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The U.S. aircraft carrier Bunker Hill burns after being struck by two Japanese kamikaze aircraft, May 11, 1945, in the waters between Okinawa and Kyushu, Japan.

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When: April 1, 1945

Who: Americans and Japanese

What: 60,000 Soldiers stormed to Okinawa, the final battle before an invasion of mainland Japan.

Why: The objective was to secure the island, thus removing the last barrier standing between U.S. forces and Imperial Japan. With Okinawa firmly in hand, the U.S. military could finally bring its full might upon the Japanese, conducting unchecked strategic air strikes against the Japanese mainland

Sources: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/battle-of-okinawa

https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1945/battle-of-okinawa.html

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El-Alamein, Al Alameen City, El Alamein, Egypt

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Battle of El Alamein - 1942 | Movietone Moment |October 23 2020

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Description:

Fought near the western front of Egypt between October 23 and November 4 1942, El Alamein was the turning point of the North African campaign During world war two.The Axis powers of Italy and Germany suffered a decisive defeat by the British Army.

Sources:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-5-minute-history-of-the-battle-of-el-alamein

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff5_second_alamein.shtml

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Battle of El Alamein - 1942 | Movietone Moment | 23 October 2020

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Top Photo: "Into the Jaws of Death" — US troops wade through water and Nazi gunfire, June 6, 1944

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Description:

When: June 6 1944

Where: Normandy, France

Who: The allies committed 39 divisions to the Battle of Normandy: 22 American, 12 British, 3 Canadian, 1 Polish, and 1 French, totaling over a million troops.

What: D-day or operation OVERLORD was when the allied forces launched a surprise attack on the shores and beaches of Normandy France.

Why: Operation OVERLORD aimed to liberate Nazi-occupied Western Europe by forcing the Germans to fight on a second front, and ultimately help ending the war in Europe.

sources:

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwii/wwii-europe/operation-overlord.html

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/d-day-and-normandy-campaign

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The Blitz Smoke rising from the London Docklands after the first mass air raid on the British capital, September 7, 1940.

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When: July 10 to October 31 1940

Who: Great Britain and German Air Force

What: After a nearly four-month air campaign waged over England, Britain's Royal Air Force and Navy respond to heavy bombing attacks from Germany's Luftwaffe air force, including “the Blitz,” in an attempt to destroy the RAF before invading.

Why: Germany wanted to gain air superiority over the UK

Source: https://www.history.com/articles/world-war-ii-battles-timeline#Battle-of-Britain-July-10-to-October-31-1940 https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Britain-European-history-1940

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Navy planes fly over the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Sept. 2, 1945, to commemorate the signing of surrender documents by Japan.

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When: September 2, 1945

Who: Americans and Japanese

What: 250 Allied warships lay at anchor in Tokyo Bay. The flags of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and China fluttered above the deck of the Missouri. Just after 9 a.m. Tokyo time, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed on behalf of the Japanese government.

Why: Japan surrendered because of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Sources: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/surrender-of-japan#:~:text=On%20September%202%2C%201945%2C%20Japanese,Truman.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-2/japan-surrenders

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Description:

When: December 7 1941

Where: Pearl harbor Hawaii

Who: the Japanese army against the military base stationed at pearl harbor

What: The Japanese imperial army launched a surprise air-raid attack on the u.s. naval base of pearl harbor.

Why: Japan hoped to greatly weaken US naval strength and strategically capture vital supplies.

Significance: The attack on pearl harbor was the turning point of the war that was a major contributor towards the U.S entering the war.

Source:

https://www.history.com/articles/pearl-harbor

https://www.defense.gov/multimedia/experience/remembering-pearl-harbor/

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Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

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King Edward's School, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, UK

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Description:

When: 1939

Where: King Edward's School, Birmingham, England

Who: The six triple eight was the first all-black all-female battalion to be sent overseas during world war two

What: Their job was to help deliver mail to the soldiers to help boost morale and help win the war they were tasked to label, sort, and clear millions of pieces of mail including letters, photographs, and gifts that had been left in warehouses for months, even years.

Source:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/6888th.htm

https://www.thenmusa.org/articles/a-different-kind-of-victory-the-6888th-central-postal-directory-battalion/

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Description:

Auschwitz was a concentration camp that was located in Poland during world war II. It is estimated that at least 1.1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz during the 5 years of its existence. The camp itself played a major role in the holocaust. As the holocaust is known as one of the world greatest atrocities ever calming over 11 million lives.

