World War II

1939-1945

Think about that for a second...

This is the second time in 21 years that there has been a war that was truly global.
What does that say about politics and people?

Carl von Clausewitz

"War is the continuation of politics by other means" -On War (1832)

"Fog of War"

The threat of war and the lack of good information around it clouds a leader's decisions

Tripartite Pact
Forms the Axis alliance, which includes: Germany

Italy

Japan

Allies
French and British had put some money into military during Hitler's aggression

Axis
Hitler already had broken Versailles Treaty limits on military and had a large force

French and British are slow to mobilize

Germans are mobilized and in action, Italians less so

Allies
French and British soldiers are undertrained. Officers still in WWI mindset (Maginot Line)

Axis
German soldiers now have experience with occupation and swift invasion

British government is about to be changed. French have a highly divided legislature.

Germany and Italy are unified and run by one person each.

Also concrete blocks to prevent tanks from advancing

Allies
British have an impressive navy and colonies to support the war effort

Axis
Germany has strong air force and army, and a respectable navy which is growing

Allied armies have fewer well- trained units, largely "green"

Germans have the most effective and lethal army in the world. Italians are pretty mediocre.

Sitzkrieg
Also known as the "Phoney War"

Period of time after the invasion of Poland where the Allies did nothing (except mobilize)

Blitzkrieg
"Lightning War"
Attack quickly with tanks and bombers, then reinforce with infantry rapidly Used in Poland and for much of the first couple years of the war. Very successful!

Panzer Tank

Stuka Dive Bomber

So who is in a better position right now?

Denmark and Norway

Operation Weserubung- April 1940

Hitler invades to "protect neutrality"

DenmarkControl the Baltic Sea Secure Germany's northern border NorwayProtect iron from Sweden Get U-boat ports vs. Britain

The Low Countries

Hitler uses blitzkrieg to take these countries in days. Mostly French resistance Dutch and Belgian people form underground resistance movements to annoy the invaders

On to Paris
With the Nazi Army now in Belgium, the Maginot Line is useless and Hitler pushes to Paris French troops fight well for a couple days, but France falls in 9 days
Mussolini wants in on the action too- Italy invades at the last minute

"Nazis in Paris"

Vichy France
Some French generals were interested in surrendering to Germany and working with them.

They are led by Philippe Petain, who is given charge of a government called Vichy France, a puppet to Hitler's Germany

Evacuation at Dunkirk
Operation DynamoLater called a "miracle of deliverance" by Churchill The British Expeditionary Force and remaining French forces are pushed to the ocean. Hitler largely lets them evacuate, although the Luftwaffe does attack and kill many

A huge event in modern British history

Meanwhile, in Soviet Russia

The Soviets were unsure of whether or not they were next on Hitler's list Stalin's generals wanted to prepare for a full scale war but Stalin delayed and production lagged. The Nazi-Soviet Pact had given Stalin "rights" to Scandinavia

The Winter War

The Soviets invade Finland in the middle of winter The Finns use guerilla warfare on skis to harass and inflict heavy casualties
The Soviets eventually win but prove they have a ways to go

Battle of Britain

The Battle of France is now over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin...

"Loose lips sink ships" in the U.S.

Rationing in full effect. Less food for civilians means agriculture production can go to soldiers

Women needed to fill wartime jobs, especially in heavy industry and military production.

Constant fear of what is coming. Assuming the worst and preparing for it.

Almost exactly like Uncle Sam in the U.S.

Commonwealth nations are called upon to help out and provide materials and manpower.

Another poster calls them "young lions" helping the old lion finally defeat its foe.

Publicly financed war. Governments pushed war bonds on the people as a civic duty

Air Superiority
The German Luftwaffe throws all its energies at destroying British air defenses

Hitler thought he needed to control the air so that German ships could carry troops to invade Britain
This plan was called Operation Sea Lion and the British created vast defenses and created civilian armies

RADAR
The British had developed Radio Detection and Ranging or radar.

Air Marshall "Stuffy" Dowding leads fighter command "The bomber will always get through"

Air Superiority
The RAF engages in a series of massive dogfights with German fighters as they try to stop German bombing raids The Germans started bombing the Fighter Command centers

But Hitler mysteriously changes tactics and begins attacking British cities.

The Blitz

A German medium range bomber.

The Blitz

Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Blitz

A German medium range bomber.

Air Superiority

The Blitz
London and other large cities are hammered by German raids, especially at night

Firefighters work all day and all night.

People had to band together.

The Blitz

The Blitz
The Luftwaffe concentrates on the cities hoping to disrupt production of war materials and destroy the British will to resist.

The Blitz

The Blitz

The Blitz

The Blitz

Schoolchildren drill to simulate a chemical bomb attack

The Blitz

The Blitz

The RAF is able to hold on as Hitler gives up and focuses more of his efforts elsewhere

Britian resumes productions of its fighters and is up to a sizeable force soon enough

Soon the British and Americans will take the bombings to German soil...

