steven+akre

By Steven Akre
 * Turning Points Project**

Pearl Harbor



“USS //Shaw// during the Pearl Harbor Attack” Online Image. www.ibiblio.org. February 28, 2010. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/images/h86000/h86118.jpg
This Picture is of the USS Shaw exploding, a sailor happened to capture this event as it was happening amid all of the chaos.

Pearl Harbor Map

“Map of Japanese occupied Islands” Online Image. PBS.org. February 28th 2010. []

Pearl Harbor was when the Japanese deliberately attacked the Unites States on December 7th, 1941. The Japanese chose to target Hawaii for Pearl Harbor because it was where the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet was based. The US Navy’s Pacific Fleet was a major threat to Japan because its base was in the Pacific Ocean. Japan also wanted to end an oil embargo with European powers and by bombing Pearl Harbor they thought they could.

Pearl Harbor was a huge turning point in the war because it caused the US to enter the war early and join the Allied forces. It was the first time and only time that the US had ever been attacked on its own soil, and only. It gave Americans a deep seeded hatred for Japanese and they fought with valor on the Pacific Front. The outcome of WWII could have been different had the Japanese not attacked Pearl Harbor.

The attack on Pearl Harbor also affected the goals of many countries. The people of the United States for one had been supporters of the isolation theory and wanted to stay out of foreign affairs until Pearl Harbor was bombed, and so many American lives were taken by surprise. It caused war to be declared right and left by Axis and Allied Powers The goal of the people in America changed to pro war and changed to wanting victory over Japan. The goals of Britain also changed when they declared war on Japan shortly after the United States. Germany and Italy did not have a goal of fighting and defeating the United States until after Pearl Harbor as well. Germany and Italy both declared war on the United States.

Primary Document: "Franklin D. Roosevelt's Message on War Against Japan." //American Decades CD-ROM//. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [|http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/]

This is a speech made by Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring war upon Japan. It takes place on December 8th 1941. In this speech he addressees Pearl Harbor, and how because of that the United States is going to war with Japan. This breaks the United State's isolationist regime and jump starts it's economy by going to war and making war supplies. Had Franklin D. Roosevelt not made this speech, retaliated to Pearl Harbor, and gone to war with Japan the United States could have been taken over by the Japanese and the out come of the war would have been a lot different than history shows it today.

Hiroshima



“ **Explosion at Hiroshima in August 1945” Online Image. www.dod.state.ga.us. February 28, 2010. http://www.dod.state.ga.us/armyguard/armyimages/HiroshimaCloudLarge.gif**
This is a picture of the mushroom cloud created by the explosion of the Atomic Bomb, "The Little Boy", on Hiroshima.

Hiroshima Damage Map



“Hiroshima Extent of Fire and Limits of Blast Damage” Online Image. Wikimedia.org. February 28th 2010. []

Hiroshima is a city in Japan which is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the western region of the largest island of Japan. The bombing of Hiroshima by the United States happened on August 6, 1889 at 8:15 am. Harry S. Truman was the president of the US at the time and ordered the dropping of the atomic bomb, “The Little Boy,” on Hiroshima. This was the “cruelest weapon created by man” and was dropped to try to force Japan to surrender to the Allies after Japan had ignored the statement the US had asked it to sign stating that they would surrender. The bomb caused between 90,000–166,000 deaths of the people living in Hiroshima. It is estimated that 60% died instantly from the blast, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes of the atomic bomb such as radiation sickness. The bomb had a radius of total destruction of one mile with resulting affects across 4.4 miles.

The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was a huge turning point in the war for many reasons. The bomb completely destroyed the city of Hiroshima and changed the course of the war by showing all countries that the United States was capable of mass destruction. The atomic bomb made Japan think about surrendering, but they did not end up surrendering until after the US dropped a second atomic bomb. Had the US not leveled the city to the ground we would have had to invade the island and may not have succeeded.