Source:

https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/auschwitz-and-shoah/the-number-of-victims/

https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/

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80 years since liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp

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Description:

When: December, 13, 1937

Who: The Japanese against the civilians of Nanjing.

What:

The Japanese invaded, looted, and took control of Nanjing the capitol of Jiangsu; a province in east china

Why:

The Japanese wanted to exploit other countries resources because they had none. They also wanted to gain more territory and spread their militaristic propaganda throughout Asia.

Sources:

https://sfi.usc.edu/collections/nanjing-massacre

https://www.history.com/articles/nanjing-massacre

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Murderous Acts During the Nanjing Massacre | Shuqin Xia | USC Shoah Foundation

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Description:

Josephine baker was a french and american singer dancer and performer. She was very popular during the jazz era and she was most known for her crazy and unique dances. Josephine baker was also an advocate for anti-racism. She turned to espionage during the second world war and became a french spy, using her fame to get information form the axis powers.

Sources

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/siren-resistance-artistry-and-espionage-josephine-baker

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While predominately remembered for her provocative dances, vaudeville routines, and appearances in films, Josephine Baker's efforts to fight the tyranny of Fascism have received regrettably little attention. Throughout her life, the American expatriate turned French citizen fearlessly called out the racism she endured while in the United States. Her bravery again went on display after her adopted country of France fell to Nazi forces. Josephine turned to espionage, using her celebrity status to capture information for the French Resistance.

Born Freda Josephine McDonald in East St. Louis, Missouri on June 3, 1906, Josephine took to an early life of entertaining and offering performances to neighborhood children when still a small child. In her teenage years, Josephine turned to dancing with vaudeville troupes. At the age of 15, she met William Howard Baker, and after a few weeks the couple eloped. William was her second husband-her first, brief marriage occurred while she was 13-but he gave Josephine the surname that she kept for the rest of her life.

Josephine Baker dancing the Charleston at the Folies-Bergère in Paris. Photo by Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg.

At 19, Josephine accepted an offer to join an all-black revue set to run in Paris. Unlike the United States, France did not racially segregate public places on a large scale. When Josephine and her castmates boarded a train in France, they were surprised but happy to learn they could sit anywhere they liked. Josephine was also shocked to see the costumes created for her to perform in; one consisted only of a bikini bottom covered in flamingo feathers. After one performance, Josephine quickly took to this kind of erotic dancing and became a rising star. Over time, Josephine became the most successful entertainer in France, transforming from an exotic dancer into a film star and opera singer. Throughout these years, it is believed she became the wealthiest black woman alive.

In 1928, Josephine departed for a European tour, with the first stop in Vienna. Josephine had not been aware of the political unrest building in the region. By that point, Adolf Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf, had popularized racist ideologies that spread throughout the region. Before Josephine even arrived in Vienna, posters around the city denigrated her performance, calling her a "black devil." As she rode in a carriage to her hotel, protesters lined the streets. Josephine said the scene reminded her of the race riots that shook her community when she was a child.

The start of World War II put Josephine's future performances on hold. By that time, she had married her third husband, a French-Jewish sugar broker named Jean Lion. The couple later divorced in 1941, but in that time, Josephine came to represent much of what Hitler and the Nazis despised. She was a successful, black woman in an interracial marriage with a Jewish man, who was also openly bisexual and had multiple long-term, semi-public relationships with other women. When the Germans began to advance on Paris in 1940, Josephine, like millions of other Parisians, fled the city.

Josephine Baker in Banana Skirt from the Folies Bergère production "Un Vent de Folie," in 1927. Photo by Stanisław Julian Ignac

Josephine moved to a chateau she rented in the south of France, where she took in other refugees fleeing the Nazis. After the fall of Paris, Josephine came into contact with Jacques Abtey, the head of French counter-military intelligence. Abtey sought to recruit people who could engage in espionage to help resistance efforts against the Nazi occupation. Josephine was an ideal candidate for this work, as her celebrity allowed her to move easily between countries and offered her enhanced protection. When Abtey approached Josephine to see if she would take the risk and join the resistance, she said,

Josephine housed resistance fighters at her chateau and supplied them with visas. She attended parties and diplomatic functions, including parties at the Italian embassy that brought her in the orbit of high-ranking Axis bureaucrats. She collected information on German troop movements, and what harbors or airfields were in action. Josephine was confident that her celebrity and connections would protect her, and that no one would suspect her of espionage. She wrote down intelligence on her hands and arms, pinning notes inside her underwear. She did so knowing she would never face a strip-search-and she was right.

