https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls An Interactive Journey: 1938-1945 en-us 2021-04-20 18:39:16 UTC 2023-04-03 14:37:22 UTC hello@padlet.com 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439477242 Also known as the Munich Agreement, this policy allowed Germany to occupy the Sudetenland (a German-speaking part of Czechoslovakia) on the terms that Germany would stop any farther expansion immediately afterwards. This agreement was widely supported at the time - it seemed that Chamberlain had just averted a second world war - but, as Winston Churchill predicted, this agreement was "an unmitigated disaster." In March 1939 (just five months later), Hitler overtook the rest of Czechoslovakia, clearly violating the Munich Agreement.]]> 2021-04-20 18:42:01 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439477242 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439514143 In the Non-Aggression Pact, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed not to take any military action against each other for ten years. The pact also contained a secret section that determined how the two countries would later divide Eastern Europe. Both Hitler of Germany and Stalin of the Soviet Union found the pact highly beneficial: Hitler could continue forcefully expanding his empire without Soviet intervention, while Stalin could continue building up his military without having to fear German invasion. However, the pact was a huge blow to the rest of Europe: with the Soviet army conveniently set aside, there was nothing standing in the Nazis' way.]]> 2021-04-20 18:50:09 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439514143 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439552458 Due to the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact, this attack was a complete surprise to Poland - and, indeed, the world. Prior to the invasion, Nazi propagandists falsely claimed that the Poles were planning to attack Germany, and Soviet soldiers even staged a Polish attack on a German radio station. Therefore, Hitler invaded Poland under the pretense of "retaliation." The German army far outnumbered and outpowered the Poles, allowing Germany to continue its conquest of Europe. The invasion of Poland, a long-time ally of Britain and France, led the former two countries to declare war on Germany... and just like that, World War II had begun.]]> 2021-04-20 18:58:26 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439552458 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439614673 In early May, Germany attacked France via the Ardennes Forest, which the French - thinking the forest impenetrable - had left virtually unguarded. Thousands of Allied soldiers fled from the Nazis to the northern coastal city of Dunkirk, which was the only evacuation point that hadn't been overtaken by the German army. In a complete miracle, Allied ships (aided by local fishing boats) saved over 300,000 soldiers. However, although the rescue saved an insane amount of lives, France was beyond salvation: she surrendered to Germany on June 22, leaving Britain to stand alone against the seemingly unstoppable Nazis.]]> 2021-04-20 19:12:36 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439614673 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439674864 The Battle of Britain was between the British Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe, Germany's air force, making it the first battle in history fought only from the air. The Battle of Britain began with the Luftwaffe targeting British military bases, but after the RAF retaliated by bombing Berlin, the Luftwaffe proceeded to bomb several huge British cities in a campaign known as the Blitz. However, Churchill couldn't be shaken, and the RAF couldn't be destroyed; after nearly three months of bombing, Hitler called off the attack. Although Germany and Britain had suffered huge casualties, Britain had weakened the Luftwaffe and dealt Hitler his first defeat of the war.]]> 2021-04-20 19:26:53 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1439674864 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1447006513 Japan's rapid military expansion concerned the U.S., who banned the sailing of Japanese oil ships into U.S. ports. This angered Japan, and despite peace talks between the two, Japan was secretly planning for war - a plan that came to fruition on December 7, when Japanese General Hideki Tojo launched a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor military base. The air raid lasted less than two hours but left 2,400 Americans dead, 200 aircraft destroyed, and each of the eight battleships in Pearl Harbor damaged or sunk. The attack infuriated Americans, causing most American isolationism towards the war to disappear. ]]> 2021-04-22 13:03:58 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1447006513 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1447054316 The attack on Pearl Harbor also caused widespread suspicion of Japanese Americans in the U.S. On February 19, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, supposedly for the purpose of preventing Japanese American traitors from communicating with the Japanese army (despite finding no evidence that any Japanese American had anything to do with the attack on Pearl Harbor). Executive Order 9066 effectively declared the western portion of the U.S. (where the majority of Japanese Americans lived) a military zone, forcing about 117,000 Japanese Americans - many of whom were American citizens - to leave their homes and relocate to internment camps, where they remained for the rest of the war. These camps had little space and little work; when the internees were finally released, they were given no help from the government and entered a racist society with little money and, often, no home to return to.]]