The Blitz

The Blitz

North Africa
A random place to see another front open. Africa is off to the side but does border the Mediterranean Sea. British had been in Egypt protecting the Suez Canal when...

Italy Jumps In
Mussolini had been promoting colonies in Libya and Ethiopia for a while Knew he needed to contribute more to the Axis in Europe. "1,000 Italian dead" Attack from Libya and Ethiopia with 400,000 plus troops vs the British 30,000

Germany Enters

Germany Enters
Hitler steps in to help the Italians. This is a frequent occurrence.

Hitler saw this as a way to hurt the British army, who had sent in reinforcements as a way of actually being able to fight

The Desert Fox

Erwin Rommel
One of Hitler's best generals, famous for bold attacks in France

Exploits large spaces and poor British tanks while commanding Italians and Germans

British and Germans trade huge area. Extended supply lines Oil in wells

Rommel vs. Montgomery

Churchill replaces his Africa commander with Bernard Montgomery Montgomery is patient and waits on fresh supplies, especially American Sherman tanks Montgomery and Rommel square off in the heaviest fighting of Africa

El Alamein
British were pushed back by Rommel to port of El Alamein, where they regroup

Bernard Montgomery suffers heavy losses but breaks through the Nazi mine field and eventually pushes the Germans off the continent

Victory Bells in London

This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it may be the end of the beginning...

The Atlantic
The U.S. was supplying the Allies via Lend- Lease far before entering the war.

The Germans wanted to stop this...

U-Boats
Hunted in "wolfpacks"
Targeted commercial trade, not military vessels Hot, extremely dangerous, and cramped

Countermeasures
Sonar-

Like radar but for the ocean

Depth Charges-

Underwater explosive that could cripple Uboats

Convoys-

Merchant boats travel together, with Navy escort

The Atlantic

The Eastern Front

France First

Hitler had always planned on invading the Soviet Union

Napoleon
Hitler wants to beat the Frenchman at his own game
Conquer Russia A lot of planning based on bad ideas about Russian people

Operation Barbarossa
Starts June 1941 Part of Hitler's plans for Lebensraum

Hitler wanted to eliminate Bolshevism and communism

German Assumptions
Soviets were incompetent The Russians were backward Getting further into Russia would free up soldiers Wehrmacht superior. 68 weeks to win

Problems
Economic potential of the Soviet Union 3 main objectives: -Capture Leningrad. -Take Moscow. -Secure southern oil fields.

Soviet people used to hardship

Comrade Stalin
Joseph Stalin was the unquestioned leader of the Soviet Union after defeating Trotsky Extremely repressive

Purged military and political enemies and ruled with an iron fist

Lenin and Trotsky, or just Lenin

Stalin Readies
The Great PurgeStalin eliminates "enemies", especially his best generals Military production was up since the 1930s
Soviets had a few great generals like Zhukov

Hitler's Purge
Hitler purged Ernst Rohm and other SA leaders in the "Night of the Long Knives" -Worried about their independence SS emerges as Hitler's elite military group and the Gestapo as his secret police

Germany Attacks
The largest invasion ever.
4.3 million German soldiers, 4,000 Tanks, 4,000 planes

3.2 million Soviet soldiers available

The Soviets have many tanks and planes but they are overmatched

France First

Slowing Down
The Nazis covered enormous ground early on Stalin ordered stands at all costs in his Western cities like Minsk and Riga

Riga, Latvia

Partisans
Used guerilla tactis to destroy Nazi operations behind the front lines

Very brutal to Germans and local populations

Stalingrad

Winter is Coming
The Germans didn't bring winter coats!
Russians better suited to climate and hardships Starvation in cities and rural areas under occupation

Stalingrad

Stalingrad

Leningrad
With Finnish help, the Germans are able to encircle the city

Deadliest siege in history by casualties. 1.2 million civilians died.

Stalingrad

Stalingrad

Stalingrad
Hitler wanted to cut off oil industry in the south
Also wanted to humiliate Stalin Could control trade along the Volga

Stalingrad

Stalingrad

Stallin' in Stalingrad
Soviet snipers slow Germans Germans had bombed the city too well!

Resistance was extraordinary. Stalin demanded it and got it.

Stalingrad

Stalingrad

Stalingrad

Stalingrad
Hermann Gring, head of the Luftwaffe, had said he could supply an assault on Stalingrad and other Eastern cities...

Wrong!

Stalingrad

Enemy at the Gates

Most brutal fighting of the war Street to street, house to house Rubble was cover for snipers, like Vassili Zaitsev Leaders move underground

Operation Uranus
Soviets counterattack in November 1942

The Soviets attack the weak flanks of Paulus's 6th Army

They cut off 250,000 Germans in the city

Trapped, Field Marshall Paulus surrenders!

