Major Events of the

Second World War(1942-1943)

THE WAR YEARS

1942

Burma [March 1942]

There were two reasons for the Japanese invasion of Burma. First, the Japanese

knew it would serve them well if they cut overland access to China from Burma via

the famed Burma Road. Along this road a steady stream of military aid was being

transported from Rangoon to Chinese forces under Chiang Kai Shek's (Nationalist

Chinese.) Second, possession of Burma would place the Japanese at the gate of

India, where they believed a general insurrection against the British Raj would be

ignited once their troops had established themselves in Assam, within reach of

Calcutta.

Burma Road

Burma [March 1942]

Entering Burma from Thailand, the Japanese quickly captured Rangoon, cutting off

the Burma Road at source, and depriving the Chinese of their only convenient supply

base and port of entry. There followed many months of stalemate, as both sides tried

to probe each other's strengths and weaknesses. Heavy fighting would continue in

1944-45. [See Major Events of the Second World War: 1944-1945]

Malaysia

By December of 1941, it seemed the Japanese were everywhere at once in

overwhelming force. One of their most spectacular successes was their attack on

Malaya. They stormed down the Malay peninsula and took Singapore. Singapore

was supposed to be an impregnable city, but the defenses were pointed out to sea.

The Japanese came through the jungles on the land side. Allies news reports made a

big thing of Japanese troops’ special training for jungle warfare. The Japanese

troops were actually pulled out of fighting in China and sent to Malaya.

Singapore was supposed to be an impregnable city, but the defenses were pointed out to sea. The Japanese came through the

jungles on the land side.

Prince of Wales and Repulse Sunk

On December 10, 1941, the British sent the Battleship Prince of Wales and the battle

cruiser Repulse to aid in the defense of Singapore. The two ships had steamed out of

Singapore to intercept a Japanese invasion fleet, but instead, the Japanese found them.

Japanese torpedo bombers flying from airbases in French Indochina attacked them. The

Repulse sank within twenty minutes after the first torpedo struck it and the Prince of

Wales sank a short time afterwards. In less than an hour, two of the most powerful

surface ships had been lost.

Churchill fell to his knees when informed of the loss of the Prince of Wales

and the Repulse.

Japanese Secret Weapon at Singapore

The British commanders were confident that the Japanese attack against Singapore

would be a long and easily countered battle. The Japanese landed hundreds of miles

north of the city and the British expected the campaign to last 6 or more months. This did

not happen since the Japanese had a secret weapon, they issued bicycles to their troops.

The British command had based the Japanese attack timetable on their troops walking

down to Singapore. With the Imperial Japanese Army equipped with bicycles, they

traveled down much faster than expected.

The Fall of Singapore

The Japanese captured all of Malaya in less than two months. The garrison

defending Singapore surrendered on February 15, 1942. British Prime Minister

Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore, "the worst disaster and largest

capitulation in British history."

Japanese Conquer the Philippines (Spring 1942)

The Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941. U.S. General Douglas

MacArthur commanded 80,000 American and Filipino troops on the islands against

over 200,000 invading Japanese troops. For four months the American and Filipino

troops faced Hunger, disease, and around-the-clock bombardments. President

Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philippines. MacArthur

transferred the command of the Allied forces in the Pacific theater to Australia. On

leaving, General MacArthur promised the Filipino people his continued support. He

said, "I shall return."

Japanese Conquer the Philippines (Spring 1942)

Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, who took command of the American troops in the Philippines after MacArthur’s hasty flight

surrenders to the Japanese.

The Japanese defeat of the Americans in the Philippines was especially tragic. Over 75,000

American troops had surrendered on the Bataan Peninsula. The last battle in the

Philippines was on the island of Corregidor. After 14,000 Allied troops were killed and

another wounded 48,000, Over 10,000 U.S. and Filipino troops finally surrendered in on

May 5, 1942.

Bataan Death March

During the Bataan “Death March," 75,000 U.S. and Filipinos prisoners of war were

forced to walk 55 miles to prisoner of war camps. More than 7,000 died along the

way. Many of these prisoners died from injuries, sickness, and harsh treatment along

the way. Those held responsible for it were eventually tried as Criminals after the

war.Strange… But True:

During the Bataan Death

March, the Japanese

confiscated chess books from

prisoners-of-war thinking

they were military codes.

The Japanese forced American soldiers to

walk over 65 miles to prisoner of war camps.

Atrocities During the Bataan Death MarchMany of these marchers died or were

permanently injured during the ordeal. Even the

sick and wounded were expected to march. Those

who fell behind were executed by the Japanese

troops. Two thirds of the Americans who

participated in the forced march either died

during the march or shortly thereafter.

Japanese Prisoner-of-War Camps

There were more than 140,000 Allied prisoners in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps.

Of these, one in three died from starvation, work, and punishments or from diseases

for which there were no medicines to treat. The terms of the Geneva Convention

were ignored by the Japanese who made up rules and inflicted punishments at the

whim of the Japanese guards.

Very few of the Japanese guards spoke English

and prisoners were forced to learn Japanese in

order to understand commands they were given.

Failure to comply with instructions would merit

a beating. “Tenko,” was the name given to the

daily roll-call and prisoners had to call out their

prisoner number in Japanese.

Camps were encircled with barbed

wire or high wooden fencing and

those who attempted escape would

be executed in front of other

prisoners.

Japanese Prisoner-of-War Camps

Prisoners were rarely given fat in their diet and all were continuously hungry. The

majority survived on a meager diet of rice and vegetables, meat or fish once a

month and seaweed stew. Red Cross parcels were not distributed to the

prisoners. Illness was common as prisoners suffered from malnutrition, ulcers and

cholera.

Prisoner-of-War Camp: Punishments

Tied to a tree with

barbed wire for 48 hrs.

without food or water.

Forced to hold heavy

objects over your head

for extended periods of

time. Prisoner was

beaten if object was

dropped and forced to

repeat.

Placed in a sheet metal sweat box without

food or water for an extended period of

time.

Beaten with wooded rods for not bowing

to any Japanese guard or officer.Beheaded for theft or caught with contraband.

Chester Nimitz

Admiral Chester William Nimitz was the commander of the U.S. naval forces in the Pacific

who led the Allied naval forces to victory in the Pacific in World War II. A brilliant

strategist of the "island-hopping" campaign, Nimitz commanded a broad offensive against

the Japanese that would move west from Hawaii toward major Japanese island outposts in

the central pacific.

It is the function of the Navy to carry

the war to the enemy so that it is not

fought on U.S. soil.

Admiral Chester William Nimitz

Battle for Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942)

Strange… But True

The youngest US serviceman was 12-

year-old Calvin Graham, USN. He

was wounded and given a

dishonorable discharge for lying

about his age. (His benefits were later

restored by act of Congress)

Allied naval units intercepted an invading Japanese naval force heading toward

Australia to disrupt the supply flow to MacArthur in Australia. This was the first great

naval battle between aircraft carriers and 'the first in which carrier-based airplanes

inflicted all damage. The battle was a stalemate as both sides withdrew. The United

States achieved its strategic goal of blocking further Japanese advance into the

southwest Pacific.

Coral Sea was the first great naval battle between aircraft carriers and 'the first in which carrier-

based airplanes inflicted all damage. The United States Navy loss the aircraft carrier, “Lexington.”

Doolittle Raid (April 1942)

On April 18, 1942 the United States surprised the Japanese when Lt. Colonel James

Doolittle led a bombing raid with a squadron of B-25's over Tokyo, Japan. The Doolittle

Raid had two real purposes: To give the American people at home a morale boost and

cause the Japanese to question their warlords.

Doolittle Raid Pilot Jacket

Doolittle Raid (April 1942)

The Japanese viewed

Allied soldiers as

cowards for

surrendering and

executed many. A few

Doolittle pilots who

fell into Japanese

hands were executed.

The raid did little physical damage, but the psychological damage to the Japanese was enormous.

For the first time, the Japanese had to worry about the war coming to their shores.

Why Midway?

Why did the Japanese decide to attack Midway Island? Doolittle’s attack on Japan made

Japanese leaders change their strategy. Midway Island was the last American base in the

North Pacific. The Japanese believed that an attack on Midway Island would lure the

American fleet into battle and enable the Japanese fleet to destroy it. The American fleet

had to be destroyed in order to protect Tokyo from being bombed by American B-25s

again. The Japanese were determined to wipe out any remaining ships of the decimated

American fleet when they sailed toward Midway.

Japanese Admiral Nagumo helped plan and led the Japanese task force which goal was to seize Midway Island

and destroy the already crippled U.S. Pacific fleet.

Code-Breaking at Midway

As the Japanese were planning their big attack on Midway Island in 1942, American naval

intelligence was listening in. The Americans had cracked the Japanese code and knew

something was planned for an attack on “AF.” The question then became, what was

“AF”? The intelligence people believed it was Midway, but needed to confirm their

suspicion. They arranged for Midway to report in the clear its water distillation

equipment had broken down. The Japanese soon reported that “AF” was having trouble

with its water supply. Now the report could go to Admiral Nimitz that Midway was the

target of a major Japanese attack. This information let Nimitz make the plan lead to a

crushing American victory at Midway.

AF水蒸留装置が故障しました

Sir… the Japanese

Target is Midway….

Repeat… Midway.

Battle of Midway (June 4-6, 1942)

Strange… But True:

The term the whole nine yards came from WWII fighter pilots in the Pacific. When arming their planes on the ground, the .50

caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo

at a target, it had gone the whole nine yards.

Scratch three flat tops!

American pilot during the

Battle of Midway June 4, 1942

The turning point in the war came during the Battle of Midway, June 3–6, 1942 when

Americans shot down 38 Japanese planes and destroyed four Japanese carriers, thus

severely disabling the Japanese fleet at Midway Island in the Pacific. Midway stopped the

Japanese advance into the Pacific and forced Japan into defensive mode and turned the

tide of the war in the Pacific theater.

The Japanese seizure of the Aleutian Islands in June 1942 was strategically

unimportant, but the occupied islands did provide the Japanese with a base for

raiding Alaska. On May 11, 1943, the U.S. landed on Attu and the Japanese on

Attu were destroyed and fighting ended by May 30, 1943. A powerful Allied

amphibious force assaulted the island of Kiska on August 15, 1943. Kiska was

recaptured without combat because the Japanese secretly evacuated Kiska under

cover of heavy fog and retreated back to Japan.

Japanese Land in the Aleutian Islands (Alaska)

Strange… But True:

Following a massive naval bombardment

35,000 U.S. and Canadian troops stormed

ashore at Kiska in August 1943. Twenty-one

troops were killed in the firefight. It would

have been worse if there had been any

Japanese on the island. They had already

abandoned the island hours earlier under the

cover of fog.

Guadalcanal (August 1942-February 1943)

A Small island located near the Solomon Islands that marked the first territory

regained from the Japanese which marked a shift in momentum and initiative to

the United States. The U.S. attack was intended to capture the Japanese airfield

and secure a foothold for the long and bloody path to push the Japanese back.

The brutal and vicious fighting at Guadalcanal shaped the nature of combat

between Japanese and Americans in the Pacific.

Kill Japs… kill Japs… and keep on killing Japs.

U.S. Admiral William F. Halsey’s plan for defeating the

Japanese at Guadalcanal, 1942RecordingRecordingRecording

New Guinea

While the Allied campaign in Guadalcanal was going on, the United States and Australia

launched a joint offensive on November 16, 1942, into New Guinea, the control of which

the Japanese and Allied forces had both been struggling over for many months. As at

Guadalcanal, the Japanese displayed a tenacious will to fight for every inch of territory,

regardless of the cost in human lives. Although the majority of Japanese forces were

driven off the island by January 1943, the Allies were unable to remove them fully, and

fighting in New Guinea continued well into 1944.

Mosquito Fleet

The fast, wooden PT boat used by the American navy in World War II. The most famous

being PT-109, skippered by Lieutenant Junior Grade John F. Kennedy, a future president

of the United States.

Fall Blue: 1942 German Offensive

On June 28, 1942, the Germans launched a new offensive which objectives were to the

south of Kiev, seize the Caucasus oil fields, and take Stalingrad. The Soviets appeared

highly vulnerable and exhausted. The Soviets had fewer tanks and its best units remained

positioned in front of Moscow. Stalin remained convinced that Moscow was the Germans'

main target.

Germans Seize the Crimean Peninsula

In the beginning the German offensive was highly successful. The Germans defeated

the Soviets at Kharkov in May and reached Sebastopol in July. The German capture

of Sevastopol was halted by the valiant defense of Soviet Marines. However, after a

relentless 5-day artillery barrage of the city and bombardment by Luftwaffe

bombers, a renewed assault under German Generaloberst Manstein yielded greater

results. After key Soviet hilltop positions and defensive fortifications fell under

German control the Soviets evacuated Sevastopol. The Germans captured another

90,000 Soviet prisoners and gained control of the entire Crimean Peninsula.

Soviet Marines put up a valiant and brave defense of the important Soviet

port city of Sevastopol.

German Drive Into the Caucasus

Instead of securing to almost undefended Stalingrad, Hitler ordered a drive into the

Caucasus to seize the Grozny oil field. The Germans penetrated deep into the

Caucasus with great speed.

The German Approach to Stalingrad

By September, the Germans faced mounting problems. First, the front was now

more than 500 miles long, and the German supply lines were 1,300 miles long.

Second, the enthusiastic Germans underestimated the Soviet resistance whose

activities behind the German lines were intensifying. By October the German

offensive slowed to a crawl.

Somebody jokingly erected a skeleton saluting the first German

troops arrival at Stalingrad. But it was no joke… instead it was

an omen for the things to come.

German Advance Into Stalingrad

Did You Know? In the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviets suffered

more casualties than the United States did in the entire war.

Hitler was obsessed with capturing Stalingrad because it was named after Stalin. The German 6th Army under General von Paulus was assigned the task to take Stalingrad in order to block Soviet troop movements to the South. On August 22, 1942, the German troops reached the Volga and entered the northern suburbs of Stalingrad.

Battle of Stalingrad: Ratte Krieg

Russian resistance became fierce as the two sides waged a ferocious battle of

attrition. The fighting proceeded street-by-street, block-by-block, and house-by-

house. The city was reduced to rubble, and movement was measured in meters. By

early November, the Germans held 90 percent of the city.

The concentration of effort in the defense of Stalingrad is a

grave mistake on the part of the Russians.

Adolf Hitler Sept. 6, 1942

Sniper Warfare at Stalingrad

During the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet snipers could occupy defensive positions

inside the rubble-strewn city and inflict significant casualties on wary Wehrmacht

troops. Because of the nature of fighting in city rubble, snipers were very hard to

spot and seriously hindered German morale.

Every German soldier must be made to feel he is living

under the muzzle of a Russian gun.

General Vasily Chuikov, Russian commander

Battle of Stalingrad 1942

As Part of their psychological

warfare, the Soviets played over

loudspeakers throughout the city

announcing that every 10 seconds

a German soldier died at

Stalingrad.

Vasily Zaytsev vs. Major Erwin König

The best known of these Soviet snipers was Vasily Zaytsev who was credited with over

250 confirmed kills within a 5-week period at Stalingrad. When the war ended Vasily

Zaytsev was credited with over 600 confirmed kills.

Part of William Craig’s book, Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad, included a “sniper’s duel” between

Zaytsev and a Wehrmacht sniper school director named Major Erwin König.

Highlights of the Battle of Stalingrad

Stalingrad witnessed scenes of savage street fighting.

The Germans were determined to take the city and the

Russians to hold it at all costs. Fighting proceeded

street-by-street, block-by-block, and house-by-house.

The city was reduced to rubble, and movement was

measured in meters. By early November, the Germans

held 90 percent of the city.

Highlights of the Battle of Stalingrad

Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Russian

woman sniper with 500 confirmed

Germans killed under her belt

during WWII. She turned out to be

one of the most successful snipers in

history and still holds the record for

the highest confirmed kill total of

any female sniper in history.

