World War II The Peoples’ War

Countries involved in World War II

How and why did World War II start? 1938 Germany invades and takes over Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. 3rd Sept 1939 - The Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, declares war on Germany. Followed by France, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.

14 May 1940 - The Local Defence Volunteers (Dad's Army) is created in Britain. It was later called the Home Guard. July 1940 – Battle of Britain begins ~ German bombers attack British ships August 1940 - the German air force begin its mass bomber attacks on British airfields, harbours, aircraft factories and radar stations. 31st October 1940 – The British RAF fight back and beat the German Air Force.. Hurrrah!..... But that is not the end! 4.56pm on 7th September 1940 – The London Blitz begins and the first air-raid siren wails as German air forces attack London.

How did it become a World War? In 1941, two important things happened to make the war spread across the world. Firstly, Germany invaded Russia, then Japan invaded Pearl Harbour, a naval base in the America. Japan joined Germany’s side and America joined Britain.

The Allies hit back! In 1943 the Allies (Britain’s side) invaded Italy. The Italian’s surrendered, then joined the British side against Germany.

D-Day Earlier in the War Soldiers had to be evacuated from Dunkirk in France because they were losing but on 6th June 1944 the British and USA army went back to France to fight the Germans again and won! This was called D-Day.

Hitler commits suicide 30th April 1945 Once the Allies had control of France they headed for Germany. Russia also invaded Germany from the east at the same time. Hitler realised he had lost and decided to commit suicide. Germany then surrendered 8th May 1945 Winston Churchill announces VE Day - Victory in Europe. British people wave flags, sing and dance in the streets. WW2 ends in Europe…

The end of World War II The Allies (British side) were still fighting the Japanese in the east, but finally America dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. World War II was finally over.

Can you remember what happened? 3rd September 1939….. …War is declared July 1940…. ….Battle of Britain 4:56 on 7th September 1940…. … the Blitz begins 8th May 1945 …. …. VE (victory in Europe) day. 6th – 9th August 1945…. …. atomic bombs dropped in Japan. War is finally over.

The Blitz! The worst time for Britain was between September 1940 and May 1941 when huge numbers of German bombers attacked cities, mostly during the night. Why do you think that was? The word ‘Blitz’ comes from the German words ‘Blitzkrieg’ which means ‘lightening war’ in English.

Cities worst affected by bombing Bristol Cardiff Liverpool Southampton Portsmouth London Manchester Plymouth Glasgow Belfast Sheffield Hull

How did people protect themselves during the Blitz? Blackout! At night, cities were left as dark as possible. Streetlights stayed unlit, thick black curtains blocked light from houses and car lights had black hoods over them. An air raid warden would patrol the streets to ensure no-one broke the rules. Why do you think they did this? Sign posts were also taken down. Why?

Air raid shelters Special aircraft spotters would search the sky at night for bombers. If one was spotted, an air raid siren would go off, warning people to take shelter. People sheltered in steel built, tunnel shaped Anderson shelters in their back gardens, or under a steel table called a Morrison shelter in their homes. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2children/warhome/warhome_anderson_05.shtml

By September 1939 the government had distributed 2 million shelters to people most at risk! Those who didn’t have time to get home during a raid would use the underground train stations to shelter in. Work in a group to role play a family during an air raid. What would you have to do?

Gas Masks! The government was worried the Germans would use gas to attack so gave everyone a gas mask to carry. Nearly 40 million in total! Children's gas masks were red and blue and nick-named ‘Mickey Mouse masks’. Luckily the gas masks never had to be used.

Evacuation! The government decided that cities likely to be targeted were too dangerous for children and babies so they were sent to live with families in the countryside where there was less chance of bombing. About 1 and a half million children were evacuated. What do you think these tags were for?

Great College Street School What will I need to take? All children had to have a name tag, so that the billeting officer would know who they were and where they came from, when they reached the countryside. Children were expected to take: A shirt, jumper, coat, trousers, 2 pairs of socks, underwear, a wash bag, gas mask, and enough food for the day. How would you feel about not taking any of your toys? London County Council Joyce Arram 99 Kentish Town Road Great College Street School Kentish Town Road, N.W.T What do you think that billeting officer’s job was?

In the countryside On arrival in the countryside, billeting officers would gather children and find them somewhere to stay. Anyone with spare room had to take at least one child from the city, whether they liked it or not. Country people found this difficult as many city children came from slums, were dirty, had lice and didn’t know how to use the bathroom.

I don’t like it! During the first few months of war, bombs did not fall as heavily on cities as first expected. The cities seemed safe so some parents brought their unhappy children back from the countryside. Do you think this was a good idea? An 11 year old girl from East London said: “I went away, but it wasn’t very nice. They never treated me right, so I came back. I’m glad to be back. I didn’t half miss them. I’d never want to go away. My mother said she wouldn’t send me away again”. July 1940. What does this poster tell mothers?

What does ‘ration’ mean? http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2children/ration/ration_intro.shtml Rationing 30g cheese What does ‘ration’ mean? Why was food rationed? 115g bacon 225g sugar 170g butter 55g tea 55g cooking fat Also… Read Rationing ~ pg5 3 pints of milk 225g jam One shilling’s worth of meat

Ration books What were ration books for? Read Rationing ~ pg 7

Grow your own! Why are there vegetables growing on this Anderson shelter? What message is this poster giving?

Healthy eating! Doctor carrot and Potato Pete became very well known during the war. What are these posters telling people?