Stalingrad

Taking the fight to Germany

Bombs Away
Britain begins to return the favor of bombing American volunteers and equipment
Target German war industry mostly

Bombs Away
Allies use incendiary weapons-> devastation War Crime?

Raids are regular occurrences

B-17 Bombers
"Flying Fortress"

B-17 Bombers

Dresden
Bombs create a firestorm in the city, killing thousands

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse FIve is a spin on these events

A Second Front
Stalin begged the Allies to relieve the Soviets Anglo- Americans in no hurry Stalin becomes distrustful

Enter the Americans

By 1942 the U.S. was in the war Reluctant to attack in France

Attack the Italians first, start in North Africa

Operation Torch
Attack French colonies in North Africa

Good practice for DDay

Casablanca Attempted coup on Vichy France No bombardment

Oran

Algiers

Heavy fire, eventual Another coup surrender attempt more successful Light resistance

A beach near Algiers being taken

Italy
The Allies "help" Stalin The Allies take Sicily first then head up "the boot" Fierce fighting from the Germanreinforced Italians, but Allies take Rome in 1943

Italy

Dieppe Raid
Attempt a raid in Northern France Can they take a port?

Nope!
Allies also use some deception...

D-Day

An Inflatable Army

D-Day
Allies launch attacks on 4 beaches in Northern France

Some beaches see heavy fighting. Allies form beachheads.

Allies push inward, liberate France

D-Day

D-Day

Pushing Back
Paris is liberated Allies turn to Low Countries, "Operation Market Garden" Resistance groups rise up and support Allies as they push to the Bulge...

Resistance Movements

"Learning to Win"
Soviet morale improves after key victories Soviets make big gains

Stalin learns to get out of the way of his leaders

Zhukov and Stalin

Zhukov had survived purges by being in Siberia
Stalin ignored his generals early in the war Zhukov leads Red Army in every major success

Battle of Kursk
Massive tank battle where Soviets show superiority T-34s outgun and overrun German tanks Germany cannot slow the Russians

Signal flares used by Russians to attack at night

Berlin Bound
After Stalingrad and Kursk the Germans are in trouble Soviets producing huge amounts of weapons Hitler has to fight on two fronts...

The Bunker

Last Christmas in Nazi Germany

The Warsaw Uprising

Soviets near Warsaw and resistance erupts

Stalin does not help and many die, especially hidden Jews

The Warsaw Uprising

U.S. Army picture showing what Hitler may look like if he disguised himself

The Mood in Berlin

Soviets now had clear path to Berlin. Eisenhower allows them to take it. Hitler is desperate and puts Himmler's SS on front lines

16 year old of the Hitler Youth receiving an Iron Cross from Goebbels

The Bunker
Hitler marries Eva Braun and they commit suicide April 30, 1945

Goering, now Chancellor, kills children and also commits suicide with wife

The Bunker

Post- War Picture of Hitler's Bunker

Berlin Captured
Intense fight for Reichstag building

Berlin falls May 2, 1945, the rest of German forces surrender the 8-9th

American and Soviet soldiers greeting each

The Holocaust

The Holocaust
After Kristallnacht, things escalate Jews forced into cramped city blockscalled ghettos Work camps also a common fate

The Holocaust
Hitler had decided on a "final solution" Extermination Jews and other religious and ethnic minorities sent to death camps...

Auschwitz- Birkenau
Largest death camp, in Poland

Gas chambers instead of showers Just outside of a town, 1 hour from Krakow

Holocaust Death Toll 6 million Jews

(9 million in pre-war Europe)

2 million non- Jewish Poles Thousands of Gypsies (Romani people) Thousands of Homosexuals

War Aftermath
Soviet Union 8.7 million military dead 19 million dead Britain 385,000 military 67,000 civilian Germany 5.5 million military 1.5-3.5 million civilian Italy 300,000 military 150,000 civilian

USA 415,000 military (on both fronts)

60-75 million total

Nuremberg Trials
Nazi's accused of war crimes tried in court

High conviction rate

New concept of "war crimes"

Allied War Crimes?

Dresden Fire Bombing?
Stalin's actions in the Soviet Union?

Katyn Forest Massacre?

Katyn Forest- 20,000 Poles executed by NKVD

Yalta Conference
"Big 3" make decisions for after the war
"Free" elections in occupied zones Germany split into occupation zones

Two Germanies
Berlin is split too and will be key in the Cold War

East Germany is a Soviet "satellite"

West Germany allied with U.S.

Bleeding Them Dry

Stalin saw the West as bad Allies who let the Soviets die en masse to make themselves stronger after the war

The Iron Curtain

Churchill speech in U.S.
American capitalism vs Soviet communism Cold War in full swing...