World War ll

World War ll Hunter kOepke

In my opinion Appeasement in this case was a bad policy. I also understand why they thought it was a good idea. Today if we always jump on the actions of countries doing things we don’t like, then we would always be at war. Personally I think that in 1937 and the years to follow were the best examples of where Appeasement simply should not have been an option. Japan put up a red flag for the future to come and the best we could come up with was a speech. At the time I’m sure they did what they thought was best and I am no expert, but I think it is obvious that some action should’ve been taken. In the end not everyone can be pleased, so sometimes it’s best not to put off the inevitable.

The Schlieffen Plan was intricate and had many steps. It would have been very hard for it all to flow smoothly enough for the whole plan to work. It worked for awhile for a couple of reasons. Mostly because of the military tactic Blitzkrieg. It became known as “Lightning War”. The Germans were fast enough catch their opponents off guard. The plan relied on this speed. It might have worked if it hadn't been for the resistance from the Belgians. Russia also acted quicker than the Germans expected and invaded Germany.

The Allies were not doing good at all against the axis. Britain and the Soviet Union were hanging on by a thread. Forces in the Pacific were falling to Japan. The Allies were having serious doubts about defeating Japan. It seemed pretty much impossible.

The U.S. was neutral, because the weren’t actually fighting. The were unneutral, because of the great aid they were giving to Britain at the time. America still did not want to be in the war, but they couldn’t quite just leave Britain out in the cold. The best example of aid the U.S. was giving Britain at the time was in the Navy. They agreed to transfer leftover destroyer ships from World War l to Britain. Britain was getting pummeled by the German submarines in the ship department and needed the United State's help.

September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland, War is declared

June 6, 1944- 155,000 Allies Attack Normandy, Successful D-Day

May 8, 1945 -Allies accept Nazi’s surrender, V-Day celebration

August 6, 1945 - U.S. Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima

September 2, 1945 - Japan surrenders, Victory for the allies

The attack on Pearl Harbor was set into play at 3:30 am on December 7th 1941 when Japanese submarines were sent to penetrate the harbor. 28 minutes later the U.S. Condor ship spotted a submarine scope. Jump ahead to 6:00 am when the USS Enterprise was returning to Pearl Harbor. 45 minutes later another unidentified submarine was sanken by the U.S. Simply from 7:00-8:00 a radar station picked up a strong signal from planes, the second wave of attacks began, Japenese targeted mostly sea planes and fighter planes, and then at 7:55 am the first bombs of the attacks actually fell. Even more destruction happened in between 8:00 and 9:00. Bombs were being released from the high altitude bombers, the 11 B-17 U.S. bombers arrived from California, the second wave was no longer a surprise to the U.S., but Japanese dive bombers were able to keep the Nevada from fleeing the harbor. Finally at 10:00 am the Japanese attacks were over and they retreated.

The battleship Arizona was used in World War l. It spent a lot of time in Norfolk, Virginia before it went to Pearl Harbor in February 1941. It was used in Pearl Harbor for various training programs. It is so famous for its brave heroes who continued to fight after every bomb during the Pearly Harbor attack. Sadly it is also well known for holding over half the casualties that happened on that day. 1,177 people of the 1,400 on board passed away. Its’ remains are now a national memorial for all the lives lost that day.

The first edit he made when he changed the words “world history” to “infamy”. This simple edit changed the whole history and impact of this speech. The word infamy packs and deeper and more emotional punch. It is an example of excellent word choice. It emphasizes that the day will not just be known, but it will be known for something terrible. I also chose to do the second edit. He changes “simultaneously” to “suddenly” . This is another edit that increases the power of the speech. By using suddenly he is implying that America did nothing to provoke this attack.

In America we are truly blessed with the freedoms we have. But it would be a lie to say that any country has the complete four freedoms. Until we come to the day where war does not exist, we will have fear. Even though these freedoms have been adopted by the United Nations there is still war. America is fortunate to have the other three freedoms, many other countries do not. Some even have none. In Roosevelt’s speech he clearly states that he wishes this for EVERYWHERE in the world. So, I do not think all the freedoms have been conquered yet.

1. This poster is trying to push women to do what they can to help. It is reassuring them that there is still a lot to be done on the home front. It is promoting things such as taking over the farming and getting food for the troops. 2. One word I think is very important is Army. It makes women feel like they will be a big part of the war. Another good word is Corps. Once again it makes this growth of food a well established part of the military. 3. The type of propaganda being used it bandwagon. It is persuading women to jump and take action in the Land Army. 4. I do not think that this poster would have nearly the same impact today. I think it would actually frustrate women for suggesting they stay home and farm. Women are very big on equality these days and would be offended by this.