Primary Source: United States War Department. "Statement of the Secretary of War, August 6, 1945". Reprinted at http://www.whistlestop.org/study_collections/bomb/small/mb11.htm. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [|http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/]

This is a statement by the secretary of war, given on August 6th of 1945, speaking about the bombing of Hiroshima. He explains why it was necessary and why it was okay to drop the bombs. He also goes on to explain how powerful the bomb is and how no one on earth has seen the likes of its destruction before. Had "The Little Boy" not been dropped, other countries could have potentially gained the ability to make such a bomb and use it on us, not knowing the effects of its destructive force.

D-Day



**“** D-Day: June 6th, 1944” Online Image. www.desiringlife.wordpress.com. February 28, 2010. http://desiringlife.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/d-day.jpg
This picture depicts the soldiers ready to jump onto the beach once the front gate of their anphibious vehicle opens. It shows how the invasion took place.

D Day Map “Normandy Invasion- June 6, 1944” Online Image. Britanica.com. February 28th 2010. []

D-Day is the military code word for the day of a huge operation and is commonly used in the military today. The actual D-Day is a day when the US, Britain, and the U.S.S.R. invaded the north beaches of France to attack Germany. This invasion consisted of two steps, the air invasion which commenced at midnight as well as the amphibious invasion which began at 6:30 am. The purpose of D-Day was to make the war a two front war because it had previously only been a single front war within Russia. Russia was struggling to hold back the German forces in their homeland and needed the aid of their allies. D-Day was and continues to be the largest amphibious military attack of all time; over 5,000 ships were used.

D-Day was a turning point in the war because it changed many countries goals in the war. The U.S.S.R. changed its military tactics from defensive to offensive. The Russians were able to push forward due to the high numbers of causalities of German troops. The Russians along with the help from their allies were able to push Germany out of Russia which led to V-E Day, or victory in Europe day. On V-E Day the Germans were defeated in Europe and successfully pushed out of Russia.

Primary Source:

Unknown. "Planning D-Day, Declassified Documents, February 1944". Public Record Office PREM 3/336/5; PREM 3/339/1. Microform Source: Primary Source Microfilm, Churchill at War. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [|http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/]

This document shows the planning of an operation that would later be known as D-Day. Within it, it has the explanation of a year of planning and training to invade a Northern beach in France in Normandy, called Omaha beach. The Invasion was an amphibious one, meaning it went from the sea to land, with all terrain vehicles being used to transport the soldiers onto the beach.

Time Line of WWII:

1. Hitler is appointed Chancellor- January 30, 1933

2. Munich Pact signed, giving the Sudetenland back to Germany from Czechoslovakia- September 29, 1938

3. Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact is signed, declaring that there will be no war between Germany and The Soviet Union- August 23, 1939

4. War is declared on Germany by the allied powers- September 3, 1939

5. Germany uses Blitzkrieg tactics to invade Poland- September 1, 1939

6. Operation Barbarossa, Germany invades Russia and breaks Pact (Russia joins Allies)- June 22, 1941

7. Japan bombs the US base of Pearl Harbor- December 7, 1941

8. Germany is beaten by USSR in the battle at Stalingrad- February 2, 1943

9. D-Day, US invades Nazi Occupied France from Normandy beach- June 22, 1944

10. US enters Nuremberg Germany- 1945, April 16th

11. VE day, victory over Europe day- May 8, 1945

12. First Atomic Bomb Dropped on Japan, over Hiroshima- August 6, 1945

13. Second atomic bomb dropped on Japan, over Nagasaki- August 9, 1945

14. VJ day, victory over Japan day- September 2, 1945

15. The Nuremberg Trials begin, for war crimes committed by high ranking German officers- November 20, 1945

Bibliography:

"Hitler Becomes Chancellor." //The History Place//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

"Invasion of Poland, Fall 1939." //United States Holocaust Memorial Museum//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

"Munich Agreement." //Spartacus Educational - Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

"Operation Barbarossa." //History Learning Site//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact - The 1939 Agreement Between Hitler and Stalin." //20th Century History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .