Jack+Howell

Jack Howell Mrs. Mouser 2/19/10 History D Period WWII Project __Timeline:__

· ** Hitler takes all power from the Weimar government – Throughout the year of 1933 ** · **Munich Agreement – September 30, 1938 (originally dated on the 28th)** · ** Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact – August 14, 1939 ** · **Invasion of Poland Begins – September 1, 1939** · **Battle of Britain Begins – July 10, 1940** · **Lend-Lease Act – March 11, 1941** · ** Operation Barbarossa – December 5, 1941 ** · **Attack on Pearl Harbor – December 7, 1941** · **Battle of Midway Ends – June 7, 1942** · **First Battle of El Alamein Begins – July 1, 1942** · **Battle of Stalingrad Ends – February 2, 1943** · **D-Day – June 6, 1944** · **Atomic Bombing at Hiroshima – August 6, 1945** · **Nagasaki – August 9, 1945** · ** US officially Ends WWII with Japan – April 28, 1952 **

__WWII Propaganda:__

(the image works, you just have to click on it)

The image above is American Propaganda regarding WWII on the European front while facing Germany. The image is a caricature of Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party.

__My Three WWII Turning Points:__


 * Invasion of Poland:**

In 1939, the Germans, under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, and the Soviet Union, under General Mikhail Kovalyov and the Red Army, invaded Poland. First, the Nazi party stormed over the Polish border on the western front. Then, the Soviet Army pushed their way through the eastern border. At this time, the Germans and the Soviet Union were allies, and they both desired to expand their large empires. Specifically, fueled by the aftermath of World War One, Hitler had plans to primarily take over all of Western Europe and eventually, rule all of Europe as a whole. Hitler believed in the policy of lebensraum which literally, means living space. This policy relates to the policy of lebensraum because Hitler invaded Poland in order to increase Germany's lebensraum (allow for the pure Aryan race to prosper under a larger empire). The Germans and the Soviet Union easily conquered Poland because they had a large, well trained army, and the axis powers used advanced warfare technology (tanks, planes, news guns, ect.).

The invasion of Poland changed the dynamics of World War Two because the blitzkrieg tactic was introduced. The blitzkrieg tactic was invented by the Nazi Army under Adolf Hitler. With this tactic, the Nazi Army could encircle the enemy from many different angles with their advanced weaponry. The blitzkrieg technique killed over 66,000 men and women of the Polish military. The Polish army did not know how to respond to this new tactic, and they suffered severely from it. Alongside the Soviet Union, Hitler’s army was just too much to handle for the much weaker Polish army.

In addition, the invasion of Poland was Hitler’s first main accomplishment after taking the reins of the German Empire; he was very determined to take back Germany’s “rightful” land. This event caused concern throughout the western world because nobody believed that Germany could rebuild as fast as they did. The invasion of Poland allowed Hitler to flex his muscles and show everyone that he was very capable of conquering other countries with great speed and ease. From this moment forward, Hitler would be considered a major threat to his enemies (and as we know, he had A LOT of enemies).



The two images above depict the German army invading Poland. The German tanks played a huge role in taking over Poland due to the famous blitzkrieg tactic. The German tanks were very advanced for this time period. Also, as you can see, Hitler stressed the importance of unity while marching towards the Poland border; he required the Nazi army to be completely synchronized.



This map displays the German invasion of Poland during the unstable year of 1939. Specifically, the arrows shown in the map above demonstrate the blitzkrieg tactic that allowed Hitler and the Nazi Party to take over Poland with great ease. This is my map for the WWII project.

Primary Source: []

This primary source allowed me to develop a better understanding of the Nazi Party. It was extremely difficult to find a source that directly mentioned the invasion of Poland, but this source list many Nazi Party goals and beliefs. One of their beliefs is expansion, and that does directly relate to the invasion of Poland. The Nazi Party desired to become the greatest empire in the world.


 * Pearl Harbor: **

The attack on Pearl Harbor was an unexpected invasion on the United States’ navy base in Hawaii. This secret attack was conducted by the Empire of Japan on December 7th, 1941. Japan blitzed the United States from the sea and the air; Japanese submarines and planes fired destructive missiles. This invasion sunk a large amount of battleships and destroyers while killing over 2,000 military personnel. Similar to Germany, Japan developed a big ego and felt the need to expand their empire. The Japanese desired to strike the first blow in order to permanently destroy a large portion of the United States’ navy. Besides wanting to strike the first blow, the Japanese was also very upset with the current oil embargo that America contained over Japan. This “date which will live in infamy” (FDR) left America speechless with no other option but to declare war.