It was greatly encouraged for more and more women to join the workforce during WWll. Not only were they needed to take over the men jobs, but they were especially need in the the munitions industry. Rosie the Riveter was another form of propaganda. These ¨Rosies¨ helped the U.S. survive the war. They are the ones who were able to get enough women to step up and take a major role in the workforce for a much lower wage than the men would’ve made. They got the women they needed to be the backbone of the war.

One weapon used in the war was the ENIGMA encryption machine. This weapon was obviously not a weapon used to directly fight. But, in a way both sides used this against each other. Hitler y had a scientist create this machine to send coded messages among the Nazi’s. Many thought that the machine’s codes were unbreakable. The way the allies used it as a weapon back was by finding mathematicians who were able to break the code. In turned into a large group of people whos only jobs were to uncode enemy messages.

Dearest Mother,

I hope you and the family are doing well. I would give anything to be back in your arms, smell your cornbread, and see your soft eyes. I know I am making you and my country proud. I am writing, because I am afraid I will be unable to put words to what happened yesterday, when I do make it home. In one day I experienced what will last me a lifetime of nightmares. I relive the moments of the attack over and over again. It was so cold that my bones ached. My heart sunk into my stomach when we reached Omaha beach and were told to lower down. We got off the larger chip and scurried down rope ladders into smaller boats. This was an especially difficult task in the brisk cool weather. This trip to the shore felt like it took hours. Once we arrived and then it all began. I had to survive. There was to much going on to even focus. Somehow though I was able to complete my orders the best I can. Bombs were flying everywhere and I was marked with a special band to try and help eliminate the chance of friendly fire. There was death and blood in every direction. I lost so many friends. I am blessed be alive. I take great honor in being able to assist in a great allied victory. I love and miss you! I hope to be home soon, once my responsibilities here are taken care of.

With all my love,

Your little soldier

At this point in the war the Allies were having great success. They wanted to continue into Germany and eventually infiltrate Berlin. The Germans needed an offensive act. They wanted to try and divide the U.S. forces. The Allied forces in the area were simply there for training and used the area as an escape from the fighting. The Germans made getting into Antwerp their goal. This battle was so important, because it happened at such a crucial part of the war. The significance of Bastogne, Belgium itself was the multiple road junctions. Both sides knew that they were extremely beneficial.

Germany Surrenders

At first it seemed like no one could get on the same page about what to do with Germany. Eventually they decided to let the capture of Berlin take place. They were able to bring in high ranking German officials to Nuremberg where they accused them of “crimes against humanity”. Hitler committed suicide before he could be captured and brought to trial. The allies charged thousands of German soldiers with other war crimes. The Nazi’s had stolen thousands of valuables from their thousands upon thousands of victims. Germany’s official surrender didn’t happen until May 8, 1945. This is when Germany signed an unconditional surrender. Germany was divided into four allied occupied zones. They started a plan to transition Germany into a democracy with a healthy economy. Some Germans were more willing than others. The Allies did their best to de-Nazify the country. Those in west Germany were more for it and backed the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany who held their capital in Bonn. Stalin was the one who built up the People’s Republic of Germany whose capital was Berlin.

America basically had a few different plans going on in the Pacific. MacArthur went after New Guinea and Nimitz liberated the Marshall Islands. One of the United States biggest advantages was the creation of secretive codes made by the Navajo Signal Corps. They were able to communicate without the Japanese being able to understand. The U.S. also realized the power of airfare. They were able to see the benefit of bombardment from planes.

Battle of Coral Sea: Japan wanted the Coral Sea. The Allied forces were able to catch on to this plan using their successful code breaking system. When the Japanese go there they were attacked by American warplanes. Japan did have more ships in the water. They the just simply didn’t have the air covered as well. This forced them to turn back. This battle was the first U.S. naval victory and it is also considered the first air-sea battle. This battle also put a dent in Japanese forces for the Battle of Midway.

I don’t know if anyone can fully support the death of hundreds of thousands of people. But, I do support the fact it was necessary from a strategic standpoint. I think it had to do a whole lot with who Japan was as a culture. Their forces were filled with people who would rather die than surrender. The reason I can “support it” now is because we now know their reaction to the first bomb. The bombs were not sprung upon them without warning. We can see how there was probably not another way to end the war quickly, especially after they still didn’t surrender after the first bomb. If they didn’t surrender after one nuclear bomb, then what else would’ve made them surrender?

Sources

President Roosevelt "Day of Infamy" Joint Session of Congress. December 8, 1941

Norman Rosie The Riveter Site http://www.nrm.org/2015/04/remembering-rosie-the-riveter/

History "Four Freedoms" http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/franklin-d-roosevelt-speaks-of-four-freedoms

****All photos were taken from free to share public domain.****

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