> 2021-04-22 13:13:16 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1447054316 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1447887567 In WWII, North Africa played a significant role: whoever held North Africa also controlled the Suez Canal (which provided Britain with an important passageway to her overseas territories) and had access to oil from the Middle East, which Britain was highly dependent upon. If Germany could control North Africa, Britain would be crippled - so it was a huge success when German General Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps succeeded in pushing the British out of Libya. However, the Afrika Korps were suffering from a lack of supplies, and the British triumphed in the month-long Battle of El Alamein. This was a crucial turning point in the battle for North Africa.]]> 2021-04-22 15:41:23 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1447887567 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452399669 Operation Torch was a combined effort of the American and British armies led by American general Dwight D. Eisenhower. The troops landed in Africa in November and established strong Allied forces to the east and west of the Afrika Korps, effectively trapping them. In May 1943, the Afrika Korps were forced to surrender to the Allied soldiers surrounding them, leaving Northern Africa in Allied hands - a huge victory for the British, but a massive blow to Germany.]]> 2021-04-23 15:59:21 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452399669 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452444273 Operation Barbarossa, overseen by Hitler himself, was a massive Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in complete disregard to the Non-Aggression Pact signed less than two years prior. Over three million highly-capable Nazi soldiers entered the Soviet Union, covering a span of two thousand miles. Although the attack was initially successful and resulted in thousands of Soviet casualties, the Nazis had severely underestimated their opponent and the harsh Russian climate; instead of the quick conquest Hitler had envisioned, Operation Barbarossa lasted months and forced high quantities of soldiers and other resources to be allocated to the Soviet front, weakening Nazi defenses in other geographical areas.]]> 2021-04-23 16:08:18 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452444273 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452504619 Seeing that the Soviet Union wasn't going to fall quickly or easily - especially as the harsh Russian winter set in, causing equipment to fail and soldiers to suffer - Hitler ordered a siege on Leningrad, which his army had previously failed to capture, in hopes that the city would be forced to surrender. Absolutely no supplies were allowed into the city throughout the duration of the siege, and civilians suffered by the thousands.]]> 2021-04-23 16:20:11 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452504619 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452541166 After 900 days - nearly two and a half years - the extended siege on Leningrad finally came to an end upon the creation of a land corridor into the city, which finally allowed the Red Army to drive the Nazis away. However, the damage done had been great: during the winter of 1941-42, three to four thousand civilians starved every day, and over one million citizens had perished by the time the siege was ended.]]> 2021-04-23 16:27:26 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452541166 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452567921 After Hitler tried and failed to conquer Moscow, he launched an attack on Stalingrad. This city was chosen for strategic purposes: as a Soviet industrial center, it provided the majority of the Red Army's artillery among other important goods. Stalingrad also bore Stalin's name, making it more appealing to Hitler for propaganda purposes - and extremely important to the Soviets that they didn't let the Nazis conquer Stalingrad. Upon the launch of the Nazi attack, Soviet forces held off German troops to the north of Stalingrad, suffering brutal casualties. Meanwhile, the Soviets had evacuated the grain and cattle from Stalingrad but left the people, thinking that the civilians' presence would help motivate troops. This decision led to thousands of civilian casualties before the battle was over.]]> 2021-04-23 16:32:52 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1452567921 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461131248 By this time, Stalingrad was in ruins. Tens of thousands of civilians had died: air raids from the Luftwaffe killed thousands, and Stalin's famous decree of "Not a step back!" in Order No. 227 - which encouraged all men not involved in weapons production to take up arms while women were charged with digging trenches - caused even more casualties. This brutal fighting went on for some time, Soviet casualties only mounting, until Operation Uranus (the Soviet counterattack) succeeded in trapping the 300,000 Axis soldiers inside of Stalingrad. Without any food or supplies and winter setting in, the Germans started to starve - but Hitler refused to grant them the right to surrender. The Soviets took advantage of the Germans' weakness and broke their defenses, regaining control of the city. This battle was a crucial turning point in the war: it put Germany on the defensive for the first time and greatly boosted Soviet morale.]]> 2021-04-26 18:39:58 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461131248 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461248349 Meanwhile, the war between the Japanese and American armies was raging on the Pacific - and things were looking grim for America. After the surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to Japan, the Japanese army forced 70,000 prisoners to march to a distant prison camp. The sweltering heat and humidity, a lack of food and water, and the brutal treatment of Japanese officers killed 600 Americans and up to 10,000 Filipinos during the march; later, thousands of prisoners perished in inhumane Japanese prison camps, which might more accurately be called death camps.]]