The Nazis had gotten wind of the resistance activity happening at Josephine's chateau, and visited the estate. Josephine had been hiding several resistance fighters at the time of the visit. She successfully charmed the Nazis when they questioned her, but she took the close encounter as a sign that it was time to leave France. Abtey contacted General Charles de Gaulle, who instructed both Abtey and Baker to travel to London via Lisbon (which was neutral.) Between them, the pair carried over 50 classified documents and secret intelligence. Josephine carried hers by writing the information down in invisible ink on her sheet music.

Following D-Day and the liberation of Paris, Josephine returned to her adopted city wearing a military uniform. She quickly took note of the terrible conditions many French people endured after the Nazi occupation. She sold pieces of jewelry and other valuables to raise money to buy food and coal for the poor citizens of Paris. Following Germany's surrender in 1945, General de Gaulle awarded Josephine the Croix de Guerre and the Rosette de la Résistance. He also named her a Chevalier de Légion d'honneur, the highest order of merit for military and civil action.

Josephine Baker distributes rations to the citizens of Paris. Photo courtesy of Gallica Digital Library.

Far more than a vaudeville dancer and a jazz singer, Josephine Baker was a force of nature who vaulted racial barriers of the era and achieved the highest levels of celebrity. Her status became a shield behind which she could fight the horrors of the Nazi regime. Fearless and outspoken, Josephine found new ways to challenge those who sought to diminish or silence the suffering or oppressed. In strengthening her own voice, she found innumerable ways to both charm and resist.

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african american experiences in world war ii

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Siren of the Resistance: The Artistry and Espionage of Josephine Baker | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

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Iconic entertainer of the Jazz Age, famous for her risqué performances, Josephine Baker responded to the start of World War II by becoming a spy for the French Resistance. Known as the "Creole Goddess" of France, Baker used her celebrity to gain access to high-ranking Axis officials.

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Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

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Description:

When: July 16 1945

Where: Los Alamos, New Mexico

Who: J. Robert Oppenheimer

What: The atomic bomb

Why: The atomic bomb was created by the U.S. shortly after the attack on pearl harbor. It was created partly out of intelligence reports that Nazi Germany might acquire one first but also partly because the U.S. hoped that it would end the war in Japan.

Sources:

https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature Stories/Story/Article/3464967/army-general-and-physicist-helped-usher-in-the-atomic-age

https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/decision-drop-atomic-bomb

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What Does a Nuclear Bomb Explosion Feel Like?

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Description:

When: August 6 1945

Where: Nagasaki Japan

What: An atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki japan by the U.S.

Why: The U.S. wanted the Japanese to surrender

Who:The U.S. and the Japanese

Sources:

https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/non-proliferation/hiroshima-nagasaki-and-subsequent-weapons-testin

The Bombing of Nagasaki, August 9, 1945

The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

https://www.nationalww2museum.org › war › articles

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Bombing of Nagasaki | Mr. Tornado | American Experience | PBS

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Description:

When: February 10, 1943

Who: Vesta Stoudt

What: Duct tape

Why: Vesta stoudt took notice of a problem with the ammunitions packing and came up woth a solution to open the packing quicker saving time and lives. The duct tape was used for other things as well

Sources:

https://www.jnj.com/our-heritage/vesta-stoudt-the-woman-who-invented-duct-tape

https://www.ppmindustries.com/en/news/long-history-duct-tape

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Description:

Who: Enrico Fermi

Where: Manhattan, New York

When: born September 29, 1901, died November 28, 1954

What: Enrico Fermi was a physicist who was one of the chief architects in The Manhattan Project. He was the main contributor of building the first nuclear reactor.

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Enrico-Fermi

https://www.britannica.com/event/Manhattan-Project

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Description:

When: 1942–1945

Where: Manhattan

What: The Manhattan Project was a U.S. government research project that produced the first atomic bombs.

Sources:

Manhattan Project - National Park Service

National Park Service (.gov)

https://www.nps.gov › mapr › learn › manhattan-project

Manhattan Project | Definition, Scientists, Timeline ...

