The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. The Allies' ultimate goal was to fight and win a two-front war. Their first objective, however, was to defeat Hitler. The United States was producing millions of tons of guns, tanks, and other war supplies. German U-boats, however, had sunk over 3,500 merchant ships bound for Britain. By mid-1943, using radar, bombers, and underwater depth charges, Allied forces were sinking U-boats faster than Germany could manufacture them. The Allies had begun to win the war in the North Atlantic.
In 1941, Germany attacked Russia, and Stalin wanted Roosevelt and Churchill to open a second front in France. Instead, in early 1942, British planes began saturation bombing, dropping large numbers of bombs on German cities. American bombers used strategic bombing, targeting key political and industrial centers. The Tuskegee Airmen, an African American fighter squadron, played a key role in the bombing campaign. In January 1943, after the long, bitter Battle of Stalingrad, the Russians turned back the German invasion of their country. During the same month, FDR announced that only the unconditional surrender of the Axis Powers would end the war. That is, they had to give up completely.
To help pave the way for an invasion of Italy, the Allies decided to push the Germans out of North Africa, where they had been fighting British troops since 1940. In February 1942, American General Dwight Eisenhower commanded the Allied invasion. After difficult battles, General George S. Patton, Jr. took charge of American forces. In May 1943, German and Italian forces in North Africa sur-rendered. Two months later, Allied forces invaded Sicily, two miles off the mainland of Italy. From there, they launched their invasion of Italy, and in September, Italy surrendered.
In spite of its "Europe first" strategy, the United States did not ignore the Pacific where Japanese forces had continued to advance.
In June 1942, the Japanese attacked Midway, a vital American naval base in the central Pacific. The American naval commander, Admiral Chester Nimitz, had learned of the Japanese plans, and the Battle of Midway was a decisive American victory. It ended Japanese expansion in the Pacific and put Japan on the defensive.
Review Questions
1. What tactics did the Allies use to weaken Germany?
2. Why was it so important for the United States to defeat the Japanese at Midway?
9 answers
2. It was important for the United States to defeat the Japanese at Midway because it put Japan on the defensive and halted their expansion in the Pacific. It also prevented the Japanese from gaining control of vital American naval bases in the central Pacific, ensuring the security of American territories and supply lines.
2. It was important to defeat the Japanese at Midway to stop their expansion in the Pacific and secure vital American naval bases.
Who were the Tuskegee
Airmen?
VOCABULARY STRATEGY
What does the word ultimate mean in the underlined sen-tence? Circle the word below that is a synonym for ultimate.
• first
• final
READING SKILL
Summarize How did the Allies prepare for the invasion of Italy?
VOCABULARY STRATEGY: final
READING SKILL: The Allies prepared for the invasion of Italy by first pushing the Germans out of North Africa, where they had been fighting British troops, and then invading Sicily before launching their invasion of Italy itself.
The home front, world war 1
(0 points)
Economy:
( 3 points)
Effects on women:
(4 points)
Effects on Minorities:
(5 points)
1. The economy experienced a boom as factories shifted to wartime production, leading to increased industrial output and job opportunities.
2. The war effort stimulated technological advancements and innovation in industries such as aviation and electronics.
3. Government spending on defense and war material boosted the economy and helped lift the country out of the Great Depression.
Effects on women:
1. Women entered the workforce in large numbers to fill roles left vacant by men serving in the military.
2. Women took on non-traditional jobs in industries such as manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture.
3. The war effort challenged traditional gender roles and paved the way for greater acceptance of women in the workforce.
4. Women's contributions to the war effort helped lay the groundwork for the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Effects on Minorities:
1. African Americans faced discrimination and segregation in the military and war industries.
2. The war led to the migration of African Americans from the South to Northern cities to fill industrial jobs.
3. Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated and interned in camps due to fears of espionage and sabotage.
4. The war highlighted inequalities and injustices faced by minority groups in the United States, leading to increased calls for civil rights and equality.
The home front, world war 1
(0 points)
Economy:
( 3 points)
Effects on women:
(4 points)
Effects on Minorities:
(5 points)
(Write in one sentences)
Effects on women: Women entered the workforce in large numbers and took on non-traditional roles, challenging traditional gender roles and paving the way for future advancements in gender equality.
Effects on Minorities: Minorities faced discrimination and segregation in the military and war industries, leading to migration, internment, and increased calls for civil rights and equality.