This event also had a tremendous effect on World War Two because America was now officially involved in a war overseas. Until this point, it was fair to say that the axis powers were winning the war; however, this would all change with the involvement of the United States. Arguably, the United States had the best overall military in world at the time. Once America became involved, the war completely shifted to favoring the allied powers. However, despite the argument above, Japan did win a considerable tactical victory over the United States at the time. Japan would have had an even bigger victory, if all of the ships would have been stationed at Hawaii. Luckily, some of the American fleet was on a temporary retreat to San Diego at the time.

Additionally, instead of fighting a pointless war, the American people now had something to kill for. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt had the unconditional support to enter the war from the US citizens. The government displayed excessive amounts of propaganda throughout the country. Also, while the men were fighting in Europe, the women increased their working responsibilities. They were able to work in the factories, and symbols such as “Rosie the Riveter” became a frequent part of society. Overall, this was the icing on the cake for a rematch of World War One. While there are obviously differences involving the armies participating, this attack was very similar to Germany’s invasion of Poland.



This image describes the damage on American ships after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese completely surprised the American ships causing great harm to the fleets. Please refer to the key in the bottom, left hand corner before deciphering the image.



The horrific images above display the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The explosions were enormous. As shown in the images above, this was a time of great chaos and destruction.

Primary Source: [] This primary source gave me insight into FDR’s mindset after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Overall, he made the American people feel very comfortable and assured them that everything would work out. This helped the American people recover from a time of chaos and confusion.

For more information regarding the attack on Pearl Harbor, please refer to this footage []


 * Atomic Bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki:**

As a response to the disastrous attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government, under Harry Truman, decided to drop the “little boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 and the “fat man” on the city of Nagasaki on August 9th. America was the first country to invent an atomic weapon in order to kill thousands of people. America desired to end the war as quickly as possible, and the atomic bomb was the best (and most deadly) solution available. Both of the bombs were dropped out of planes by members of the US Air Force. The bombs were purposely detonated to explode just above the skyline of the city in order to cause as much harm as possible. This single event caught Japan by surprise and forced them to surrender immediately. These two bombs killed over 200,000 Japanese people; however, these numbers do not account for the thousands of deaths in future which were caused by the poisonous chemicals in the bomb. The bombs left Japan wounded for many years to come.

While the main cause for these bombings is often questioned, nobody actually knows the true reason. Many people argue that the US simply wanted to display their power and introduce a new, deadly weapon on the world. These people also think that Japan would have eventually surrendered, and the attack was unnecessary and cruel. However, on the other side, many people truly believe that the US just wanted to end the war quickly, and they had the citizens’ best interest at heart. Sadly, the true reason will never be revealed, and the argument is simply, just an argument.

In addition, the use of the atomic bomb interested countries from all over the world. Now, everybody wanted the threat of having such a deadly weapon. Scientist from many nationalities became occupied with the job of making an atomic weapon. With the atomic bomb, countries had the ability to destroy an entire nation within seconds. This conflict around the world eventually led to the cold war involving the United States and Canada. Overall, the atomic bomb would change the complete dynamic of warfare from this point forward.



This image represents the terrible effects that the atomic bomb had on the city of Hiroshima. Almost every building was destroyed, and thousands of lives were lost.



This image portrays the mushroom cloud after the atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. The mushroom cloud consists of many harmful and deadly chemicals along with extreme levels of radiation.

Primary Source: [] This primary source allowed me to grasp a better understanding of why the atomic bomb was dropped. The President really believed that it was his only option, and he says that he has never regretted his decision. Also, I had no idea that there was an intense investigation after the dropping of the first atomic bomb.

For more information regarding the atomic bombing on Japan, please refer to this footage: []

__ Overall: __

In Europe, World War Two had many of the same results as World War One. There were an extreme amount of deaths, and the war left Europe in another period of instability. Unfortunately, the countries did not learn their lesson from World War One. During this terrifying war, new tactics were introduced, and stronger weapons were released. This deadly war placed many people in awful situations involving deaths and destruction to their community. After the war, countries had to rebuild, make improvements, and reform in order to grow into a stronger nation as a whole.

__ Works Cited: __

Websites Cited:

"Attack on Pearl Harbor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. . "BBC - History: World War Two." //BBC - Homepage//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. . "Discovery Channel - WW2 - Home page." //Discovery Channel International//. 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. . complete, the summer of 1944 the reversal of fortune was, and Operation Bagration. "Blitzkrieg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

Images Cited: [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []

Primary Sources Cited:

"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/History/]

"Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." //History in Dispute, Vol. 3: American Social and Political Movements, 1900-1945.// Robert J. Allison, ed. St. James Press, 2000. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [|http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/]

National Socialist German Workers' Party. "Program of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, 1927". Reprinted by the Avalon Project, Yale Law School, at http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/nsdappro.htm. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [|http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/]