Transcript Chapter 17 Lesson 3 Day 2

Discussion
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Which two countries listed in the
chart had the most civilian
casualties of the war, and which
two had the least?
most: the Soviet Union and China;
least: Belgium and the United
Kingdom
Bombing of Cities Targets
Military and Civilians
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Development of long-range bombers: After World War I, many leaders
believed that bombing civilian populations would break a country's morale
and force governments to make peace. These leaders therefore had their
militaries develop longrange bombers.
Britain under the blitz: The British took the first heavy blows as the
Germans bombed London nightly, beginning in late 1940. The bombing
then spread to other British cities. Yet British morale remained high. The
British moved millions of children to the countryside and even to other
countries to protect them during the German blitz.
Effects of Allied bombing of Germany: Beginning in 1942, the British
conducted major bombing raids on German cities, including the ferocious
bombing of Dresden. Despite huge losses, the Germans fought on,
actually increasing wartime production in spite of the bombing.
U.S. air raids on Japan: Toward the end of the war, Japan was
vulnerable to air raids due to losses to its air force. By 1945, many of
Japan's homes and industries had been destroyed. The use of atomic
bombs in August 1945 resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of
civilians.
Discussion
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What was the intended effect of
the bombing of German cities,
and how effective was it?
to break civilian morale and bring
British victory; it was not very
effective at breaking morale, even
though many people were killed and
property was destroyed.
Background
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The first air raid of the war to hit Tokyo was led
by the American lieutenant colonel James H.
Doolittle (1896–1993) four months after the
attack on Pearl Harbor. The Doolittle Raid, as it
has become known, took off from the deck of the
aircraft carrier Hornet and struck Tokyo and
Nagoya. The raid did little damage, but it boosted
American morale and embarrassed the Japanese.
It also convinced Japanese leaders to try to
eliminate American aircraft carriers, a decision
that led to Japan's attack—and defeat—at Midway
six weeks later. Doolittle received the
Congressional Medal of Honor and the
Presidential Medal of Freedom for his actions.
Background
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The B-29 Superfortress was the most
formidable bombing aircraft of World War
II. Along with increased range and
payload capacity, it included features such
as remote-controlled guns and a
pressurized cabin. The Superfortress was
used mainly in the Pacific theater during
World War II. As many as 1,000
Superfortresses at a time bombed Tokyo,
destroying much of the city. The planes
also were used to carry the atomic bombs
that destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
Discussion
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Why is World War II considered
to be a better example of a total
war than World War I?
Fighting was much more widespread,
economic mobilization was more
extensive, and the number of
civilians killed was far higher.