World War II

Introduction World War II was the mightiest struggle humankind has ever seen. It killed more people, cost more money, damaged more property, affected more people, and caused more far-reaching changes in nearly every country than any other war in history. The number of people killed, wounded, or missing between September 1939 and September 1945 can never be calculated, but it is estimated that more than 55 million people perished.

World War II More than 50 countries took part in the war. Men fought in almost every part of the world, on every continent except Antarctica. Chief battlegrounds included Asia, Europe, North Africa, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Beginning of WWII Most consider the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, to be the beginning of the war. World War II would go down in the history books as bringing about the downfall of Western Europe as the center of world power. It also lead to the rise of (U.S.S.R.), setting up conditions leading to the Cold War, and opening up the nuclear age.

Major Powers Involved The Axis Powers and the Allies were the major powers involved with World War II.

Axis Powers The principal countries constituting the Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan. In 1940, the three nations signed the Tripartite Pact, promising to aid each other if any one of them was attacked by the United States. Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania also fought with the Axis Powers.

Leaders of the Axis Powers Germany was lead by Hitler, Italy by Mussolini, and Japan by Hideki Tojo.

Axis Leaders

The Allies The Allied Powers were any countries who officially fought against the Axis Powers. The Major Allied Powers were the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain and its Empire, France, and China. Numerous smaller nations also fought with the Allied Powers.

Major Leaders of the Allies The leaders of the major countries fighting for the Allies include Winston Churchill of Britain, Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, and Joseph Stalin of Russia.

Axis Powers and Aggression Germany was angry about the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler wanted to take revenge for Germany’s loss in WWI by expanding German territory. Hitler attacked Poland in In response, Great Britain and France, declared war on Germany. Hitler then creates an alliance with Italy and Japan.

A New Kind of War Tanks, trucks, and bombers allowed armies to move very quickly. With the new tactics, Germany defeated Poland in what the Germans called a blitzkrieg or “lightning war.” Hitler then turned his focus on other European countries.

America Enters the War December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States decided to join the Allies and enter WWII. The U.S. battled for two and a half years in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the islands of the South Pacific Ocean.

The Atomic Bomb U.S. leaders thought the atomic bomb could end the war with Japan. In August 1945 the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Days later Japan surrendered. The war was over. Little BoyFat Man

Hiroshima Nagasaki

Hiroshima

Major Battles of WWII The Battle of Britain – After Germany and Hitler had conquered most of Europe, including France, the only major country left to fight them was Great Britain. – Germany wanted to invade Britain, but first they needed to destroy Great Britain's Royal Air Force. The Battle of Britain was when Germany bombed Great Britain in order to try and destroy their air force and prepare for invasion.

Major Battles of WWII Pearl Harbor – The Attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7th, Japanese airplanes made a surprise attack on the US Navy in Pearl Harbor. They destroyed many ships and killed many soldiers. It was this attack that forced the United States to enter World War II.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

Major Battles of WWII The Battle of Stalingrad – The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the largest and deadliest battles in World War II. It was a turning point in the war. – After losing the battle, the German army lost so many soldiers and took such a defeat that they never quite recovered.

Major Battles of WWII D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy – On June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. – With a huge force of over 150,000 soldiers, the Allies attacked and gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II in Europe.

Major Battles of WWII Battle of the Bulge – It was Germany's final attempt to drive the Allies off of mainland Europe. Most of the troops involved on the Allied side were American troops. It is considered one of the greatest battles ever fought by the United States military.

Major Battles of WWII Battle of Iwo Jima – The Battle of Iwo Jima took place during World War II between the United States and Japan. – It was the first major battle of World War II to take place on Japanese homeland. – The island of Iwo Jima was a strategic location because the US needed a place for fighter planes and bombers to land and take off when attacking Japan.

Results of the War More than 34 million soldiers were injured, and 22 million died. Over 30 million civilians also lost their lives. Many were victims of the Holocaust. – The Nazis’ effort to wipe out the Jewish people.

The Holocaust The Nazis’ rounded up Jews throughout Europe and sent them to concentration camps where they were killed. 6 million Jews died in this genocide. – The deliberate destruction of a people. Millions of others, including Slavs, Catholics, homosexuals, and those with mental and physical disabilities, were killed too.

