Transcript World War Two - Limestone District School Board

In the News: Cyclone in Myanmar
• Over the weekend, Myanmar was struck
by a large storm, known as a cyclone.
• Many rural buildings there are
constructed of thatch or bamboo, and
were easily destroyed by the cyclone’s
winds and debris.
• The death toll from the cyclone has
been estimated around 10,000, but due
to flooding of low-lying areas, it could
rise in the next few weeks.
• Electricity, clean water and telephone
services have been damaged, leaving
many residents in the dark, and with no
source of fresh water.
World War Two
Part Two
Dieppe
• 5,000 Canadian Soldiers
sent in.
• 2,200 made it back to
Britain
• The Allies learned a
valuable lesson about
how to invade Europe.
• Was it worth it?
Women and the War
• In July, 1941, the Canadian Women’s Army Corps
(CWAC) is established.
• Canadian women were not allowed to fight in the
war, but took on new roles in the armed forces as
radio specialists, clerks, nurses, and many other
jobs.
• In addition, women stepped into industry and
jobs at home, which had been left by departing
men.
• Over 261,000 women were employed in wartime
production at home, building war materials.
The Battle of the Atlantic
•
Britain and Russia depended on supplies from North America during the war.
To help with this, Canada and the U.S. sent transport ships of supplies across
the Atlantic.
•
The German Navy responded by sending submarines (known as U-boats) out
into the Atlantic to torpedo any ships bringing supplies to Europe.
•
In order to protect their supply ships, the Canadian Navy grew from 11 ships
and 20,000 sailors at the outbreak of war, to nearly 400 ships with 113,000
sailors.
•
Ships were organized into convoys, with the merchant supply ships protected
by smaller Corvettes, who could effectively hunt the U-boats.
•
Many historians feel that Canada’s transport of supplies to Britain was
Canada’s most important contribution to WW2.
German Bombing of Britain
•
The German Air Force (the Luftwaffe) continued
to bomb British military and civilian targets as the
war continued.
•
The bombing was designed to force the British
into submission.
•
Civilians were forced to hide in underground
subway stations, and fires continually raged
across British cities. Major industrial centers such
as London, Manchester and Liverpool were the
primary targets of German bombings.
•
As a result of the bombings, 27,450 British
civilians were killed, with an additional 32,138
wounded.
Allied Bombing of Germany
• By 1942, the Allies began a bombing
campaign of German cities, in an attempt
to halt Germany industry.
• In addition, the bombings soon shifted to
civilian targets, in order to break the
German morale, and also in retaliation to
German bombings of British cities.
• Canada’s Air Force grew to the fourth
largest in the world, and the British
Commonwealth Air Training Program
(BCATP) trained pilots from across the
Commonwealth in Canada.
• Estimates of the German civilian death toll
range from 305,000 to 600,000
Dresden
•
Between February 13th and 15th, 1945, 1,300
Allied bombers dropped over 3,900 tons of
bombs onto the German city of Dresden.
•
The attack caused a massive firestorm which
consumed the city and left it virtually gutted.
•
Estimates on the death toll vary greatly, but
recent publications place the figure between
24,000 and 40,000 civilians.
•
There is a debate over whether the attack was
justified, and whether or not its result
constitutes a war crime. Was it an important
strategic attack, and was it carried out with
precision?
Canadians in Italy - 1943
•
On July 10th, 1943, Canadian troops, supported by British and American troops,
attacked Sicily, an island south of Italy. In one month, Sicily was liberated, and the Allies
created a plan to invade Italy.
•
It was hoped that the attack on Italy would stretch the Axis armies out, by opening
another front. This would take pressure off the Russian front, which was costing
thousands of Red Army troops daily.
•
The Italian Dictator, Benito Mussolini was overthrown and hung, causing Hitler sent
German troops into Italy to defend it from invasion.
•
The invasion began on September 3rd, 1943, but met strong resistance from German
soldiers in the mountains of Italy. Canadian troops were key in winning Ortona from the
Germans, in which fighting was fierce and house-to-house.
•
In June of 1944, Rome was finally captured, and the Allies had made a vital foothold in
Europe, from which they could push Germany back.
Normandy Invasion (D-Day) - 1944
•
An invasion force had been assembled in Great
Britain. It was made up of 1.25 million U.S. troops,
1.25 million British troops, and 300,000 Canadians.
•
The invasion, called Day of Deliverance (D-Day) began
on June 6th, 1944. After artillery and aerial bombing
barrages from 2,000 bombers and a number of
warships, designed weaken the coastal defenses, the
first troops reached the beaches around 06:30.
•
This was Canada’s largest military operation, landing
on Juno Beach, the second most heavily defended
beach. While 800 Canadians lost their lives in the
initial attack, they were able to successfully meet
their objective in the first day, something which the
other army groups could not match.
The Liberation of Europe
•
For the next 11 months after D-Day, the Allies
continued to push the Germans back through Europe,
liberating towns and cities on their way.
•
Over the 11 months, Canada lost 11,000 soldiers in
the fighting.
•
Canada played a key role in Holland, where the
retreating Germans had flooded the farmland valleys.
The Canadians finally forced the German surrender in
Holland, and were able to help feed the starving
Dutch, who had been forced to eat tulip bulbs to
survive.
•
After continued attack from both the West and East,
Germany finally fell on May 7th, 1945, a day that
would become known as VE Day, for Victory in
Europe.
The End of WW2
•
After the fall of Germany, the Allies met in Potsdam,
Germany, to discuss the end of the war. They
demanded the surrender of Japan, and threatened
“prompt and utter destruction” if they would not.
•
Japan rejected the terms, and U.S. President Harry
Truman ordered the dropping of two atomic bombs on
Japan. One on the city of Nagasaki and the other on
Hiroshima.
•
The bomb which dropped on Hiroshima resulted in the
death of 140,000 people, while the bombing of
Nagasaki cost 80,000.
•
Facing this new and terrible threat, Japan surrendered
on August 15th, 1945, ending the Second World War.