World War II:

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World War II

• Canadas Role

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Recap The War Begins

• When did WWII break out?
• What was Hitlers last action before Britain and
  France declared war?
• What tactic did Hitler use? Why was it effective?

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Enter Canada

• How did Canadas entry to WWII differ than her
  entry to WWI?
• What new law allowed Canada to make her own
  decisions?
• Prime Minister Mackenzie King was prepared to
  send roughly 40 000 troops and anticipated a role
  as the main supplier of food and war materials
  for Britain

The House of Commons on September 7, 1939, the
first day of the special session in which
Canada's Parliament decided to declare war on
Germany. Canada declared war on Sept. 10, 1939
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Phoney War. Then War!

• Sept. 1939 May 1940- called phoney war due
  to lack of any military operation or attack by
  either side.
• THEN in 1940, Hitlers modern army overran
  Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg and the
  Netherlands. Soon, Hitler turned his attention to
  France.

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The Miracle of Dunkirk

• Thousands of British troops raced across the
  English Channel to defend France. A contingent of
  Canadian soldiers remained in Britain to defend
  against the expected German invasion.
• Despite Britain's valiant effort, the Germans
  advanced rapidly into France leaving both British
  and French troops trapped.

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• In May, 1940, British troops had to be evacuated
  from the seaport town of Dunkirk on the French
  coast.
• 300 000soldiers were rescued by boats of all
  sizes- in addition to the British destroyers, a
  makeshift fleet of sightseeing boats, river
  ferries, fishing boats and privately owned crafts
  sailed across the British Channel to return the
  stranded troops safely back to Britain.
• Despite the miracle it was a terrible defeat,
  much of the heavy British war equipment had to be
  abandoned and France fell in six weeks.

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• We Shall Fight on Beaches Churchill, June 4th
  1940
• Even though large tracts of Europe and many old
  and famous States have fallen or may fall into
  the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious
  apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or
  fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight
  in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
  we shall fight with growing confidence and
  growing strength in the air, we shall defend our
  Island, whatever the cost may be, we

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• shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the
  landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and
  in the streets, we shall fight in the hills we
  shall never surrender, and even if this Island or
  a large part of it were subjugated and starving,
  then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and
  guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the
  struggle, until, in God's good time, the New
  World, with all its power and might, steps forth
  to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

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Movie Clip Atonement

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vtzXw0lSMPjc
• Churchill Speech
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vpfSqp-755KE

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How would Hitlers successes in Europe change
Canadas role in war?

• Canadas role in WWII evolved to the centre
  stage1. convoys became a vital lifeline to the
  survival of Britain
• 2. more Canadian troops sent to Britain
• 3. Canadian increased wartime industries such
  as food, guns, munitions, supplies and armed
  forces

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The Russian Front

• On August 23rd, 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a
  Non-Aggression Pact which vowed not to
  interfere in each others business
• On June 22nd, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet
  Union
• Having purged his military of many of its best
  officers, Stalin and the Soviets were not ready
  for war

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The Eastern Front

• Operation Barbarossa began on June 22nd, 1941
• The early days saw the Germans drive into the
  Soviet Union almost reaching Moscow by October
• The German army besieged Leningrad for what was
  to become a two year struggle ending in the death
  of more than one million civilians

When the severe Russian winter arrived the Nazi
offensive broke down and the German attack was
halted
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The Tide Turns

• The Nazis needed supplies and resources to
  continue the war so victory in the Soviet Union
  was essential
• From Sept. 14th, 1942 Feb. 2nd, 1943 the
  Germans and Russians fought for the strategic
  city of Stalingrad on the Volga River
• Hitler and the Nazis lost the battle 500 000
  German and other troops were killed or taken
  prisoner

By the Autumn of 1943 the Germany army of 2.5
million soldiers faced an army of 5.5 million
Soviet soldiers
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Clips Enemy at the Gates

• Chapter 1 watch first 20 minutes

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What was the situation in 1944?

• The Russians have defeated the Germans and are
  advancing in the East
• The Allies are victorious in Africa and launch an
  assault on mainland Italy through Sicily

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Italian Campaign

• The Campaign of Italy was designed to take the
  pressure off their Russian Allies and pull German
  troops out of north-western Europe readying the
  area for Operation Overlord
• 9th September, 1943 the attack began on Italy
• The Canadians were forced to fight for every
  metre of the mountainous terrain as the Germans
  refused to give it up

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Italy Surrenders

• On the 8th of September, 1943, the Italian
  Government surrenders
• When Italy formally surrendered on September 8th,
  the Italians separated into two camps, pro-Allied
  and pro-German factions.
• By September 26 the Allies had built a force of
  189,000 men and 30,000 vehicles.
• Following the Italian surrender, the German Army
  took control of the defence of Germany

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Ortona

• Ortona is an ancient city that consists of narrow
  streets and connected houses
• Much of Ortona was reduced to rubble, making it
  difficult for the Canadians to use tanks
• The Germans barricaded themselves in houses and
  mined the streets
• The fighting was house-to-house. The Canadians
  blasted their way through walls to get from
  building to building called mouseholing
• The battle continued over Christmas Day, 1943 but
  three days later the Germans withdrew.

