Transcript Entering WWIIx

Mobilizing for
War
1928

Kellogg-Briand Pact signed– war is not a national policy closest we’ve come to making war illegal – and still in effect in
most countries that signed!
1935

Congress passes first in a series of 3 Neutrality Acts, extending
ban on arms sales and loans to nations engaged in wars,
showing how dedicated we were to peace.
July 1937
Japan attacks
China – we send
supplies to China,
skirting around the
Neutrality Acts
because Japan
didn’t actually
declare war
 - Roosevelt speaks
out against
isolationism but the
isolationists accuse
him of trying to
lead us to war, so
he backs off

September 30,
1938

Spring - Germany completes
the Anschluss, union, with
Austria, bringing them into
the Third Reich.

September 30 – Germany
signs the Munich Pact with
British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain and French
Minister Edouard Daladier.
The Pact allows Germany to
take over the Sudetenland,
part of Czechoslovakia, if
they agree to stop
conquering territory – a
policy of appeasement.
Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill, a rival of
Chamberlains in Britain,
viewed the actions of
Chamberlain and Daladier
as cowardly – “Britain and
France had to choose
between war and dishonor.
They chose dishonor. They
will have war.” Despite his
arguments, the Munich
Agreement passed thru both
governments, and Hitler’s
aggression went unopposed.
May 1939

Jews are fleeing from Hitler’s wrath.
Most go to other nations in Europe,
but as the Nazi’s are spreading their
power, many try to immigrate to the
United States.

The USA, not wanting to get
involved, turns back the St. Louis – a
ship from Germany holding mostly
Jews fleeing Hitler. We feared
German enemy agents on board,
as well as for reasons of antiSemitism, and fear of losing US jobs
and threatening economic
recovery
August, 1939

Germany invades all of
Czechoslovakia, then
decides to invade
Poland. In order to
keep the Soviet Union
neutral, Hitler signs a
non-aggression Pact
with Stalin, agreeing to
never attack each
other, and to divide up
Poland.
September 1, 1939

Germany invades Poland
using blitzkrieg tactics –
concentrating overwhelming
force at high speed to break
through enemy lines. Through
constant motion, the blitzkrieg
attempts to keep its enemy
off-balance, making it difficult
to respond effectively at any
given point before the front
has already moved on.

Great Britain and France
formally declare war against
Germany, starting WWII.
Help from Spain

Francisco Franco,
totalitarian leader of Spain,
claimed neutrality for his
country, though he did
allow Hitler and Mussolini’s
troops to use Spain as a
proving ground for their
new weapons. In trying to
control the Basque
population, Franco allowed
Hitler’s planes to bomb the
city of Guernica…testing
new technology, and
ridding Franco of a
problem.
September 1939

Congress passes
“cash and carry”
legislation – Britain
and France could
bring us cash for war
supplies and ship the
supplies themselves.
A way to keep us out
of war, but aid Britain
and France.
by June 1940
 We
have sent
500,000 rifles,
80,000 machine
guns, and traded
50 destroyers for
leases at British
military bases –
“decidedly unneutral”
June 1940

German offensive in
France traps 400,000
British and French
troops who flee to the
coast at Dunkirk - all
types of boats start
shuttling 330,000
troops across English
Channel to Britain.
September 27, 1940
 Germany,
Italy
and Japan
sign the
Tripartite Pact,
becoming the
Axis Powers –
aimed at
keeping the US
out of war by
being a larger
threat

British and French set
up fortification of
eastern border of
France along
Manginot line, across
from German
defense on Siegfried
line - waiting for
action. Becomes
"sitzkrieg" - sitting war,
or phony war.
September 1940

US boosts defense
spending and passes
1st peacetime draft –
the Selective Training
and Service Act for
men 21-35 years old
drafting 1 million men
for 1 year to serve in
Western Hemisphere
only
April 1940

Germany launches
invasion of Denmark
and Norway to
"protect...freedom and
independence." Need
bases to attack Britain!
Then they attack
Belgium, Luxembourg,
and the Netherlands the end of the phony
war.
June – August 1940
 USSR
joins the grab
for land and
annexes Estonia,
Latvia and
Lithuania, territories
they had lost
during WWI. They
then move on to
Finland and fight
only 3 months
before Finland
surrenders.
Election of 1940
Roosevelt re-elected to
3rd term when Wendell
Wilkie proves to believe in
many of the same
policies
 Roosevelt gives speech
saying the only way to
defeat the Axis powers so
the world is not living at
gunpoint if France and
Britain are defeated is to
become a “great arsenal
of democracy”

February 1940
 Manginot
line is
proven
ineffective as
Germans send
tanks through the
"impassable"
Ardennes
Mountains.
 Italy
joins
Germany
and invades
France from
the South
and both
march
towards Paris.
June 1940


At Compeigne, Hitler
gives France
surrender terms:
Germany occupies
the North, in the
South a puppet
government is set up
in Vichy.
Daladier has
resigned, and
General Charles de
Gaulle flees to Britain
and sets up gov't in
exile. France is no
longer a free territory.
July 10, 1940 – October 31, 1940
Battle of Britain
Germany prepares invasion of
Britain with a fleet of ships.
Tries 1st to gain control of
skies by running bombing
runs, every night for 2
months with more than 2000
planes per day. RAF fights
back using RADAR and
decimates Luftwaffe.
For the 1st time Hitler calls off
invasion, leaving Britain the
only free country in Western
Europe.
1941

Britain is out of money
for cash & carry

March 1941 –
Congress passes the
Lend-Lease Act to
lend and lease arms
and supplies to any
country whose
defense is vital to the
US
June 1941
 Hitler
breaks his
pact with Stalin
and invades the
USSR – the US
sends lend-lease
supplies to USSR
– the enemy of
our enemy is our
friend
July 1941

Japan invades
Indochina so US
cuts off all trade
with Japan –
Japan needs
peace to keep oil
and supplies for
their expansion, so
peace talks with
US begin
September 1941


Roosevelt allows US
warships to attack
German U-boats in selfdefense after wolf packs
sink as much as 350,000
tons of supplies in one
month. After U-boats sink
US destroyers Kearny and
Reuben James, order is
given to shoot U-boats on
site.
US is fighting at sea,
without technically being
involved in WWII.
November 5, 1941

Japan begins their
preparations to
attack the
American naval
fleet at Pearl
Harbor – hopefully
keeping the US out
of war so the
Japanese could
control the Pacific
Ocean.
December 7, 1941
 Japan
attacks
US base at Pearl
Harbor
December 8, 1941

Roosevelt declares
war, calling the
attack a “day which
will live in infamy”

5 million men
volunteer to fight – to
meet the demands,
the Selective Service
draft another 10
million