WWII: The Outbreak

                                      THE WWII BLOG

This is the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The attack was so brutal the Pacific navy was incapacitated. Soldiers tried to save others while the ships were burning.

This is a map of where the boats were stationed at the time of the attacked. Almost all the ships were injured, only three were sunk. This marked the United States's entrance into the war.

WWII was a time for women to take charge
and begin to do jobs men normally would.
This time period allowed for the idea of
women's rights and allowing women into
the work space.

CAUSES

In this picture, president Roosevelt is talking to the senate.
He is asking the Senate to declare war on Japan.
This is the turning point for America 

This poster seen here is propaganda
posted by the US. Other posters like
these inspired brave Americans to
enlist in the Military. After all,
who will if you don't? 

The main cause of the U.S.'s entrance into the war was pearl harbor: the first foreign attack on American soil.Within a matter of hours, the entire Pacific fleet and thousands of soldiers were slaughtered in a mass of explosions and fire. This massive amount of destruction created a ripple in the U.S. What if they were coming to strike again? What will happen next if we do not step in? These questions filled the minds of our great leaders as they declared war on Japan. Since Germany was an ally of Japan,  they declared war on us as well.  

This is the German tank Panzer IV.
This tank was the most technically advanced weaponry on the battlefield.
  However, it took too much time to create one, leading to sparse amounts of tanks.

U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR

The U.S. has finally set its sight on war. With the attacks from the West and feared attacks in the East, America began to prepare itself for invasion. They posted a draft, converted old factories to create munitions, and recruited women in the male absence. While many men went to fight the Japanese in the Pacific, plenty of troops were shipped toward Europe, where they partook in two places: D-day and Italy. D-day was a time in which English, Canadian, and American forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to create a toehold in Europe and forced Hitler to fight on two sides. The invasion of Italy, however, was a plan in which we eliminated Hitler's primary associate: Mussolini. 

THE SETTING

The U.S. fought on two fronts: in the Pacific and in Europe. none of the fighting was on U.S. soil. On the Pacific front, American soldiers faced oceanic assaults, varying climates of island takeovers, and kamikaze pilots near the end of the war. The island climates were so varied that no two islands taken over were that similar. They were mostly jungle filled or incapable of sustaining life. On the other front, the brave soldiers faced the temperate mountainous climates of Europe; there were two fronts in Europe: Normandy and Italy. The most famous battle is D-Day, a battle for the beaches of Normandy.

ON THE HOME FRONT

The invasion of D-Day, as pictured here
was a brutal assault on Normandy. Many
soldiers died trying to take the soil from
the Nazi's. Although it was victorious,
it came at a heavy cost. 

Although many Americans had reservations of joining the war, Pearl Harbor set their minds on war. Men were drafted, women were put in munitions factories, many weapons, tanks, ships, and planes were made. America began to ration goods, so that they could send more supplies to soldiers on the front lines.  Many women began to reach a new standard: to work instead of just being a housewife. Anyone who was against the war was shunned as "Anti-American". America was ready for a counter-attack, and it was not going to wait to become a target a second time.

THE END OF THE WAR

The war ended in Europe when the British, French, Canadians, and Americans from France and Italy were approaching Germany from one side, and Russia was rearing towards Hitler on the other front. With one final failed counter-attack from the Germans at the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies began to close in on Hitler's stronghold. With no options left, Hitler cowered in fear and took his own life. With the war in Europe over, America could begin to focus its efforts on Japan. Japan would not surrender as easily as Germany would, as their soldiers were trained to fight till the last man. Each island taken from the Japanese costed the Americans thousands of casualties. After taking Iwo Jima, America was in range of bombing Japan. They were faced with two options: use the experimental nukes Fat Man and Little Boy, or risk more soldier's lives and mental health invading Japan. Every last Japanese man, woman, and child would fight the American soldiers, which could cause some serious psychological issues. In the end, the nukes were dropped, and Japan surrendered. The Americans had won.

This poster shows Uncle Sam holding a wrench
and threatening the Japanese. He is using a slang
term for the Japanese, or Japs. This poster was put up
after the defeat of Hitler, marking Japan's end.

This is a picture of brave American soldiers lifting a flag over
Iwo Jima.  This marked the end of the fighting in Japan, as
this was the last island taken from Japan. The flag represented
American freedom, looming over the oppressed Japanese.