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The Liberation of Rome

• It took four major offensives between January and
  May 1944 before the Allies including British, US,
  French, Polish, and Canadian Corps broke through
• Rome was declared an open city by the German army
  and the Allies took possession on June 4th.

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The Move on to France

• Having the Germans occupied in Italy allowed the
  allies to move forward with their plan to open up
  the long awaited western front in Europe

22
The Plan

• Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt agreed
  it was time to open up a new front in the West
  through the beaches of France
• The obvious choice for a landing area was the Pas
  de Calais so the Allies decided to attack in
  Normandy instead but believed they had to deceive
  the Germans they intended to attack elsewhere

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Normandy It Is!

• Normandy is a peninsula on the French Coast
• It was chosen because the Germans expected the
  attack to be on the Pas de Calais

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The Criteria Lessons learned from Dieppe (pg.
235 in Textbook)

1. The enemy must remain ignorant of the proposed
   landing site
2. The enemy must be prevented from bringing up
   reinforcements quickly once the allies landed
3. Complete Allied air and naval superiority in the
   English Channel
4. Local defences must largely be destroyed by air
   and sea bombardment

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vF1kO_Jmet2c
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Operation Overlord

• There would be five sectors that would be
  attacked
• Utah American
• Omaha American
• Gold British
• Juno Canadian
• Sword - British

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Hardships The Atlantic Wall

• The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of
  coastal fortifications built by the Germans
  between 1942 and 1944
• Built along the western coast of Europe to defend
  against an anticipated Anglo-American led Allied
  invasion of the continent from Great Britain.

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• Minefields and antitank obstacles were planted on
  the beaches and underwater obstacles and mines
  were planted in the waters just off shore to
  destroy incoming craft. By the time of the
  invasion, the Germans had laid almost 6 million
  mines in France.

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The Attack June 6th, 1944
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The Time Has Come

• On the evening of June 5th paratroopers dropped
  in to secure bridges for the allied advance
• Heavy bombers dropped their payloads on what was
  supposed to be the beach defences

In the early morning the largest armada of ships
left Britain for the French coast
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The Canadians on D-Day

• Of the nearly 150,000 Allied troops who landed or
  parachuted into the invasion area, 14,000 were
  Canadians
• The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 ships and
  10,000 sailors in support of the landings while
  the R.C.A.F. had helped prepare the invasion by
  bombing targets inland
• Canadians suffered 1074 casualties, including 359
  killed.

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Reasons for Success D-Day

1. Element of surprise (date, location)
2. Attack at low tide / first light
3. Massive air and naval support (paratroopers)
4. Dividing of beaches (different objectives based
   on geography, location, German defences)
5. Breaking of German defences with Allied tanks
   (pincers) and troops encircling Nazis

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Movie Clips

• Saving Private Ryan Chapter 1 (first 30
  minutes)

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The Liberation of Northwest Europe

• September 1944 the British captured the Belgian
  port of Antwerp (docking port for supplies)
• Canadians given the task of securing the Scheldt
  Estuary (70-kilometre long Scheldt River estuary
  linking Antwerp to the sea)
• After 5 weeks of difficult fighting, the 1st
  Canadian Army with support from other countries
  secured the Schedlt Estuary

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• By Nov. 8, 1944- Allies had cleared the ports but
  at a cost of 12 873 Allies casualties, half of
  them missing

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The Battle of the Bulge

• The Ardennes Offensive known to the general
  public as the Battle of the Bulge, started on
  December 16, 1944
• Three powerful German armies plunged into the
  semi-mountainous, heavily forested Ardennes
  region of eastern Belgium and northern
  Luxembourg.
• Their goal was to reach the sea, trap four allied
  armies, and impel a negotiated peace on the
  Western front.
• Allied forces fought Germans
• German losses were critical- reserves gone,
  Luftwaffe had been broken and German army pushed
  back on two fronts (east and west) gt Germany now
  retreating

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The Final Days

• In April 1945, the battle is coming to a close.
• On the 30th April, Hitler commits suicide
  together with his mistress Eva Braun hours after
  they were married.
• Hitler gave strict orders for his body to be
  burned, so that his enemies wouldn't do what they
  had done to Mussolini, who was publicly displayed
  hanging upside down.

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The Soviets Arrive Berlin Falls

• By 2 May, the Reichstag, the old German
  parliament falls and Berlin surrenders to
  Marshall Zukhov, who receives the honour of being
  the conqueror of Berlin.
• The battle for Berlin cost the Soviets over
  70,000 dead. Many of them died because of the
  haste with which the campaign was conducted.

