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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1941WORLDWARII1945ETO 1941WORLD WA R I I 1 9 4 5 "As Americans, we go forward, in the service of our country, by the will of God...." President Franklin Delano Roosevelt Dissatised with the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I, Germany and Italy became “revisionist” powers—nations wanting to revise the peace selement to their benet. As leader of Germany’s fascist National Socialist (Nazi) party, Adolf Hitler used violence and intimidation to become German Chancellor in 1933. e Versailles Treaty prohibited Germany from having large military forces, but Hitler added units to its army and navy. He planned to regain German lands lost due to the treaty and become leader (“Fuhrer”) of a third German empire (“Reich”). Combining the revisionist powers, Germany and Italy created the Axis Treaty in 1936; Japan joined them in 1940. Taking risks, Hitler annexed Czechoslovakia and Austria in 1938, and then looked toward Poland. Distracted by the Great Depression, America did not respond, and though Britain and France failed to act in 1938, they declared that a German aack on Poland would mean war. Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 and expanded the war by invading and occupying Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in 1940. Absorbing Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary into the Axis, Hitler added their troops to German forces and all invaded the Soviet Union (Russia) in June 1941. us Russia joined the Allies. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt assisted Britain by providing ships and supplies and ordering American warships to protect cargo vessels in the Atlantic. German submarines red torpedoes at U.S. Navy ships, sinking one in October 1941. Four days aer Japanese forces aacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941, Hitler declared war on America. Allied leaders determined that of the Axis nations, Germany presented the greatest threat, giving strategic priority to “Europe First.” Allied navies conducted the “Bale of the Atlantic” against German submarines. It was uncertain when the Western Allies (America, Britain, and Canada) would gather enough military forces to open the “Second Front,” meaning to successfully invade German-occupied France. Until then, the Western Allies assisted Russia by striking the Axis elsewhere. Needing many months to build up U.S. forces, Pres. Roosevelt realized in the summer of 1942 Americans still had not fought the German army. He ordered U.S. Army Chief of Sta Gen. George C. Marshall to initiate a campaign in North Africa, where Germans and 4-engine bombers. In January 1943 the Allies an- nounced a Combined Bomber Oensive against the Axis. Flying from bases in Britain, Africa, and Italy, Americans bombed in daylight and the British at night, requiring the German air force to ght for control of the skies. Hitler also shied personnel and resources into anti-aircra artillery and city re-ghting units. Bomb - ing every major Axis city, the Allies damaged railroads, bridges, industries, electric plants, and naval bases. Re- lentless Allied bombing reduced Axis ability to supply its armies but also killed thousand of Axis civilians. e Western Allies publicized bombing as an “Air Front” almost equal to a “Second Front” in France. By the spring of 1944, the Germans had improved their coastal defenses in France but Western Allies were strong enough to invade at Normandy. In the largest amphibious operation in history, General Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander, with British, American, Canadian, and French subordinates. On 6 June three airborne divisions (two American and one British) parachuted behind German lines, followed by infantry and tanks storming onto ve beaches codenamed “Juno” (Canadian), “Gold” and “Sword” (British), and “Omaha” and “Utah” (American). (at same month Americans conducted major landings in the Pacic on Saipan in the Marianas Islands.) Multiple campaigns developed simultaneously. Devoting weeks to consolidate their beachhead, the Allies broke out of Normandy in July and pursued oensive operations throughout France, liberating Paris on 24 August. To support the breakout, additional American forces landed in Southern France. Winning several bales, the Russians pushed the Germans back in the East. e Western Allies drew near the Rhine River, a formidable obstacle to invading Germany. In September they aempted to cross by dropping British, Canadian, Polish, and American paratroopers in Holland while other units marched overland but the Germans blocked the crossing. Unknown to the Allies, Hitler planned a surprise counteraack through Belgium’s Ardennes region. Secretly assembling their last reserves, the Germans opened a stunning counteroensive on 16 December, surrounded the U.S. 101st Airborne Division at the vital road junction of Bastogne, and punched a large “bulge” in Allied lines. e “Bale of the Bulge” was the biggest American land bale of the war. To knock back the Germans, Gen. Eisenhower rushed Allies into the Bulge, including British infantry, Gen. George S. Paon’s ird U.S. Army, and 4,500 African-American soldiers from transport and supply units. Outside the Bulge, other American units, including the 3rd Infantry Division, engaged the Nazis near Holtzwihr, France, in January 1945. Lt. Audie Murphy, a farm boy from Hunt County, Texas, was awarded the Medal of Honor for exceptional bravery under re, and eventually was the mostly highly-decorated U.S. infantryman of World War II. Soon the Allies took the oensive into Germany. Advancing Allied troops discovered horrifying condi- tions in more than 20 concentration camps operated by special squads of Nazis. Since 1939, Nazis systematically worked to death or murdered millions of people, in par- ticular Jews of several nations. Terrifying details of the “Holocaust” conrmed the necessity for the Allies to defeat the fascists. On 30 April 1945, Hitler commied suicide. Berlin fell to the Russians on 1 May. Germany’s generals surren- dered to the Allies on 8 May at Rheims, France. As a result of World War II, the Allies divided Germany and Austria into occupation zones. Occupation ended in Austria in 1955 but garrisons remained in Germany for 50 years. By contrast, Italy’s occupation was brief. America provided the Marshall Plan of economic assistance across Europe, but Russia declined aid for the Eastern European nations it occupied. Economic and political rivalries of Russian Communism vs. Western democracy and capitalism inuenced U.S.-European and inter-European relations for ve decades. Joseph G. Dawson III, PhD, Texas A&M University Italians threatened the Suez Canal, Britain’s lifeline to India. Under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Americans landed in Morocco (November 1942) but Germans led by Gen. Erwin Rommel defeated the Allies at Kasserine Pass, Tunisia (February 1943). Reorganizing, the Americans coordinated with British, Australian, and New Zealand forces to ght a series of bales that drove the Axis out of Africa (May 1943). at campaign introduced Americans to the land war and removed the Axis threat to the Suez Canal, but it did not equal the “Second Front” which France promised to Russia. Allied planners disagreed over their next step: either focus on building up armies, bomber squadrons, and ships in Britain for the “Second Front” or develop a subordinate campaign in the Mediterranean. ey agreed to aack Italy. First American and British troops captured the island of Sicily then, reinforced by Allied soldiers from India, Poland, and Canada, they proceeded up the Italian peninsula. Tough bales at Salerno, Rapido River, Anzio, and Monte Cassino culminated in the Allied capture of Rome on 5 June 1944. Italy surrendered but thousands of German troops fought the Allies north of Rome. e Italian campaign gave the Allies air bases to bomb the Axis but Germany still commied its largest and best armies against the Russians Meanwhile, political leaders decided to include minorities in all U.S. Armed Forces. Japanese-Americans enlisted in the Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, associated with the 36th (“Texas”) Infantry Division in Italy and France. African-American soldiers served in the 761st Tank Baalion and 92nd Infantry Division, but many served in logistics units, such as the notable “Red Ball Express.” Some qualied as ghter pilots in the famed “Tuskegee Airmen” (who trained at Tuskegee, Alabama) and gunners who fought in artillery units. In the Navy, most African-Americans worked as wardroom stewards, but exceptional black sailors composed the entire crews of the destroyer escort Mason and Subchaser 1264. Hispanics served in several units and Macario García of Houston, Texas, was one of ve Hispanics to be awarded a Medal of Honor for extraordinary gallantry. Gradually the Americans and British strengthened a controversial military resource, squadrons of huge President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1933 - 1945 Portrait by Frank O. Salisbury CAMPAIGNS The WWII Victory streamer has two rainbows, each a miniature of the WWI Victory streamer. It was awarded to all military personnel for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946. ere were 16 campaigns in the Europe-Africa-Middle East, eater. (EAME) e brown color is representative of the sands of Africa and the green color for the green elds of Europe. e central blue, white, and red stripes taken from the American Defense Medal ribbon refers to the continuance of American Defense aer Pearl Harbor. Green, white, and red are the Italian colors, and the white and black colors refer to Germany. EGYPT - LIBYA 1942-1943 AIR OFFENSIVE, EUROPE 1942-1944 ALGERIA-FRENCH MOROCCO 1942 TUNISIA 1942-1943 SICILY 1943 NAPLES-FOGGIA 1943-1944 ANZIO 1944 ROME-ARNO 1944 NORMANDY 1944 NORTHERN FNCE 1944 SOUTHERN FNCE 1944 NORTH APENNINES 1944-1945 RHINELAND 1944-1945 ARDENNES-ALSACE 1944-1945 CENTL EUROPE 1945 PO VALLEY 1945 BELLIGERENTS ALLIES AXIS United Kingdom Germany United States Italy Soviet Union VERSUS Japan France and others Canada Australia China and others STATISTICS Total U.S. Service members (Worldwide) 16,112,566 Bale Deaths 291,557 Other Deaths in Service (Non-eater) 113,842 Non-mortal Woundings 671,846 M-1 Garand rie Sherman M-4 tank in Paris at the Arc de Triomphe. Lt. Eli Whiteley, A&M ‘41. One of 7 Aggies awarded the Medal of Honor. Lt. Audie Murphy, the most decorated combat soldier of WWII. 16 July 1945.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses his troops before D-Day, 6 June 1944. TIME Magazine. B-17 four- engine bomber. Sgt. Calvin C. Boykin, Jr., A&M ‘46, looks out om the turret of his M-8 armored car in the Huertgen Forest with the 814th Tank Destroyer Baalion.. On D-Day, spearheading the Allied invasion at Normandy, Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder, A&M ‘32, led the 2nd Ranger Baalion ashore at Pointe du Hoc, scaling the clis and disabling German baeries over - looking Omaha and Utah Beaches. Europe-Africa-Middle E a s t e a t e r United States 45-star ag    © 2010 e Memorial for all Veterans of the Brazos Valley, Inc.Le-Write InkAn American G.I. Gen. George S. Paon by Boleslaw Czedekowski , 1945, Smithsonian.