Britannica

https://www.britannica.com › event › Manhattan-Project

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The bat bomb was a metal casing designed to open at 1,000 feet and drop the three trays filled with over 1,000 bats outfitted with napalm incendiary devices. (US Army photos. Task & Purpose composite)

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Who made it: Dr. Lytle S. Adams

When was it made: 1942

Sources: https://www.history.com/articles/weird-weapons-world-war-ii

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Description:

When: March 22, 1941

Who: Charles DeBow Jr., Benjamin O. Davis Jr., George "Spanky" Roberts, Mac Ross, and Lemuel Custi

Where: Tuskegee, Alabama

What: The first group of black pilots to become apart of the AFF and helped fight in the war in parts of north Africa and Europe.

Sources:

https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/tuskegees-first-five/

https://www.pbs.org/articles/who-are-the-tuskegee-airmen

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Masters of the Air — The Tuskegee Airmen | Apple TV+

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Haile Selassie addressed the League of Nations in June of 1936.

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When: October 3, 1935

Who: Benito Mussolini (Italy) and Ethiopia

What: Ethiopia, one of only two independent African nations at the time, was invaded on Oct. 3, 1935 by Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini. The Italians committed countless atrocities on the independent African state. Poisonous gas, aerial bombardment, flame throwers, and concentration camps were all employed.

Why: A border incident between Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland that December gave Benito Mussolini an excuse to intervene. Rejecting all arbitration offers, the Italians invaded Ethiopia on October 3, 1935.

Sources: https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ethiopia-invaded/ https://www.britannica.com/event/Italo-Ethiopian-War-1935-1936

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-September 30, 1928 - July 2, 2016

-Holocaust survivor, author, Nobel Peace Prize winner

-Elie was 15 when he was captured by the Nazis and sent away to a concentration camp in Poland

-He is the most famous for his book, Night, which describes his experiences in the Holocaust

TCi Textbook, Pages 426-427

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Description

When: 1942

Where: Eastman Kodak a film company

Who: Dr. Harry Wesley Coover

Why: Super glue was accidentally created while attempting to make clear plastic gun sights for Allied soldiers.

Sources:

https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2021/07/30/how-world-war-ii-led-to-the-invention-of-super-glue/

https://www.galliumlaw.com/sticking-it-to-the-axis-the-surprising-discovery-of-super-glue-during-wwii

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How super glue was invented | Moments of Vision 8 - Jessica Oreck

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University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

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When: 1940

Who: John Randall and Harry Boot

Why: To understand this gadget.

Purpose: Generate high-powered microwaves.

Sources: https://spectrum.ieee.org/magnetron

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Ritscher, A., Annals of Hydrography and Maritime Meteorology, VIII Supplement

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Description:

When: 1936-40

Where: Antarctica

Who: Adolf Hitler and The Third Reich

Why: The Nazis wanted to reduce their dependency on other countries so they began to search for ways to save their money and find ways to stretch their resources.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/articles/hitler-nazi-secret-expedition-antarctica-whale-oil

https://www.coolantarctica.com/Community/antarctic-mysteries-hitlers-secret-base.php

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 Zhang Yubiao’s- “What Does the Nanjing Massacre Have to Do with Me”

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Description:

In 2007, the Nanjing-born artist Zhang Yubiao used sketches to depict some of the victimized relatives of the Nanjing Massacre survivors, completing a total of 33 portraits. “What Does the Nanjing Massacre Have to Do with Me” is an oil painting that was created in 2017.

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Muzeum Gross-Rosen, Ofiar Gross Rosen, Rogoźnica, Poland

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Description:

Gerda Weissmann Klein is a Holocaust survivor, she lived for six years under Nazi rule, including three years in concentration camps, before being liberated by an American soldier who later became her husband in 1946.

sources:

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/id-card/gerda-weissmann

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/fall-2005/here-to-tell-my-story

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Description:

Edith Hahn Beer was an Austrian Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust by hiding her Jewish identity and marrying a Nazi officer. There was a movie made in 2003 about her.

Sources:

https://www.amazon.com/Nazi-Officers-Wife-Survived-Holocaust/dp/006293158X#:~:text=Edith%20Hahn%20Beer%20(January%2024,and%20marrying%20a%20Nazi%20officer.

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The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust

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The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust [Beer, Edith Hahn, Dworkin, Susan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust