIFIED
NO- UNJUSTIFIED
• Strategic and conventional
bombing part of WWII
• Japan refused to unconditionally
surrender to Allies
• The alternative to using the
atomic bomb (bombardments /
blockade) would have had
devastating effects on the
Japanese population and would
have prolonged the war and their
suffering (starvation).
• The Japanese military were
preparing a desperate defense of
their homeland that would
inevitably produce high casualties
on both sides (estimated 500 000
Allied soldiers)
• Unethical and immoral- new weapon
with harsh effects (radiation
poisoning). William D. Leahy,
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of
Staff stated: “My own feeling is that in
being the first to use it, we had
adopted an ethical standard common
to barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was
not taught to make war in that fashion,
and wars cannot be won by destroying
women and children.”
• High civilian death toll (150 000)
• By 1945, Japan was crippled as a result
of the Allied blockade and bombings
and neared collapse = surrender was
imminent
• Americans wanted to show USSR they
had atomic bombs = ushered in the
Cold War
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• United States decided to use
atomic bomb on Japan
• Cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki chosen because of
its military and industrial
significance and
concentrated population
(maximize the damage)
• These are the only attacks
with nuclear weapons in the
history of warfare
Fat Man and Little Boy
• On August 6th, 1945 a lone B-29
Superfortress called the Enola Gay
by its crew took off and headed for
Hiroshima
• At 8:15am the atomic bomb
nicknamed “Little Boy” was dropped
on Hiroshima
• Within seconds two thirds of the city
was flattened and thousands were
dead
• On August 11, a bomb called “Fat
Man” was dropped on Nagasaki at
11:02 am
• At noon, August 15th, 1945 –
Emperor Hirohito spoke directly to
his people to tell them Japan had
surrendered
Effects
• The bombs killed as many as 140,000
people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in
Nagasaki by the end of 1945,with roughly
half of those deaths occurring on the days
of the bombings.
• Amongst these, 15–20% died from
injuries or the combined effects of flash
burns, trauma, and radiation burns,
compounded by illness, malnutrition and
radiation sickness
• Since then, more have died from
leukemia or cancer attributed to exposure
to radiation released by the bombs. In both
cities, most of the dead were civilians.
Why Did the Allies Win?
•
•
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Complete material superiority – weapons etc.
More soldiers
Better Strategy
Technology
Morale
Material and financial Wealth