Russians Encircle the German 6th ArmySoviet General Zhukov took command and planned a counterattack. Allpreparations were kept under tight security. Zhukov deliberately keptreinforcements of the city to a minimum as he massed Russian troops to the northand south of Stalingrad. On November 19, 1942, Zhukov unleashed thecounterattack against the northern and southern flanks, catching the Germansoff-guard. By November 23, the two Russian spearheads linked up 45 miles behindStalingrad, encircling the entire German 6th Army and one corps of the 4thPanzer army.

I won't leave the Volga! I won't go back from the Volga.

Adolf Hitler

Russians Encircle the Germans at Stalingrad

Army requests immediate permission to surrender

in order to save lives of remaining troops.

Friedrich Paulus

Surrender is forbidden. Sixth Army will hold their

positions to the last man and the last round and by

their heroic endurance will make an unforgettable

contribution toward the establishment of a

defensive front and the salvation of the Western

world.

Adolf Hitler

Failed Calls for Supply at Stalingrad

Hitler refused Paulus's request for permission to break out of Stalingrad, but instead

ordered the doomed 6th Army to fight to the last man. Hitler ordered around-the-clock

supply deliveries by air, but the effort failed as only a small amount of the required

supplies arrived.

Reich Marshal Goering’s

failed promise to provided

500 tons of supplies daily

doomed the 6th Army.

Hitler Humiliated by Paulus

When the battle of Stalingrad seemed lost for the Germans, Hitler promoted Paulus to

Field Marshal and expected Paulus to commit suicide rather than surrender. His response

was: “I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian corporal.”

While a prisoner of war in the USSR, Paulus

publicly condemned Hitler’s regime and

made several radio broadcasts. Paulus

returned to Germany in 1956, thirteen years

after the defeat at Stalingrad.

I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian

corporal.

Field Marshal Paulus

Hitler promoted General Paulus to the rank of

Field Marshal knowing that no German Field

Marshal in German history had ever been

taken prisoner. Hitler became furious after

learning that Field Marshal Paulus refused to

kill himself and refused to promote anyone else

to the rank of Field Marshal for the duration of

the war.

German Surrender at Stalingrad

Out of food, ammunition, and against Hitler’s express orders not to surrender, Field

Marshal Paulus held out until February 2, 1943, then surrendered.

A thousand years hence, every German will speak with awe of

Stalingrad and remember that it was there that Germany put the

seal on her victory.

Joseph Goebbels

German Surrender at Stalingrad

The last German POWs weren’t released from the

Soviet Union until 1956. While the western Allies

released their final World War II prisoners in 1948,

many German POWs in the U.S.S.R. were kept under

lock and key for several more years. Most were used as

slave labor in copper or coal mines, and anywhere

between 400,000 and one million eventually died while

in Russian custody. Some 20,000 former soldiers were

still in Soviet hands at the time of Stalin’s death in 1953,

and the last 10,000 didn’t get their freedom until 1955

and 1956, a full decade after the war had ended.

Stalin Demands a Second Front

The Russians were suffering heavy casualties fighting the German invasion of Russia.

Stalin urged the Allies to open a “Second Front" in the west against Germany in 1942 to

help relieve pressure on the Russians from the German onslaught. Allies did so, but only

after a long delay and the result was disastrous. The Allies were not ready to begin

another assault on the Western front. They did remove some of the pressure on the

Eastern front as Stalin had demanded, but it will be in North Africa.

I suspect the Western Allies are not

doing enough and are quite happy to see

us Communists and Nazis destroy each

other in a bloodbath.

We’re both trying to tell

you that neither of us

have the manpower or

resources to make a

second front in Europe at

this time!!!

Tobruk [January-November 1942]

One of the primary flash points in North Africa was the key port of Tobruk, Libya, which

changed hands between the Germans and the British several times and was the site of

several major battles.

Originally in Italy’s sphere of influence, Tobruk fell to the British on January 12, 1941,

building upon the initiative they had seized after Italy’s defeat in Egypt the previous year.

In June 1942, Tobruk fell to the Germans after a long and intensive siege by Field

Marshal Erwin Rommel’s tank forces. Then, in November 1942, Tobruk fell once more to

the British and remained under their control for the rest of the war.

El Alamein [October 1942]

Perhaps the most decisive battle in North Africa was the Battle of El-Alamein, from

October 23 to November 3, 1942, in which a powerful British offensive defeated German

forces overwhelmingly. The British outnumbered the Germans two to one, and Rommel,

who had by this time earned the nickname “Desert Fox” for his brilliant surprise attacks,

pulled his Nazi Afrika Korps out of Egypt and retreated to Tunisia, which ended the

German threat to Egypt and the Suez Canal. El-Alamein became the “turning point” in

the war in North Africa.

"This is not the

beginning of the

end. It is the end

of the beginning."

Disaster at Dieppe (August 19, 1942)

The disastrous outcome of the small British raid at Dieppe in August 1942 convinced the British that they were not yet ready for

a large-scale invasion of the continent.

The Dieppe Raid was a miserable failure for the British & Canadian troops. 3,623

of the 6,086 British & Canadian troops who made it ashore were killed, wounded,

or captured. The German losses amounted only to 311 killed and 280 wounded or

missing.

The bitter lessons learned from the Dieppe catastrophe in 1942 influenced the

Allied preparations for D-Day (Operation Overlord).