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VE-Day

• The major Allied ground offensive from the west
  against German territory began on 8 February 1945
  
• In April, Canadian troops liberated most of the
  Netherlands
• The Germans formally surrendered on 8 May 1945,
  known as Victory-in-Europe, or V-E Day

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Why was the US Fighting Japan?

• September 1940. The U.S. placed an embargo on
  Japan by prohibiting exports of steel, scrap
  iron, and aviation fuel to Japan, due to Japan's
  takeover of northern French Indochina.
• June 1941 through the end of July 1941. Japan
  occupied southern Indochina. Two days later, the
  U.S., Britain, and the Netherlands froze Japanese
  assets.
• The U.S. wanted to stop Japanese expansion but
  the American people were not willing to go to war
  to stop it.

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Pearl Harbor

• Prior to December 1941, Japan pursued two
  simultaneous courses try to get the oil embargo
  lifted on terms that would still let them take
  the territory they wanted, and to prepare for
  war.
• Their greatest concern was the the U.S. Pacific
  Fleet, based in Pearl Harbor so the Japanese navy
  planned to cripple the Pacific Fleet by a
  surprise attack.
• The U.S. had broken the Japanese diplomatic code
  and knew an attack was imminent. A warning had
  been sent from Washington, but it arrived too
  late.

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The Attack!

• On December 7th 1941 the first wave of Japanese
  airplanes left 6 aircraft carriers and struck
  Pearl Harbor a few minutes before 8 AM local
  time.
• Over the course of two hours, they killed or
  wounded over 3,500 Americans and sank or badly
  damaged 18 ships - including all 8 battleships of
  the Pacific Fleet
• At least 1,177 lives were lost when the
  Battleship U.S.S. Arizona exploded and
  subsequently sank.
• Both USA and Canada formally declared war on
  Japan following attack on Pearl Harbour

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Movie Clips

• Pearl Harbor Chapter 20

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War in the Pacific

• Now that Germany had unconditionally surrendered
  (VE Day), the Allies could now put all effort to
  fighting Japan in the Pacific
• Memories of Pearl Harbour still resonated with
  Americans who wanted revenge
• After Pearl Harbour, both USA and Canada interned
  Japanese- Americans and Japanese Canadians

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Was the United States Justified in Dropping the
Atomic Bomb?

• Following FDRs death, Harry Truman becomes
  President of the United States
• Truman decided to use the bomb on Japan--- why?
  
• What do you think? Justified or Unjustified?

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Pros and Cons to Dropping the Bomb

• YES- JUSTIFIED
• Strategic and conventional bombing part of WWII
• Japan refused to unconditionally surrender to
  Allies
• The alternative to using the atomic bomb
  (bombardments / blockade) would have had
  devastating effects on the Japanese population
  and would have prolonged the war and their
  suffering (starvation).
• The Japanese military were preparing a desperate
  defense of their homeland that would inevitably
  produce high casualties on both sides (estimated
  500 000 Allied soldiers)

• NO- UNJUSTIFIED
• Unethical and immoral- new weapon with harsh
  effects (radiation poisoning). William D. Leahy,
  Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff stated
  My own feeling is that in being the first to use
  it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to
  barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to
  make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won
  by destroying women and children.
• High civilian death toll (150 000)
• By 1945, Japan was crippled as a result of the
  Allied blockade and bombings and neared collapse
  surrender was immiment
• Americans wanted to show USSR they had atomic
  bombs ushered in the Cold War

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Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• United States decided to use atomic bomb on
  Japan
• Cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki chosen because
  of its military and industrial significance and
  concentrated population (maximize the damage)
• These are the only attacks with nuclear weapons
  in the history of warfare

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Fat Man and Little Boy

• On August 6th, 1945 a lone B-29 Superfortress
  called the Enola Gay by its crew took off and
  headed for Hiroshima
• At 815am the atomic bomb nicknamed Little Boy
  was dropped on Hiroshima
• Within seconds two thirds of the city was
  flattened and thousands were dead
• On August 11, a bomb called Fat Man was dropped
  on Nagasaki at 1102 am
• At noon, August 15th, 1945 Emperor Hirohito
  spoke directly to his people to tell them Japan
  had surrendered

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Atomic Bomb Clip

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vt19kvUiHvAE
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v998tSBoa3lo

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Effects

• The bombs killed as many as 140,000 people in
  Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki by the end of
  1945,with roughly half of those deaths occurring
  on the days of the bombings.
• Amongst these, 1520 died from injuries or the
  combined effects of flash burns, trauma, and
  radiation burns, compounded by illness,
  malnutrition and radiation sickness
• Since then, more have died from leukemia or
  cancer attributed to exposure to radiation
  released by the bombs. In both cities, most of
  the dead were civilians.

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Why Did the Allies Win?

• Complete material superiority weapons etc.
• More soldiers
• Better Strategy
• Technology
• Morale
• Material and financial Wealth