The Holocaust Ghettos – The Nazis would take over a city in Europe they would force all of the Jewish people into one area of town. – This area was called a ghetto and was fenced in with barbed wire and guarded. – There was little food, water, or medicine available. It was also very crowded with multiple families sometimes sharing a single room to live in.

Jewish ghetto children during the Holocaust. Jewish ghetto.

The Holocaust Concentration Camps – All Jewish people were eventually to be brought to concentration camps. They were told they were relocating to a new and better place, but this was not the case. – Concentration camps were like prison camps. People were forced to do hard labor. The weak were quickly killed or died of starvation. – Some camps even had gas chambers. People would be led into the chambers in large groups only to be killed with poison gas. The concentration camps were horrible places.

Nuremburg Trials The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the Allied forces of WWII, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany. – Tribunal-any person or institution with the authority to judge or determine claims or disputes.

Nuremburg Trials The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany, in 1945–46, at the Palace of Justice. The first and best known of these trials was the Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal (IMT), which tried 25 of the most important captured leaders of the Third Reich. Several key architects of the war (such as Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and Joseph Goebbels) had committed suicide before the trials began.

Defendants Martin Bormann: Secretary to Hitler, Head of the Nazi Party Chancellery Karl Doenitz: Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy Hans Frank: Governor-General of occupied Poland Wilhelm Frick: Minister of the Interior Hans Fritzsche: Head of the Wireless News Service (radio produced by the Reich) Walther Funk: Minister of Economics Hermann Goering: Second-in-command to Hitler, Luftwaffe (Air Force) Chief, President of Reichstag Rudolf Hess: Deputy to Hitler, Nazi Party Leader Alfred Jodl: Chief of Operations for the German High Command (Army) Ernst Kaltenbrunner: Chief of Security Police, Chief of RSHA (an organization containing, among other things, the Austrian branches of the SS and the Gestapo) Wilhelm Keitel: Chief of Staff of the German High Command Erich Raeder: Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy (before Doenitz) Alfred Rosenberg: Minister of the Eastern Occupied Territories, Chief Nazi Philosopher Fritz Sauckel: Head of Slave Labor Recruitment Hjalmar Schacht: Minister of Economics (pre- war), President of Reichsbank Arthur Seyss-Inquart: Chancellor of Austria, Reich Commissioner of the Netherlands Albert Speer: Minister of Armaments and Munitions, Hitler's architect and friend Julius Streicher: Editor of Der Sturmer (anti- Semitic publication) Konstantin von Neurath: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Reich Protector for Bohemia and Moravia Franz von Papen: Chancellor of Reich before Hitler, Vice Chancellor under Hitler, Ambassador to Turkey Joachim von Ribbentrop: Foreign Minister, Ambassador to Great Britain Baldur von Schirach: Head of the Hitler Youth

Nuremburg Trial Defendants

Nuremburg Trials The first session was presided over by the Soviet judge, Nikitchenko. The prosecution entered indictments against 24 major war criminals and seven criminal organizations– the leadership of the Nazi party, the Reich Cabinet, the Schutzstaffel (SS), Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Gestapo, the Sturmabteilung (SA) and the "General Staff and High Command," comprising several categories of senior military officers

Nuremburg Trials Schutzstaffel (SS) - Defence squadron under Hitler. Lead by Himmler. Sicherheitsdienst (SD) - Intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party. Under Himmler. Gestapo -Secret State Police under Himmler. A sister organization to the SS. Sturmabteilung (SA) - Paramilitary organization. The SS was originally a branch of the SA.

Indictments The indictments were for: – Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of a crime against peace – Planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression and other crimes against peace – War Crimes – Crimes against humanity

Convictions Nineteen of the 22 defendants were convicted on at least one charge. Of the 19 defendants who were convicted, two were convicted on just one count, seven were convicted on two counts, four were convicted on three counts, and six more were convicted on all four counts. On Count 1 (Conspiracy to Wage Aggressive War), eight of the defendants were found guilty. On Count 2 (Crimes Against Peace), 12 defendants were convicted. On both the third Charge (War Crimes) and the fourth charge (Crimes Against Humanity), 16 defendants were convicted.

Sentencing Three of the defendants were acquitted and released. Of the nineteen that were convicted, 12 (11 of whom were present) were sentenced to death by hanging. The other seven defendants were given prison sentences ranging from ten years to life in prison. Hermann Goering committed suicide the day before his execution by ingesting a cyanide pill.

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