> 2021-04-26 19:04:22 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461248349 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461402925 Encouraged by their success concerning the Bataan Peninsula, the Japanese planned an attack on Midway, where a key U.S. military base was located. Japan could provide far more ships and aircraft, and a Japanese victory seemed certain... but their good fortune had run out: the U.S. military intercepted and deciphered an encoded Japanese message containing the exact time and location of the attack. This knowledge enabled the U.S. military to plan a highly successful counterattack: America quickly emerged from the battle victorious. This was a crucial turning point in the war against Japan, as it finally gave the U.S. the upper hand in the Pacific.]]> 2021-04-26 19:41:27 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461402925 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461437261 After the crucial Japanese defeat at Midway, the Allies used their advantageous position to go on the offensive, which they did through the strategy of "island hopping" (also known as leapfrogging). Allied forces would skip over Japanese strongholds to capture weaker targets, which would then be used as Allied bases for the next attack. This strategy proved to be highly successful and played a major role in the ultimate victory of the Allies in the Pacific.]]> 2021-04-26 19:50:11 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461437261 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461466195 During the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, the Japanese armies first utilized kamikaze pilots. Kamikaze pilots loaded their planes with explosives and intentionally crashed into Allied ships, willingly sacrificing their lives in order to kill more Allied soldiers. The use of kamikazes was, according to the Japanese government, the only way for the Japanese to gain the offensive against the Allies - but it proved incredibly costly to both sides. Over the remainder of the war, 1,321 kamikaze aircrafts (nicknamed Baka, or "fool," by the Americans) willingly crashed into Allied ships in a desperate attempt to regain the advantage in the Pacific. Their attempts, however, were in vain: despite some 3,000 Allied deaths, the kamikaze pilots couldn't cause enough destruction to change the outcome of the war.]]> 2021-04-26 19:57:36 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461466195 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461510196 On the morning of June 6, General Dwight D. Eisenhower officially started Operation Overlord. More commonly known as D-Day, Operation Overlord was an invasion of northern France that was the largest amphibious military operation to date. By nightfall, 155,000 Allied soldiers had successfully breeched Normandy and began forcing their way inland. Partially due to German confusion in the ranks and Hitler's stubborn belief that the Normandy attack was merely a distraction from a larger invasion still to come, D-Day was a huge success: by the end of June, the Allies had landed even more men and vehicles in Normandy and prepared to continue across Europe (which, up to this point, had been mainly controlled by Hitler). With the surrender of Paris in August, France was finally reclaimed by the Allies nearly four years after Germany's invasion in 1940.]]> 2021-04-26 20:10:03 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461510196 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461553822 On V-E Day, America and Britain (as well as previously German-occupied cities) were in the best of spirits as they celebrated the Nazi's defeat. The Germans finally laid down their arms across Europe; later that day, surrender documents were signed in Berlin and eastern Germany. The main objective of Germany's surrender was to save their soldiers from Soviet capture - a goal that was not entirely achieved, as nearly 3 million Germans were taken prisoner in the period shortly before and after their surrender. However, the war in Europe was finally over, and the Nazis - however impossible it had seemed at the beginning of the war - were defeated at last.]]> 2021-04-26 20:22:52 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461553822 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461577265 Likely due to the German resistance to Soviet capture, there were several moments of German-Soviet confrontation and rebellious Nazis who refused to lay down their arms on May 8. However, by May 9, these confrontations were subdued; the Soviets celebrated V-E Day one day later than the rest of the world, rejoicing with Stalin's radio salute, "Your courage has defeated the Nazis. The war is over."]]> 2021-04-26 20:30:18 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461577265 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461592704 As Iwo Jima was deemed a strategic Japanese military base and the perfect place to launch an invasion of Japan itself, the American military launched an attack on the island. The Marines thought that Iwo Jima would fall within days, but Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi had planned an incredibly effective defensive strategy. The American air raids at the beginning of the attack did little damage to Japanese defenses, and the island's environment - volcanic ash beaches and thick jungles - served to slow the Americans' process during the invasion. However, Kuribayashi's tactic wasn't enough to prevent an American victory, and they ultimately prevailed. However, the cost of victory was high: nearly 7,000 Americans perished on Iwo Jima (as well as an estimated 19,000 Japanese). However, after the fighting was over, the significance of Iwo Jima was questioned - especially since an invasion was not, after all, staged from the island. ]]> 2021-04-26 20:35:18 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461592704 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461665701 Okinawa was the last barrier for America to conquer before reaching mainland Japan. Both the Allies and the Japanese knew that if Okinawa fell, so would Japan, and both sides fought accordingly. American morale was low during the initial invasion of over 180,000 Army Corps and Marines: most soldiers expected the attack to be worse than D-Day, where they had to fight desperately for every inch of beach. However, the expected mass of Japanese soldiers wasn't waiting on the beach, and the U.S. military entered Okinawa with little issue - but the battle was far from over: Japanese soldiers were waiting farther inland, where they had the advantage of terrain. The battle was one of the longest and bloodiest in the war.]]> 2021-04-26 21:01:30 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1461665701 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464588355 After months of fighting, Okinawa finally fell to American hands - but it wasn't an easy battle. Okinawa's rough terrain, the use of kamikazes, and rainy weather caused massive casualties: American lines suffered 12,000 deaths and the Japanese army lost around 110,000 men, not including 40,000-150,000 Okinawan citizens that lost their lives. However, just like the Battle of Iwo Jima, the importance of conquering Okinawa was brought into question after the fighting ended: although Allied forces were now close enough to easily launch an invasion of Japan, the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima came shortly after, rendering the conquest of Okinawa unnecessary. ]]> 2021-04-27 14:33:28 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464588355 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464680860 On the fateful morning of August 6, an over 9,000-pound atomic bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" was dropped over Hiroshima, one of Japan's largest cities. The bomb destroyed around five square miles of the city and immediately killed around 80,000 civilians; thousands more would later die from the effects of radiation exposure. Little Boy was the first atomic bomb to be deployed, but it wasn't entirely without reason: it appeared that Japan - who, as early as 1944, was without hope of victory - wouldn't surrender until absolutely necessary. The bomb's alternative, a massive U.S. invasion of Japan, was predicted to resulted in over a million U.S. casualties; the risk of Soviet interference on the Japanese side was also deemed great and, to avoid these risks, President Truman decided to drop the bomb.]]> 2021-04-27 14:50:25 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464680860 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464738482 The U.S. government, concerned with the Nazis' research of nuclear weaponry, began funding atomic weapons development in 1940. The Manhattan Project, as this function was called, worked over the next several years to produce a successful atomic device - the culmination of which came on July 16, when the Manhattan Project dropped a successful plutonium bomb at the Trinity test site in New Mexico. Now that the U.S. military knew this type of weaponry was properly developed, President Harry Truman a tough decision to make: would he use these weapons of mass destruction on Japan?]]> 2021-04-27 15:01:01 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464738482 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464800306 After Japan didn't quickly surrender after Hiroshima's bombing, Major Charles Sweeney was deployed with an even more powerful atomic bomb, this one nicknamed "Fat Man." His original target, Kokura, was under thick cloud cover, sending Sweeney and the bomb to the city of Nagasaki. Due to its convenient locale between two mountains, the bomb's destruction was limited to "only" 2.6 miles... but it still resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and massive destruction. However, it did ultimately achieve its purpose: Japan declared surrender only five days later.]]> 2021-04-27 15:12:03 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464800306 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464828142 Despite the unfathomable destruction and death the atomic bombs had caused in Japan, they did elicit a quick end to the war, as President Truman had hoped. On August 14, Emperor Hirohito declared Japan's surrender via a radio broadcast, in which he cited the power of a "new and most cruel bomb." Celebrations took place all across America and other Allied nations: the war had, at last, come to a complete end.]]> 2021-04-27 15:17:10 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464828142 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464863598 The Yalta Conference was a meeting between three major Allied powers (British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, and Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin), typically referred to as the Big Three. In the Yalta Conference, Stalin agreed to help the U.S. in its war against the Japanese "two or three months" after a German surrender in return for land the Soviets had lost to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War. The Big Three decided that Germany should be divided into four segments, one apiece for Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the U.S.; they also determined that Germany should be responsible for some, but not all, reparations. Lastly, Stalin agreed to let all of the Eastern European nations liberated from Nazi rule (including Poland) practice free elections instead of overtaking their governments. However, it soon became clear that Stalin had no intentions of allowing political freedom in these Eastern European nations, least of all Poland, causing both Britain and the U.S. to become much more suspicious of Stalin. This distrust came to a climax in March of 1946 when, with most of Eastern Europe under Stalin's control thanks to the agreements made at Yalta, the Soviet Union and its Western allies stopped cooperating with each other and the Cold War began. ]]> 2021-04-27 15:23:40 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1464863598 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1465452819 With multiple nations in devastation after the war - devastation that, thanks to the development of new weaponry and the widespread use of bombs, was previously unknown to man - representatives of 50 nations gathered in San Francisco, California, in the hopes of creating an organization that would prevent another world war. Over a two-month span, these representatives drafted and signed the UN Charter. The UN still exists today and continues to work towards international cooperation and war prevention.]]> 2021-04-27 17:11:49 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1465452819 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469011314 Held in Berlin, this conference was the last meeting between the Big Three. However, although the nations present remained the same, the representatives had changed since Yalta: President Truman attended in place of the recently deceased President Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was replaced halfway through the conference by his successor, Clement Attlee. Their topics mainly concerned postwar Europe, although Japan also demanded a slight amount of the Allied leaders' attention.]]> 2021-04-28 13:34:46 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469011314 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469091466 During the Potsdam Conference, the Big Three issued a decree to Japan demanding "unconditional surrender." It would have been in Japan's favor to declare surrender, as their country was already devastated from Allied bombings and they had no support from the other Axis Powers (who had already surrendered), but the proud country refused to lay down their arms - despite the decree's threat that, if the country didn't surrender, they would experience mass destruction (essentially giving Japan a warning prior to the atomic bombing of August 6).]]> 2021-04-28 13:50:06 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469091466 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469123880 After nearly a month of discussion, the Big Three finally ended their last joint conference. Several issues concerning Germany were agreed upon: a Council of Foreign Ministers, as well as military administration of Germany, was established; all three nations agreed that war criminals would be put on trial and the Nazi institutions that had run Germany during the war would be decentralized. Other topics, including reparations and Germany's economy, were also discussed.]]> 2021-04-28 13:56:13 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469123880 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469272428 In December, Hitler ordered a final counterattack on Belgium (specifically, the Ardennes Forest) in the hopes of slowing Allied progress towards Germany. Initially, the Nazis made good progress, producing a bulge in Allied lines that the battle was named after. Soldiers on both sides were plagued by the Ardennes' harsh climate: thick fog, subzero temperatures, and driving rain made surviving difficult without the constant gunshots. Hitler also infiltrated Allied troops with his own carefully groomed spies, who spoke perfect English and blended in nearly perfectly with American and British soldiers. However, once these spies were identified and the weather finally cleared - allowing Allied war vehicles (tanks, aircraft, and the like) to navigate - the Nazis were outmatched. By the end of January, the Allies had defeated the Nazis in what would be their last major offensive campaign - but victory came at a high cost: the battle resulted in over 100,000 American casualties.]]> 2021-04-28 14:24:05 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469272428 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469370099

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-britain-hoped-to-avoid-war-with-germany-in-the-1930s#:~:text=Instituted%20in%20the%20hope%20of,as%20a%20policy%20of%20weakness.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact#:~:text=On%20August%2023%2C%201939%E2%80%93shortly,for%20the%20next%2010%20years.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939#:~:text=German%20troops%20invaded%20Poland%20on,declared%20war%20on%20Nazi%20Germany.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-britain-1

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation

https://www.historynet.com/how-north-africa-became-a-battleground-in-world-war-ii.htm#:~:text=The%20battle%20for%20North%20Africa,increased%20mechanization%20of%20modern%20armies.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa#:~:text=On%20June%2022%2C%201941%2C%20Adolf,the%20frontier%20into%20Soviet%20territory.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/siege-of-leningrad

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/pacific-strategy-1941-1944

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-kamikaze-attack-of-the-war-begins

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/d-day

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/yalta-conference#:~:text=The%20Yalta%20Conference%20was%20a,coast%20of%20the%20Crimean%20Peninsula.

https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/potsdam-conference#:~:text=The%20Potsdam%20Conference%2C%20held%20near,new%20American%20president%2C%20Harry%20S.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adolf-hitler-is-named-chancellor-of-germany 

]]> 2021-04-28 14:42:44 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469370099 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469383582 George HW Bush, former President of the United States, was in a plane shot down by the Japanese army during a bombing raid. He was rescued by the Allies - but the other men from that raid were cooked and eaten by Japanese soldiers!]]> 2021-04-28 14:45:18 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469383582 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469398126 With air raids becoming increasingly frequent, German cities were desperate to avoid a bombing, and blackouts were enforced every night. However, the German city of Konstantz took up a different strategy: instead of a blackout, they kept all of their lights on every night, convincing Allied bombers that they were part of Switzerland. Konstantz was never bombed during WWII.]]> 2021-04-28 14:47:58 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469398126 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469549742 A. Trick question: Operation Barbarossa was successful for the Nazis.
B. Hitler underestimated the Red Army and the harsh Russian winter.
C. The Nazis didn't have enough soldiers to overpower the Red Army.
D. Although the Nazis were capable of destroying the Red Army, a plague swept through their ranks, killing most of the Nazis before they could defeat the Soviets.]]> 2021-04-28 15:17:05 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469549742 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469577952 A. To prevent Japanese Americans from communicating with the Japanese army.
B. To give Japanese Americans a better place to live.
C. To hold Japanese Americans that had been found guilty of communicating with Japan.
D. To hold Japanese prisoners of war.]]> 2021-04-28 15:22:22 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469577952 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469609580 A. A two-sided invasion of Japan was accomplished, using Iwo Jima and Okinawa as the starting points.
B. When Allied forces reached Okinawa, Japan knew that all was lost and surrendered immediately.
C. Iwo Jima provided the starting point for the American bomber carrying the first atomic bomb.
D. None; the atomic bomb, launched from the U.S., was the only thing that ultimately convinced Japan to surrender.]]> 2021-04-28 15:28:17 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1469609580 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470191918 2021-04-28 17:16:48 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470191918 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470259552 2021-04-28 17:29:50 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470259552 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470631009 Signing a non-aggression pact with Poland was among Hitler's first actions in office. At the time, he cited it as a desire for peace; however, it can be assumed that Hitler's real motivation behind the agreement was to eradicate the possibility of a Polish-French alliance against Germany.]]> 2021-04-28 18:45:02 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470631009 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470660220 Hitler rose drastically in popularity during Germany's economic downfall of 1932 and, although German President Paul von Hindenburg was reluctant to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, he was eventually convinced by the former Chancellor and the German National People's Party to give Hitler the position. Hitler immediately ordered for an expansion of the German police force and created a new security force composed entirely of Nazis, commanding them to end any rebellions to the Nazi party. This marked the beginning of Hitler's regime, which - just weeks in - was already too powerful to be stopped.]]> 2021-04-28 18:51:31 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470660220 508mlc09 https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470814747 After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt found it necessary to declare war on Japan - immediately. This was popularly supported by most American citizens; although the U.S. as a whole had been eager to avoid another war after being unnecessarily dragged into WWI, Americans were convinced that war was the only response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The U.S. was now an Allied Power and began working with the other Allies to defeat the Axis Powers.]]> 2021-04-28 19:28:52 UTC https://padlet.com/508mlc09/gcw8ym6xz429crls/wish/1470814747