Operation Torch (Nov 1942)

On November 8, 1942, over 800 ships, carrying 185,000 men and 20,000 vehicles

landed on the Northern coast of Africa in Algeria. This action was code named

Operation Torch. The Free French in North Africa welcomed the landings while the

Vichy French opposed them.

The Americans initially encountered resistance from the Vichy French

troops, but quickly convinced them to turn against their Nazi masters.

Slaughter at Kasserine Pass

Kasserine Pass, Tunisia (February 14, 1943) was the first battle between U.S. and

German troops. The inexperienced Americans were slaughtered.

In North Africa, the American army

first encountered the German “Tiger”

heavy tank.

Strange… But True: : The initials GI originally stood for “galvanized iron” but

were later reinterpreted as government issue,” meaning uniforms and supplies.

In time, the abbreviation came to stand for American soldiers.

Nazis Defeated in North Africa

The Americans placed General George S. Patton in charge of U.S. troops in

North Africa after the Kasserine Pass disaster.

Patton launched a massive Allied counter-attack which pushed the Germans into

Tunis where 275,000 Germans and Italians were trapped and forced to surrender

on May 12, 1943.

No bastard ever won a war

by dying for his country. He

won it by making the other

poor bastard die for his

country.”

-General George S. Patton

“Ol’ Blood and Guts”

World War II

The American Home Front

War Production Board (WPB)

The War Production Board halted manufacture of nonessential items such as

passenger cars, and when the Japanese seized vital rubber supplies in British

Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, the U.S. imposed a national speed limit and

gasoline rationing to save tires. Many essential goods were rationed.

Segregated Units

African Americans served bravely and

with distinction in every theater of

World War II.

Most African American troops

performed a variety of menial tasks

such as; being relegated as cooks,

janitors, supply chores, and common

laborers.

The separation of African Americans and whites in the military. Prior to the desegregation of the

Armed Forces in 1948, African American troops could only serve in African American units under

the command of white officers.

A. Philip Randolph

Membership to the NAACP passed the

half-million mark, and a new

organization, the Congress of Racial

Equality (CORE), was founded in 1942. A. Philip Randolph

Philip Randolph, leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, threatened a “Negro March to

Washington” in 1941 to get better rights and treatment for African Americans, especially those

working in war production factories. On June 25, 1941, the president responded with

Executive Order 8802, declaring no discrimination in the employment of workers in

defense industries or government.

Racial Riots in America During WWII

In 1944, the mechanical cotton picker made the need for muscle nonexistent, so

blacks that used to pick cotton could now leave, since they were no longer needed.

They left the South and took up residence in urban areas. Such sudden “rubbing of

the races” did spark riots and cause tension, such as the 1943 attack on some

Mexican-American navy men in Los Angeles and the Detroit race riot (occurring in

the same year) that killed 25 blacks and 9 whites.

Fair Employment Act

The U.S. government prohibited discrimination in the national defense industry. Became

the first federal law against employment discrimination. It helped draw attention to the

injustices facing African Americans in the US.

While Blacks in the army still suffered degrading discrimination (i.e. separate blood banks), they still used the war as a

rallying cry against dictators abroad and racism at home, overall gaining power and strength.

Zoot-Suit Riots

Resentment against Mexican-Americans increased when whites believed that Mexican

youths who wore the flamboyant clothes were unpatriotic. In 1943, tensions between U.S.

sailors and Mexican-American youths erupted into violence in Los Angles when eleven

U.S. sailors claimed they were harassed by “zoot-suiters.” For an entire week, Mexican

youths were beaten and stripped of their clothes by angry white crowds as Los Angeles

police did little to stop the bloodshed.

What are zoot-suits? Zoot-suits are fashionable, loose, and baggy clothes worn by Mexican-American males in

Los Angles during the 1940s.

War Bonds

To raise money for the war, the government raised taxes, covering about 45 percent of

the cost of the war. War bonds were sold to Americans to help pay for the war. Through

the purchase of these bonds, Americans were loaning money to the government. The

bonds could be redeemed in the future for the purchase price plus interest.

War Bond Drives

In order to finance the war and give people a sense of involvement in the war effort,

bond drives were held usually by movie stars and heroic military personnel. The

treasury department sold about $40 billion "E" bonds to investors, and nearly twice the

amount in higher denomination. The bonds raised half the money for WWII.

Victory Gardens

Gardens in which citizens grew their own food in order to make sure enough

food was available to feed US troops fighting in the war.

Rationing

Efforts by the government to limit citizens' access to certain goods in order to

assure that enough remained to support the war effort. Certain items were

assigned points values.

Once a citizen used up all their points, they could no longer obtain these items

until they acquired more. In this way, the government forced the public to

conserve resources that were needed to support the war effort.

During World War II, bakers in the United

States were ordered to stop selling sliced

bread for the duration of the war on January

18, 1943. Only whole loaves were made

available to the public. It was never

explained how this action helped the war

effort.

Housewives to Factory WorkersBefore the Second World War, women were expected to be 'housewives' or perhaps

to do certain 'women's jobs', such as nursing or being a domestic servant or shop

assistant. The war changed the world of work for women forever. When men went

to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that

were previously thought of unsuitable for women.

Jobs undertaken by women during the war included:

Mechanics

Engineers

Building ships and aircraft parts

Working in factories making bombs

Plumbers

Ambulance drivers

Nurses

Rosie the Riveter

The government created "Rosie the Riveter" to help meet the need for a larger labor

force. This publicity campaign, which focused on a fictional poster girl, encouraged

women to support the war by working outside the home. Rosie made it seem patriotic

rather than unfeminine to work outside the home. As a result, six million women joined

the 12 million already in the labor force to work in offices, factories, and at general labor

jobs that men usually held. They put on slacks, tied up their hair, and demanded the

same pay as men.

THE WAR YEARS

1943

Casablanca Conference (Jan. 14-23, 1943)

In the middle of the North African campaign, Roosevelt and Churchill met atCasablanca and resolved to attack Italy before invading France. They also vowedto pursue the war until the unconditional surrender of the Axis power, and tried toreduce Soviet mistrust of the west.

The Allied announcement for accepting nothing less than

‘unconditional surrender’ only prolonged the war by

forcing the Axis to be more determined to fight to the

death or total war.

Unconditional surrender means the victor decides all the conditions

the loser must agree to them. The Allies wanted Germany and

Japan to agree to unconditional surrender.

Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Killed

On April 18, 1943, U.S. code breakers pinpoint the location of Japanese Admiral

Yamamoto flying in a Japanese bomber near Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.

Eighteen P-38 fighters then located and shot down Yamamoto plane. Yamamoto,

the architect of Pearl Harbor was killed.

Yamamoto spent several years in the U.S.

He studied at Harvard University from 1919-1921 and in

the mid-1920s spent several years as a naval attache in

Washington, D.C. He learned fluid English and traveled

America learning its customs and studied its business

practice. He also learned the card games bridge and

poker and became an avid player.

Yamamoto was outspoken against war with China and the U.S. He opposed the

war with China from the onset and invasion of Manchuria in 1931, a position

which attracted much displeasure from the very militarized Japanese

government. As warmongers in the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy began

craving a war with the U.S., Yamamoto knew that they couldn’t win a

prolonged war in the Pacific and openly said just that. In 1939, he was

promoted to Commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet by the Navy Minister

in an effort to save his life because powerful people resentful of Yamamoto’s

opposition to war wanted him assassinated. Killing Yamamoto would be

harder to achieve if the Admiral was at sea, surrounded by officers and men

loyal to him.

Battle of Kursk (July 1943)

The largest armored conflict in history between German and Soviet forces began on

July 4, 1943 along a 200-mile front with a total of roughly 5,000 tanks and 4,000

aircraft. With news of the Allied landing in Sicily, Hitler hastily halted his offensive

and sent some of his crack armored units involved in the battle to the Italian Front.

By July 14, 1943 the remaining German units were in full retreat, with the Soviets

pursuing them close behind. From this point forward, the USSR had the initiative

and commenced a long offensive push that would slowly drive the Germans back to

the west.What is so important

about Kursk anyway?

The Fuhrer must know

what he’s doing?

Hitler delayed the Citadel offensive until the new

Panzer V [Panther] could take part in greater

numbers. However, this delay allowed Soviet spies to

learn about the offensive and gave the Soviet army

time to make several defensive circles where the

Germans planned to attack.

Battle of Kursk (July 1943)

Preparations

The Red Army used 300,000 civilians to construct eight

lines of defenses to include over 4,970 miles of trenches.

Soviet Spy Network

Due to the Soviet spy

network in Switzerland,

the Russian army knew six

weeks in advance of the

impeding German assault

at Kursk and heavily

prepared defenses. Hitler

had to call off the Kursk

assault due to huge losses

and the Western Allied

invasion of Sicily.

Combat Ratio

During the Battle of Kursk, the Soviets would outnumber the

Germans 1.6 million to 780,000, a 3-to-1 advantage. About 26

percent of the total manpower of the Red Army

Largest Tank Battle in History

The Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in history. The

Germans had 2,928 tanks while the Russians had 5,128 tanks, or

about 46 percent of their entire tank force, during the initial

offensive. During the Soviet counteroffensive the Germans

fielded 3,253 tanks while the Soviets put over 7,300 tanks in the

field.

Highlights of the Battle of Kursk

Tank Graveyard

It is estimated that the German lost about 760

tanks and assault guns. The Soviets losses

during the German offensive came to 1,614

tanks and self-propelled guns destroyed or

damaged out of 3,925 vehicles put into battle,

41 percent of tanks and self-propelled guns

committed.

Casualties

The Germans suffered 200,000 dead,

wounded and missing. The Soviets suffered

863,000 killed, wounded and missing. The

Battle of Kursk was Germany's last chance

to turn the tide in the east.

Strange… But True:

The Russians tried to wreak havoc on

German Panzer divisions during

WWII by strapping bombs to the

backs of dogs and teaching them to

associate food with the underneath of

their enemies' tanks.

Sicilian Campaign (July 10 - August 17, 1943)

U.S. general, George Patton was

relieved of duty after he slapped a

shell-shocked soldier while

visiting wounded soldiers at a

medical hospital who he thought

was a coward. Hitler was very

surprised that the United States

would get rid of their best general

over such an incident.

Codenamed Operation Husky, its objective was to knock Italy out of the war and

to divert some German strength away from the Russian front. The Allied

invasion force numbering about 160,000 men was divided between the British

Eighth Army under General Montgomery and the U.S. Seventh Army under

General Patton. Patton captured Palermo (capital of Sicily) by July 22, 1943 and

captured 275,000 Italian soldiers. The island was secured on August 17, 1943

when Patton captured Messina.

Italy’s Role in the War

Italy’s participation in World War II provided little strategic benefit for Germany;

in fact, it actually hindered the German war effort by diverting German forces

from more important tasks. All of Italy’s actions were undertaken at the whim of

its dictator, Mussolini, whose decisions became so erratic and potentially costly

that his own underlings eventually decided to overthrow him. Indeed, the battles

that resulted from Italy’s initially frivolous and aimless campaigns became

increasingly devastating. The each campaign ballooned into huge endeavors that

cost tens of thousands of lives.

Mussolini Overthrown (July 1943)

For the remainder of the war, Mussolini was to become a puppet of Hitler and led the defense of northern

Italy.

On July 25, 1943, the day after the fall of Sicily, Italy’s Fascist ruler Benito

Mussolini, was overthrown by a peaceful coup. Italian officials promptly began

approaching the Allies about an armistice and joined the Allies. King Victor

Emmanuel ordered Mussolini to be arrested and imprisoned. Hitler sent his elite

S.S. commandos and rescued Mussolini from his mountain top imprisonment.

Italy Surrenders [Sept. 8 1943]

Italy officially surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943. Italy joined the

Allies and General Badoglio became Italy's new leader after it surrendered.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

In September 1943, troops of the Italian Acqui Division were

massacred of by the S.S. because they refused to continue to

fight against the western allies after Italy surrendered.

Instead, they fought Germans for nine days before running

out of ammunition. Some 1,500 Italian soldiers died in the

fighting, 5,000 were massacred after surrendering, and the

rest were shipped to prison camps in Germany

“Italy has laid down her arms. The immediate and unconditional surrender was announced today

by General Eisenhower.”

War report on Italy's surrender in WWII September 8, 1943

Invasion of the Italian Mainland (Sept. 1943)

Although Italy officially surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943, the Allied

invasion of Italy proceeded as planned because there were still a large number of

German forces stationed in the country. British forces landed at Taranto, on the

southeastern tip of Italy, on September 2, 1943, but the main invasion began on

September 9, the day after Italy’s surrender when the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lt.

Gen. Mark W. Clark landed on beaches along the Gulf of Salerno. The Allied forces

planned to fight their way across the country to meet in the middle.

“Soft Underbelly” turned into a "Tough Old Gut.”

Churchill compared the Italian campaign with that of a crocodile. The Italian peninsula

defended by an already defeated Italian army was thought to be an easy conquest, or

the soft underbelly of a crocodile. Western Europe, defended by the Germans was

considered the tough scaly skin of the crocodile. But, the Italian campaign proved very

difficult as German troops rushed to overrun Italy and made good use of the

treacherous mountain terrain for their defense, thus making any Allied movements

difficult against battle-hardened German troops.

After Italy capitulated on Sept 8, 1943, Hitler rushed troops into Italy.

Most of these troops were withdrawn from the Eastern front just as the

Soviets launched a massive counter offensive in the summer of 1943.

German resistance and the slow and

treacherous fighting proved very difficult

and the U.S. forces in particular suffered

great casualties.

Soviet Victories in the Ukraine (Summer-Fall 1943)

During the late summer and autumn of 1943, the Soviets advanced steadily,

achieving a series of victories as they pushed the Germans westward across the

Ukraine. The first major victory came in August 1943 when the Red Army

recaptured the city of Kharkov. By November 1943 the Russians reoccupied the

Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Germany’s southern army group was now in full-scale

retreat and would be Driven from Soviet territory early in 1944.

Captured German troops were marched through towns to by the

thousands to boost Soviet citizen morale.

Allied Air War Over Germany

Strategic bombing during World War II included the sustained bombing of railways, harbors, cities (civilian areas), and

industrial areas in enemy territory. The strategy is the air power theory that major victories can best be won by attacking the

enemy's industrial and political infrastructure, rather than purely military targets.

Air power and strategic bombing was the key to Allied victory in Europe. Strategic Bombing called

for a sustained air offensive to destroy Germany’s will and capacity to wage war. In 1942, the new

commanding officer of the RAF’s Bomber Command, Arthur Harris, championed area bombing of

Germany's large industrial cities. After the United States entered the air war in Europe in 1942,

Allied air policy adopted "round-the-clock" bombing missions over Germany. The British bombed

at night while the United States Army Air Corps bombed Germany during the day.

Life and Death at 20,000 Feet

B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers were on the cutting edge of

technology. The bombers flew 20,000 feet, but were not pressurized.

Temperatures inside the planes often fell to 20-40 degrees below zero.

More US servicemen

died in the Air Corps

than the Marine

Corps. While

completing the

required 30 missions

your chance of being

killed was 71%.

Heavy losses suffered by U.S. bombers showed that they needed

fighter support. The development of P-51 Mustangs in early 1944

allowed huge bomber formations to protect bombers against the

Luftwaffe over Germany.

Firestorm on the Ground

Ploesti Air RaidsPloesti was a vast complex of oil refinery facilities located some 30 miles north of

Bucharest, Romania. It supplied an estimated sixty percent of the refined oil necessary to

keep the German war machine running.

Code-named Tidal Wave, 178 U.S. B-24s bombers left Libya on August 1, 1943 and

raided Ploesti. Surrounded by hundreds of anti-aircraft emplacements, the attacking

Americans had lost the element of surprise when German radar detected their low-flying

aircrafts’ approach. Known as, "Black Sunday," the Americans lost 53 aircraft, each

with a crew of ten. Approximately 42% of Ploesti’s refining capacity had been destroyed,

however, it took only a few days for the Germans to bring the complex back to its

previous fuel output. The Ploesti refineries remained operational until the Soviet Army

overran the facility in August 1944.

Five Congressional

Medals of Honor

were awarded for

the mission, three

posthumously. This

is the most awarded

for a single combat

mission.

Tuskegee Airmen The first African-American aviators in the U.S. Army Air Force were known as the

Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee program began in 1941, at the Tuskegee Institute, when

the 99th Pursuit Squadron was established. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to

racial discrimination in the U.S. Army and there were several attempts made to cancel

the Tuskegee Airmen program because of racism. Of the 450 African-American Tuskegee

Airmen served in combat missions in the European Theater of Operations, in the

Mediterranean, and in North Africa only 66 died in combat. Between May of 1943 and

June of 1945 the Tuskegee Airmen flew a total of 15,533 sorties, destroyed 251 enemy

airplanes, and became the only fighter group to have a perfect record protecting the

bombers.

The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded a total of 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses 8 Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, 3

Distinguished Unit Citations, and 744 Air Medals and Clusters for their service in the U.S. military.

“Island Hopping”

U.S. Strategy for Victory (1943-1945)

The island-hopping theory across the Pacific was like a frog having to leap across a pond, but not having to land on every lily

pad on it’s way. By doing so, thousands of islands could be by-passed and by-passing many Japanese-held islands.

U.S. strategy called for by-passing many Japanese held islands and cutting off Japanese

supply routes began in November 1943. Therefore, frontal attacks against strong Japanese

positions were avoided if possible. Island invasions would be limited only by the range of

land-based aircraft and the availability of carrier-borne planes. These bypassed Japanese

positions were thereby left isolated and strategically impotent (starved into submission.)

Two Planned Routes for Island-Hopping Advance

American military leaders created a plan to defeat Japan that called for a two-pronged attack to

keep Japanese forces divided. Most American military leaders agreed that only an invasion of

Japan's main island would stop the Japanese.

Admiral Nimitz and the

Pacific Fleet were to hop

from island to island to

get close to Japan.

General MacArthur’s

troops would advance

through the Solomon

Islands, capture the

north coast of New

Guinea, and retake the

Philippines.

Strange… But True

Japanese Soldier Found Hiding on Guam in 1972

Local farmers discovered Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who, unaware that

World War II was over, had been hiding the jungles of Guam for 28 years.

Guam, a US possession in the western Pacific, was attacked and captured by the

Japanese in 1941. Three years later, American forces retook the island. It was at

this time that Yokoi, left behind by the retreating Japanese, went into hiding

rather than surrender to the enemy. He handcrafted survival tools and waited for

his countrymen to return and hand him his next orders. After his discovery in

1972, he was discharged and sent home to Japan, where he was hailed as a

national hero. He subsequently married and returned to Guam for his honeymoon.

Shōichi Yokoi was a Japanese sergeant in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War. He was among the last

three Japanese holdouts to be found after the end of hostilities in 1945, discovered in the jungles of Guam in January 1972;

almost 28 years after US forces had regained control of the island in 1944.

Navajo “Code Talkers"

A large number of Native Americans also served as soldiers in World War II. Members

of the Navajo tribe played a very important role in every assault that the U.S. Marines

conducted in the Pacific from 1942-1945.

The Navajo were known as the "code talkers." They transmitted messages by telephone

and radio in their native language. Their main job was to gather information on tactics,

troop movements, and orders over the telephone and radio. The Japanese, who were

skilled code breakers, remained confused by the Navajo language. They were never able

to break the code.

Japanese Island Defenses

“Bushido” Japanese Strategy for Victory (1942-1945)

The Japanese attitude toward suicide is different from Western viewpoint. Suicide for the Japanese is

much more acceptable and in some cases a duty. A disgraced officer was expected to commit suicide.

Japanese soldiers were expected to die rather than surrender, and on many Pacific islands they did.

Japanese soldiers were taught that death was light as a feather and that dying for the emperor was

glorious. Japanese officers would lead their soldiers on suicide charges rather than face dishonorable

surrender.

“Bushido” Japanese Strategy for Victory (1942-1945)

Bushido is based on the ancient and

traditional samurai style of fighting

which embraced Death Before

Dishonor.

Strange… But True: All Japanese officers were automatically

promoted to the next highest rank upon their death in combat.

Makin and Tarawa [November 20, 1943]On November 20, 1943, U.S. Marines landed on Tarawa. The U.S. Marines suffered

3,000 casualties after four bitter days of fighting before they could secure the island.

Tarawa provided a rude shock to the U.S. military because the Japanese defenders

almost fought to the last man.

Of the 30,000 Japanese defenders on Tarawa,

only 17 surrendered. The rest died in the

name of their emperor.

Photographs and newsreels showing American causalities were

usually forbidden because it would hurt U.S. morale.

Tehran Conference [Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 1943]

From November 28 to December 1, 1943, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin all met together

for the first time, at a conference in Tehran, Iran. The three leaders discussed detailed

plans for the Allied invasion of Europe, which Churchill and Roosevelt had decided to

postpone at the Casablanca Conference earlier that year. The invasion would be code-

named Operation Overlord. Stalin was frustrated by the delay, but Churchill and

Roosevelt insisted that the extra time was needed to sufficiently degrade Germany’s

military strength. At the end of the meeting, Stalin committed the USSR to enter the war

against Japan once Germany was defeated.