IC : PTias(III53) E (1)of(14)

PTs IAS Academy

Unit 5
The pat h to success is
to take massive, determined
action.
LECTURE 3
World War II
PAPE R I I
GENERAL STUDI ES- I
Indian Heritage and Culture,
History and Geography
of the World and Society
Uni t 5
History of the world will include
events f rom 18th century such as
industrial revolution, worl d wars,
redrawal of national boundaries,
colonization, decolonization, poli tical
philosophies like communism,
capitalism, socialism etc. their
f orms and eff ect on the society.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
ThewartoendallwarsasWorldWarIwascalled,hadendedin1919but
theissuesremainedunresolved.ThefoundationsofWorldWarIIwere
allmost the same as the firstWorld War. This was exacerbated by the
humiliatingtreatyofVersailleswhichGermanywasforcedtosign.Butthe
treatywassignedbythecivilians.Thearmyhadnotsurrendered.In1929
theEconomicDepressionwhichbeganinAmericaandspreadtotherestof
theworldalsocontributedtoincreasingtheinstabilityoftheregion.
1.1 TheGreatDepression
ThesevereworldwideeconomicdepressioninthedecadeprecedingWorld
WarIIisknownastheGreatDepression.Itstartedin1929andlastedtill
theendoftheSecondWorldWar.Itwasthelongest,mostwidespread,
anddeepestdepressionofthe20thcentury.
TheGreatDepressionhaddevastatingeffectsincountriesrichandpoor.
Personalincome,taxrevenue,profitsandpricesdropped,whileinternational
tradeplungedbymorethan50%.UnemploymentintheU.S.roseto25%,
andinsomecountriesroseashighas33%.
Citiesallaroundtheworldwerehithard,especiallythosedependentonheavyindustry.Constructionwasvirtuallyhaltedinmany
countries.Farmingandruralareassufferedascroppricesfellby
approximately 60%. Facing plummeting demand with few
alternatesourcesofjobs,areasdependentonprimarysector
industriessuchascashcropping,miningandloggingsuffered
themost.
Someeconomiesstartedtorecoverbythemid1930s.Inmany
countries,thenegativeeffectsoftheGreatDepressionlasted
untiltheendofWorldWarII.
1.1.1 TheGreatDepression&WWII
Unemployment: Mass unemployment in Germany and
poverty in Japan caused great anger. This created the
groundforriseofrightwing,dictatorialgovernmentswho
toldthemtheircountrywassuperioranditwasvalidfor
themtotakewhattheywantedbyforce.Itwasthekindof
thingtheywantedtohearinthecircumstances.25countries
becamedictatorships192939.
America: America called in her loans to Germany. This
precipitatedthecollapseofGermanyindustryandleddirectly
toHitler'srisetopower.
Regd.Offi ce:Indore
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uniqueTechnol ogyDrivenProcessEngi ne(TDproengine).
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4th Fl oor, Yeshwant Pl aza,
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GermanNewspaper,1919.
Vengeance!
German
Nation
TodayintheHallofMirrors,thedisgraceful
Treatyisbeingsigned.Donotforgetit.The
Germanpeoplewillwithunceasinglabour
pressforwardtoreconquertheplaceamong
nationstowhichitisentitled.Thenwillcome
vengeancefortheshameof1919
IC : PTias(III53) E (2)of(14)
Politics:Manyleadersknowthat,whenthingsgetbadathome,onewaytostayinpoweristoturnpeople'sattentiontoforeign
affairs,directpeople'shatredagainstothercountriesandindulgeinjingoismwhichresultedinamoreaggressive,nationalistic
foreignpolicy.
Empirebuilding:Intheatmosphereofcutthroateconomictrade,theanswerofcountrieslikeJapan&Italywastobuildan
empirethiswouldsecuretheirsuppliesofrawmaterialsandnaturalresources.CountrieslikeJapan(Manchuria),Italy
(Abyssinia)andGermany(easternEurope),therefore,setaboutbuildinganempireleadingtointernationalconflictandtension.
SelfInterest:Countrieswhowerepreparedtobephilanthropicduringthe1920s,couldnotaffordtogivewayduringthe
1930s.TheylefttheLeagueofnationstherebydestroyingtheinternationalcooperationidealonwhichtheLeagueofNations
wasformed.
BritainandFrance:BritianandFrancewerealsosufferingeconomicallywhichiswhytheydidnotsendanarmytoManchuria
orimposesanctionsonItalyoverAbyssinia.ThisisthesamereasonastowhytheydidnotbegintorearmagainstHitlerinthe
1930s.
1.2 ThetreatyofVersailles
TheTreatyofVersaillespunishedthepeopleofGermany.Thesepeoplehad
alreadysufferedduringthewarwhichhadcausedthemtohaveanentire
change of their political system. The new treaty was signed by a newly
formedRepublicgovernmentandthereforetheblameforitsharshnesswas
passedontothisgovernment.ManyGermanssawthenewgovernmentas
having'stabbedGermanyintheback'bysigningthetreatywhichwasso
harshonthem.Thisonlyencouragedthepoliticalinstabilityandgaveriseto
fascisminGermany.
The Treaty caused Germany to have to repay massive war debts called
'reparations'toAlliedcountries.Whatthesedebtsdidn'ttakeintoaccount
wasthatGermanywasbrokentoobythewarandthatmuchofthelandlost
intheTreatyhadindustrieswhichwereprofitabletoGermany.Following
theirfirstpayment,thepassiveresistanceoftheGermanworkersafterthe
Frenchinvasionofcertainareasandtheresultinghyperinflation,America
loanedGermanysignificantamountsofmoney.ThisallowedGermansociety
toprogress,butitwaslivingonfalseprosperity.Whentheseloanswere
retractedfollowingtheWallStreetCrash,Germanywashitespeciallyhard.
ThisdidlittletohelpthestrugglingdemocracyinGermanyandprovided
conditionsnecessaryfortheriseofanextremegovernment,inthiscasethe
fascists.
ThelossoflandandthelossoftheGermanEmpirewasnotonlydetrimental
economicallyforGermany,butalsoshameful.Combinedwiththewarguilt
clause,theTreatyofVersaillesangeredmanyGermansandcausedresentment
againsttheAlliedforcestobuildup.Thismotivatedextremepoliticalgroups
liketheNazisfosteredbeliefsthattheGermanpeoplehadbeen'harddone
by'andthereforewereentitledtocertainprivilegessuchasmore'living
space'whichledHitlertoinvadecountriessuchasPolandandRussia.
1.3 Eightstepstowar
SAARPlebiscite:In1935,thehistorianHalFisherwrotethat'acountry
whichisdeterminedtohaveawarcanalwayshaveit.'
TheTreatyofVersailleshadputtheSaarunderthecontroloftheLeagueofNationsfor15years.In1935theinhabitantsof
theSaarvotedtoreturntoGermany.TheSaarplebisciteiscitedbymanyhistoriansasthefirststeptowar.
ConscriptionandReArmament:Hitlerbegantobuilduphisarmedforces.In1935heintroducedconscription(callingup
mentothearmy).ThisbroketheTreatyofVersailles,butBritainandFrancelethimgetawaywithit.
Rhineland:HitlerinvadedtheRhinelandon7March1936.ThisbroketheTreatyofVersailles.Itwasabluffbecausethe
Germanarmyhadonly22,000soldiersandhadorderstoretreatiftheymetanyresistance.Butonceagain,BritainandFrance
didnothing.
Austria:In1938,HitlertookoverAustria.First,HitlerencouragedtheAustrianNazistodemandunionwithGermany.Then
HitlerinvadedAustriaon11March1938.ThisbroketheTreatyofVersailles,butBritainandFrancedidnothing.
Munich:In1938,HitlertriedtotakeovertheSudetenland.First,HitlerencouragedtheSudetenNazistodemandunionwith
Germany.Then,HitlermadeplanstoinvadeCzechoslovakia.NevilleChamberlainappeasedHitler.AtMunich,on29September
1938,BritainandFrancegaveHitlertheSudetenland.
Czechoslovakia:On15March1939,Hitler'stroopsmarchedintotherestofCzechoslovakia.This,formostBritishpeople,was
thetimewhentheyrealisedthattheonlythingthatwouldstopHitlerwasawar.
IC : PTias(III53) E (3)of(14)
USSR/NaziPact:Insummer1939,HitlerbegantounfoldhisplantotakeoverPoland.First,theGermansinDanzigdemanded
unionwithGermany.Then,Hitlerthreatenedwar.ChamberlainpromisedthePolesthatBritainwouldsupportthemifGermany
attackedPoland.InAugust1939,HitlermadeasecrettreatywithRussia.HethoughtthiswouldstopBritain&Francehelping
Poland.
Poland:InApril1939,Chamberlainannouncedthe'PolishGuarantee'apromisetodefendPolandifHitlerinvaded(thiswasthe
eventwhichendedappeasement).On1September1939,HitlerinvadedPoland.
2.0 HITLERANDMUSSOLINI'SRISETOPOWER
AnewdemocraticGermanrepublic,knownastheWeimarRepublic,cameintobeing.
Aftersomesuccessitwashitbyhyperinflationandotherseriouseconomicproblems.
Rightwingnationalistelementsunderavarietyofmovements,butmostnotablytheNazi
PartyofAdolfHitler,soughttoblameGermany's"humiliating"statusontheharshnessof
thepostwarsettlement,ontheweaknessofdemocraticgovernment,andontheJews,
whomitclaimedpossessedafinancialstrangleholdonGermany.Hitlerwasappointed
Reichskanzler(Chancellor)onJanuary30,1933,bytheagedPresidentvonHindenburg.
Hitler'sgovernmentexercisedmuchofitspowerthroughthespecialemergencypowers
possessedbythePresidentundertheconstitution.
ThesepowersenabledagovernmentwiththePresident'spowerstoeffectivelybypass
theReichstag(federalparliament).UnderafurtherdisastrousclauseintheWeimarconstitution
whenthePresidentdied,hisofficewastemporarilyassumedbytheChancellor.Asaresult,when
Hindenburgdied,theimmensepowersofthepresidencyfellintothehandsofAdolfHitler.Through
thepossessionofthosepowersandanEnablingActthatallowedtheNazigovernmenttobypass
andignoretheconstitution,Hitlerensuredhispossessionofthepresidentialpowersbecame
permanentandsogaineddictatorialcontroloverGermany.
TheItalianeconomyalsofellintoadeepslumpfollowingWorldWarI.Anarchistswereendemic,
CommunistandotherSocialistagitatorsaboundedamongthetradeunions,andmanyweregravely
worriedthataBolshevikstyleCommunistrevolutionwasimminent.
Afteranumberofliberalgovernmentsfailedtoreininthesethreats,Italy'sKingVictorEmmanuel
IIIinvitedrightwingpoliticianBenitoMussoliniandhisFascistPartytoformagovernmentin1922,
followingtheirlargelysymbolicMarcasuRoma(MarchonRome).TheFascistsmaintainedan
armedparamilitarywing,whichtheyemployedtofightAnarchists,Communists,andSocialists.
Withinafewyears,Mussolinihadconsolidateddictatorialpower,andItalybecame
apolicestate.OnJanuary7,1935,heandFrenchForeignMinisterPierreLaval
signedtheItaloFrenchagreements.
MeanwhileinGermany,oncepoliticalconsolidation(Gleichschaltung)wasinplace,
theNazisturnedtheirattentiontoforeignpolicywithseveralincreasinglydaring
acts.
OnMarch16,1935,theVersaillesTreatywasviolatedasHitlerorderedGermany
torearm.Germanyalsoreintroducedmilitaryconscription(thetreatystatedthat
theGermanArmyshouldnotexceed100,000men).
ThesestepsproducednothingmorethanofficialprotestsfromBritainandFrance,
fortheyweremoreseriousaboutenforcingtheeconomicprovisionsofthetreaty
thanitsmilitaryrestrictions.AmajorityoftheBritishersfeltthatrestrictionsplaced
onGermanyinVersailleshadbeentooharsh,andtheybelievedthatHitler'saimwassimplytoundotheextremesofthetreaty,not
togobeyondthat.Facedwithnoopposition,HitlermovedtroopsintotheRhinelandonMarch7,1936.UndertheVersaillestreaty,
theRhinelandshouldhavebeendemilitarizedbecauseFrancewanteditasabufferbetweenherselfandGermany.But,asbefore,
Hitler'sdefiancewasmetwithinaction.
3.0 THEGERMANRUSSIANNONAGGRESSIONPACT
TheEconomicAgreement:ThefirstpactbetweenGermanyandRussiawasaneconomicagreement,whichRibbentropand
MolotovsignedonAugust19,1939.
TheeconomicagreementcommittedtheSovietUniontoprovidefoodproductsaswellasrawmaterialstoGermanyinexchangefor
furnishedproductssuchasmachineryfromGermany.
Duringthefirstyearsofthewar,thiseconomicagreementhelpedGermanybypasstheBritishblockade.
TheNaziSovietNonAggressionPact:OnAugust23,1939,fourdaysaftertheeconomicagreementwassignedandalittle
overaweekbeforethebeginningofWorldWarII,RibbentropandMolotovsignedtheNaziSovietNonAggressionPact.Thepactis
alsoreferredtoastheGermanSovietNonAggressionPactandtheRibbentropMolotovPact.Publicly,thisagreementstatedthat
thetwocountries,GermanyandtheSovietUnion,wouldnotattackeachother.Iftherewereeveraproblembetweenthetwo
countries,itwastobehandledamicably.Thepactwassupposedtolastfortenyearsitlastedforlessthantwo.
Adolf Hitler
IC : PTias(III53) E (4)of(14)
What was meant by the terms of the pact was that if Germany attacked
Poland,thentheSovietUnionwouldnotcometoitsaid.Thus,ifGermany
wenttowaragainsttheWest(especiallyFranceandGreatBritain)overPoland,
theSovietswereguaranteeingthattheywouldnotenterthewarthusnot
openasecondfrontforGermany.
Inadditiontothisagreement,RibbentropandMolotovaddedasecretprotocol
ontothepact,asecretaddendumwhoseexistencewasdeniedbytheSoviets
until1989.
TheSecretProtocol:Thesecretprotocolheldanagreementbetweenthe
NazisandSovietsthatgreatlyaffectedEasternEurope.Inexchangeforthe
Sovietsagreeingtonotjointhepossiblefuturewar,Germanywasgivingthe
SovietstheBalticStates(Estonia,Latvia,andLithuania).Polandwasalsoto
bedividedbetweenthetwo,alongtheNarew,Vistula,andSanrivers.
ThenewterritoriesgavetheSovietUnionthebufferthatitwantedtofeel
safefromaninvasionfromtheWest.Itwouldneedthatbufferin1941.
ImpactsofthePact:WhentheNazisattackedPolandinthemorning
onSeptember1,1939,theSovietsstoodbyandwatched.Twodays
later,theBritishdeclaredwar onGermanyandWorldWarIIhad
begun.OnSeptember17,theSovietsrolledintoeasternPolandto
occupytheir"sphereofinfluence"designatedinthesecretprotocol.
BecauseoftheNaziSovietNonAggressionPact,theSovietsdidnot
jointhefightagainstGermany.ThusGermanywassuccessfulinits
attempttosafeguarditselffromatwofrontwar.
TheNazisandtheSovietskeptthetermsofthepactandtheprotocol
untilGermany'ssurpriseattackandinvasionoftheSovietUnionon
June22,1941.
4.0 THEPHASESOFTHEWAR
4.1 PhaseI(ThePhoneyWar)
ThePhoneyWarwasanearlyphaseofWorldWarIImarkedbyafew
militaryoperationsinContinentalEuropeinthemonthsfollowingthe
German invasion of Poland and preceding the Battle of France.
Although the great powers of Europe had declared war on one
another,neithersidehadyetcommittedtolaunchingasignificant
attack,andtherewasrelativelylittlefightingontheground.This
wasalsotheperiodinwhichTheUnitedKingdomandFrancedidnot
supplysignificantaidtoPoland,despitetheirpledgedalliance.
WhilemostoftheGermanArmywasfightingagainstPoland,amuchsmallerGermanforcemannedtheSiegfriedLine,theirfortified
defensivelinealongtheFrenchborder.AttheMaginotLineontheothersideoftheborder,Frenchtroopsstoodfacingthem,whilst
theBritishExpeditionaryForceandotherelementsoftheFrenchArmycreatedadefensivelinealongtheBelgianborder.Therewere
onlysomelocal,minorskirmishes.TheBritishRoyalAirForcedroppedpropagandaleafletsonGermanyandthefirstCanadiantroops
steppedashoreinBritain,whileWesternEuropewasinastrangecalmforsevenmonths.
Intheirhurrytorearm,BritainandFrancehadbothbeguntobuylargenumbersofweaponsfrommanufacturersintheUnitedStates
attheoutbreakofhostilities,supplementingtheirownproduction.ThenonbelligerentUnitedStates,contributedtotheWestern
Alliesbydiscountedsalesofmilitaryequipmentandsupplies.GermaneffortstointerdicttheAllies'transAtlantictradeatseaignited
theBattleoftheAtlantic.
Scandinavia:WhiletheWesternFrontremainedquietinApril1940,thefightingbetweentheAlliesandtheGermansbeganin
earnestwiththeNorwegiancampaignwhentheGermanslaunchedOperationWeserbung,theGermaninvasionofDenmarkand
Norway.Indoingso,theGermansbeattheAlliestothepunchtheAllieshadbeenplanninganamphibiouslandinginwhichtheycould
begintosurroundGermany,cuttingoffhersupplyofrawmaterialsfromSweden.However,whentheAlliestriedtoinvadeNorway,
theattackwasrepulsed.TheGermanNavy,nonetheless,sufferedveryheavylosses.
A n s w e r k e y ( D P Q ) W o r l d W a r I I
1 . ( C ) 2 . ( B ) 3 . ( A ) 4 . ( B ) 5 . ( A ) 6 . ( C ) 7 . ( A ) 8 . ( C ) 9 . ( C ) 1 0 . ( A )
1 1 . ( B ) 1 2 . ( B ) 1 3 . ( D ) 1 4 . ( B ) 1 5 . ( B ) 1 6 . ( A ) 1 7 . ( C ) 1 8 . ( A ) 1 9 . ( C ) 2 0 . ( C )
IC : PTias(III53) E (5)of(14)
BattleofFrance:InMay1940,theGermanslaunched
theBattleofFrance.TheWesternAllies(primarilythe
French,BelgianandBritishlandforces)sooncollapsed
underthe onslaughtof the"blitzkrieg" strategy. The
majorityoftheBritishandelementsoftheFrenchforces
escapedatDunkirk.Withthefightingended,theGermans
begantoconsiderwaysofresolvingthequestionofhow
todealwithBritain.IftheBritishrefusedtoagreetoa
peace treaty, one option was to invade. However, the
GermanNavy(Kriegsmarine),hadsufferedseriouslosses
inScandinavia,andinordertoevenconsideranamphibious
landing,Germany'sAirForce(theLuftwaffe)hadtofirst
gainairsuperiorityorairsupremacy.OnJune22,France
surrendered.
TheBattleforBritain:Afterayearofwar,AdolfHitler
wasreadytocontemplateanattackonBritain.But,by
August1940,theheavylossessufferedintheNorwegian
campaignhadreducedtheGermanfleettothestrength
of one pocket battleship, four cruisers, and a dozen
destroyers.TheBritishHomeFleet,basedonScapaFlow
wasmuchstrongerthanthis,makinganinvasionbyseaa
lessthaninvitingprospect.IntheskiesabovetheEnglish
ChannelandtheNorthSeahowever,itwasadifferent
story.TheLuftwaffehadnumericalstrengthand,ifthey
couldgainascendancyovertheair,thenaninvasionwould
befeasible.
IftheGermanswereabletogetthroughtoEnglishsoil,
thingswouldberatherbleakfortheBritish.Atthetimeof
theFrenchArmisticeinJune,1940,theBritishArmyin
Britaintotaledsome26divisions,ofwhich12hadbeen
formedrecentlyandwerenotyetfullytrainedorequipped.Only25ofthe600tanks,whichwereinactioninFrance,werebackin
Britain.TheAmericansagreedtoprovideBritainwith500,000riflesand90075millimeterguns,eachcompletewith1,000shells.
The i mpl ementation of Hitler's Order No.16 the
invasionofEnglandtookthefollowingfourphases:
Phase One (July 10 to August 7): German attacks on
shippingandcoastalports.TheGerman'sfightertacticsproved
superior.ThroughoutthistimetheBritishconcentrationwason
raisingpilotstrengthandbuildingupforthebattleahead.
Phase Two (August 8 to 23): German attacks on radar
stationsandforwardfighterbases.TheRAFsuffersheavylosses
andpilotssufferfromextremefatigue.
PhaseThree(August24toSeptember6):Germanattacks
onaircraftproductionandinlandfighterbases.Britishpilotlosses
andfatiguereachdesperatelyhighlevels.
PhaseFour(September7to30):GermanattacksonLondon
inafinalefforttodestroyBritishairpower.Afteraclimaxon
September15th,theGermanspostponedOperationSeaLion'
indefinitely.UpuntilaroundSeptember6ththescalesofbattlewerefirmlytiltedinfavoroftheLuftwaffe,eventhoughtheyhadlost,
sinceAugust24,378aircraftcomparedto262fortheBritish.TheGermanlossesweresharedbetweenthefightersandthebombers,
whereastheentireBritishlossescamefromFighterCommand.Itslessthan1,000pilotswereconstantlyinactionanddesperatelyin
needofrest.But,thentheentirepicturesuddenlychanged.
OntheeveningofAugust24th,aGermanBomberformationaccidentallybombedsomenonmilitarytargetsinLondon.Winston
ChurchillimmediatelyorderedreprisalattacksonnonmilitaryGermantargetsinBerlin.ThispromptedafuriousresponsefromHitler,
whoorderedthatablitzcampaignofbombingstartimmediatelyonLondon.ThisbeganonSeptember7th,whenamassive330tons
ofbombsweredroppedonLondon.
ThebombingofLondoncontinuedfor57consecutivenights.Whileitcauseddevastationinthatcity,itmeantthatthegrinding
pressurewastakenofftheRAF.TheBritishhadrecoveredfromthelossesreceivedoverthepreviousmonthsandhadquicklygained
theupperhandovertheLuftwaffe,destroyingsome380aircraftforalossofjust178oftheirown.Thebraveryandtenacityofthe
RAFpilotspromptedChurchilltoutterperhapshismostfamouswordsNeverinthefieldofhumanconflicthassomuchbeen
owedbysomanytosofew.'
IC : PTias(III53) E (6)of(14)
4.2 PhaseII(GermanyattacksRussia)
OnJune22,1941,theGermanslaunchedasurpriseinvasion,
codenamed Operati on Barbarossa, agai nst thei r
erstwhileSovietallies.Theearlyweeksoftheinvasionwere
devastatingfortheSovietArmy.EnormousnumbersofSoviet
troopswereencircledinpocketsandfellintoGermanhands.
However,itwasn'tonlyGermantroopsthatwentintothe
SovietUnion.Italian,HungarianandRomaniantroopswere
alsoinvolvedinthecampaign.
OperationBarbarossasuffered fromseveralfundamental
flaws.Themostseriousofthesewasthelogisticalsituation
oftheattack.Ultimatelyitislogisticsthatdeterminewhata
militarycando.Thesheervastnessofthedistancesinthe
SovietUnionmeantthattheGermanscouldonlyadvanceso
farbeforeoutrunningtheirsupplychains.Bythetimethe
GermanattackfrozetoahaltbeforeMoscowonDecember
5,1941,itliterallycouldnotgoanyfurther.Theresimply
werenotenoughsuppliesreachingthefronttoconductproper
defensive operations, let alone a proper offense. The
timetablethatBarbarossawasplannedto,assumedthatthe
SovietswouldcollapsebeforetheRussianwintersetin.The
failureofthatalsofatallyaffectedGermanplans.
Duringtheirlongretreat,theSovietsemployedascorched
earthpolicy.Theyburntcropsanddestroyedutilitiesasthey
withdrewbeforetheGermans.Thathelpedtocontributeto
thelogisticalproblemsthattheGermansexperienced.The
extension of the campaign beyond the length that the
GermansexpectedmeantthattheGermanArmysuffered
hundredsofthousandsofcasualtiesinthebittercoldofthe
Russianwinter,andfromthecounterattacksofSovietunits.
Evenwiththeiradvancegrindingtoahaltduetoalackofsuppliesandtheonsetofwinter,the
Germanshadconqueredavastamountofterritory.DislodgingthemcosttheSovietUniondearly
andtookuntillate1944.
OncetheGermanshadconqueredsomepartoftheSovietUnion,thesiegeofLeningradbegan:
Leningrad(nowSaintPetersburg)wasreachedfairlyquickly,fromtheNorthbyFinnishforces,
andfromtheSouthbytheGermanWehrmacht.Finland'sCinCMannerheimhadhaltedatthe
RiverSvirandrefrainedfromattackingthecity.
HitlerhadorderedthatthecityofLeningradmust"vanishfromthesurfaceoftheearth",withits
entirepopulationexterminated.Ratherthanstormingthecity,theWehrmachtwasorderedto
blockadeLeningradsoastostarvethecitytodeath,whileattackingitwithbombersandartillery.
AboutonemillionciviliansdiedintheLeningradsiege800,000bystarvation.Itlasted900days,
andatitsheighttheonlywayintothecitywasacrossLakeLadoga,betweentheGermanand
Finnishlines.
Afterenduringthewinterof1941/42,theGermanarmypreparedforfurtheroffensiveoperations.
InsteadoftryingtoreachMoscow,theobjectivewaschangedtoStalingrad(nowVolgograd)neartheCaucasusregionofRussia.
Stalingradwascaptured.Howeverthecourseofthecampaigntookaturnfortheworseduetodisparateobjectives,andalackof
focus.
IndecisionbyHitler,dissentamongthehigherrankedGermanofficers,andextendedsupplylinescombinedinaprolongedbattlein
thestreetsofStalingrad.Inanattempttocapturethecity,almostallGermansintheareawerefunneledintothecityleavingonly
weakRomanianandHungarianforcesontheflanksofthesalient.AfteraSovietcounteroffensivedestroyedtheseforces,the
German6thArmywascutoffinthecityitself,alongwithpartofthe4thPanzerArmy.Starvedoffood,fuelandammunition,the
pocketwasgraduallyreduced,withthelastportionsurrenderinginearly1943.Inacynicalattempttopreventthesurrender,Hitler
promotedthecommanderof6thArmytoFieldMarshal,becausenoGermanofthatrankhadeversurrendered.Heavylossesaffected
bothsidesintheBattleofStalingrad,oneofthebloodiestbattlesinhistory.Anestimated2millionpeopleperishedinthisbattle,
including500,000civilians.
AfterStalingrad,theinitiativehadpassedfromtheGermansbuthadnotyetbeenseizedbytheSoviets.Adesparatecounterattackin
thespringof1943bytheforcesofvonMansteinhaltedtheSovietadvanceforthemoment,andsetupthelargesttankbattleinhistory,
Kursk.KurskwasthelastmajoroffensivebytheGermanyArmyontheeasternfront.TheSovietshadintelligenceofwhatwastocome
andpreparedmassivedefencesinhugedepthintheKursksalient.TheystoppedtheGermanarmouredthrustsafteramaximum
penetrationof17miles.AfterKursktheRedArmyneverceasedbeingontheoffensiveuntilBerlinwascapturedinMay1945.
Josef Stalin
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TheSovietsborethebruntofWorldWarII.More
SovietcitizensdiedduringWorldWarIIthanthose
ofallothercountriescombined.Approximately27
millionSoviets,amongthemmorethan13million
civilians,werekilledintheGermaninvasionofthe
SovietUnion.Civilianswereroundedupandburned
orshotinmanycitiesconqueredbytheNazis.Since
theNazisconsideredSlavstobe"subhuman",this
wasethnicallytargetedmassmurder.
ItwouldbewronghowevertosaytheSovietsfought
alone.SupplyconvoyssailedtoSovietportsatgreat
risk. Allied activities may have tied up only a few
divisions in actual fighting, but many more were
forcedtoguardlonelycoastsagainstraidsthatnever
cameortomanantiaircraftgunsthroughoutEurope.
ItshouldalsobementionedthattheSovietstook
virtuallynopartinthegreatnavalcampaignsofthe
war,hadaverylimitedeffectonthestrategicbombing
offensive,andcontributedverylittletothedefeat
of Japan.
TheJapanesePrepareforAttack:TheJapanesepracticedand
preparedcarefullyfortheirattackonPearlHarbor.Theyknewtheir
planwasextremelyrisky.Theprobabilityofsuccessdependedheavily
oncompletesurprise.
OnNovember26,1941,theJapaneseattackforce,ledbyViceAdmiral
ChuichiNagumo,leftEtorofuIslandintheKurils(locatednortheastof
Japan)andbeganits3,000milejourneyacrossthePacificOcean.
Sneakingsixaircraftcarriers,ninedestroyers,twobattleships,two
heavycruisers,onelightcruiser,andthreesubmarinesacrossthe
PacificOceanwasnotaneasytask.
Worriedthattheymightbespottedbyanothership,theJapanese
attackforcecontinuallyzigzaggedandavoidedmajorshippinglines.
Afteraweekandahalfatsea,theattackforcemadeitsafelytoits
destination,about230milesnorthoftheHawaiianislandofOahu.
OnthemorningofDecember7,1941,theJapaneseattackonPearl
Harbor began. At 6:00 a.m., the Japanese aircraft carriers began
launchingtheirplanesamidroughsea.Intotal,183Japaneseaircraft
tooktotheairaspartofthefirstwaveoftheattackonPearlHarbor.
At7:15a.m.,theJapaneseaircraftcarriers,plaguedbyevenrougher
seas,launched167additionalplanestoparticipateinthesecondwave
oftheattackonPearlHarbor.
ThefirstwaveofJapaneseplanesreachedtheU.S.NavalStationat
PearlHarbor(locatedonthesouthsideoftheHawaiianislandofOahu)at7:55a.m.onDecember7,1941.Justbeforethefirstbombs
droppedonPearlHarbor,CommanderMitsuoFuchida,leaderoftheairattack,calledout,"Tora!Tora!Tora!"("Tiger!Tiger!Tiger!"),
acodedmessagewhichtoldtheentireJapanesenavythattheyhadcaughttheAmericanstotallybysurprise.
At8:00a.m.,AdmiralHusbandKimmel,inchargeofPearlHarbor,sentoutahurrieddispatchtoallintheU.S.navalfleet,"AIRRAID
ONPEARLHARBORXTHISISNOTDRILL."
TheAttackonBattleshipRow: TheJapanesehadbeenhopingtocatchU.S.aircraftcarriersatPearlHarbor,buttheaircraft
carrierswereouttoseathatday.Thenextmajorimportantnavaltargetwasthebattleships.
OnthemorningofDecember7,1941,therewereeightU.S.battleshipsatPearlHarbor,sevenofwhichwerelinedupatwhatwas
calledBattleshipRowandone(thePennsylvania)wasindrydockforrepairs.(TheColorado,theonlyotherbattleshipoftheU.S.'s
Pacificfleet,wasnotatPearlHarborthatday.)
SincetheJapaneseattackwasatotalsurprise,manyofthefirsttorpedoesandbombsdroppedontheunsuspectingshipshittheir
targets.Thedamagedonewassevere.Althoughthecrewsonboardeachbattleshipworkedfeverishlytokeeptheirshipafloat,
someweredestinedtosink. TheSevenUSBattleshipswereNevada,Arizona,Tennessee,WestVirginia,Maryland,
Oklahoma,California
IC : PTias(III53) E (8)of(14)
InadditiontotheairassaultonBattleshipRow,theJapanesehadlaunchedfivemidgetsubmarines.Thesemidgetsubs,whichwere
approximately781/2feetlongand6feetwideandheldonlyatwomancrew,weretosneakintoPearlHarborandaidintheattack
againstthebattleships.However,allfiveofthesemidgetsubsweresunkduringtheattackonPearlHarbor.
TheAttackontheAirfields:AttackingtheU.S.aircraftonOahuwasanessentialcomponentoftheJapaneseattackplan.Ifthe
JapaneseweresuccessfulindestroyingalargeportionoftheU.S.airplanes,thentheycouldproceedunhinderedintheskiesabove
PearlHarbor.Plus,acounterattackagainsttheJapaneseattackforcewouldbemuchmoreunlikely.
Thus,aportionofthefirstwaveofJapaneseplanesthatarrivedoverPearlHarborat7:55a.m.wereorderedtotargettheairfields
thatsurroundedPearlHarbor.
AstheJapaneseplanesreachedtheairfields,theyfoundmanyoftheAmericanfighterplaneslinedupalongtheairstrips,wingtipto
wingtip,makingeasytargets.TheJapanesestrafedandbombedtheplanes,hangers,andotherbuildingslocatedneartheairfields,
includingdormitoriesandmesshalls.
By the time the U.S. military personnel at the airfields
realizedwhatwashappening,therewaslittletheycould
do.TheJapanesewereextremelysuccessfulatdestroying
mostoftheU.S.aircraft.Afewindividualspickedupguns
andshotattheinvadingplanes.
AhandfulofU.S.fighterpilotswereabletogettheirplanes
offtheground,onlytofindthemselvesvastlyoutnumbered
in the air. Still, they were able to shoot down a few
Japaneseplanes.
The Attack onPearl Harbor Is Over: By 9:45 a.m.,
just under two hours after the attack had begun, the
JapaneseplanesleftPearlHarborandheadedbacktotheir
aircraftcarriers.TheattackonPearlHarborwasover.
AllJapaneseplaneshadreturnedtotheiraircraftcarriers
by12:14p.m.andjustanhourlater,theJapaneseattack
forcebegantheirlongjourneyhomeward.
TheDamageDone:Injustundertwohours,theJapanese
had sunk four U.S. battleships (Arizona, California,
Oklahoma,andWestVirginia).TheNevadawasbeached
andtheotherthreebattleshipsatPearlHarborreceived
considerabledamage.
Alsodamagedwerethreelightcruisers,fourdestroyers,
oneminelayer,onetargetship,andfourauxiliaries.
OftheU.S.aircraft,theJapanesemanagedtodestroy188anddamageanadditional159.
ThedeathtollamongAmericanswasquitehigh.Atotalof2,335servicemenwerekilledand1,143werewounded.Sixtyeightcivilians
werealsokilledand35werewounded.NearlyhalfoftheservicementhatwerekilledwereonboardtheArizonawhenitexploded.
AllthisdamagewasdonebytheJapanese,whosufferedveryfewlossesthemselves,just29aircraftandfivemidgetsubmaries.
4.3 PhaseIII(TheAlliesstrikeback)
TheAllies'invasionofItaly
WiththeNorthAfricanshoreactingasaspringboard,anAlliedblowintowhatChurchillreferredtoasthe'softunderbelly'ofEurope
wasinevitable.
ApreludeofthisattackwasthecaptureoftheoffshoreislandofSicilyon10July,1943.Thistookthewindoutofthebombastic
Mussolini.HewasdeposedonJuly25,1943,bytheFascistGrandCouncil.
Hewasarrestedandplacedunderhousearrestinanisolatedmountainresort.Hisreplacement,GeneralPietroBadoglio,negotiated
anarmisticewiththeAlliesonSeptember8,1943.
TheGermansmovedquicklyintotheconfusedsituation,disarmedItalianformationsandestablishedstrongdefensivelines.
AlliedtroopslandedinmainlandItalyonSeptember9,1943theAmericanatSalerno,theBritishatTaranto.
IC : PTias(III53) E (9)of(14)
MussoliniwasrescuedbytheGermansandinstalled
astheheadofaNazipuppetstateinnorthernItaly.
Hecontinuedinthisroleuntilhewascapturedand
lynchedby mobson April28, 1945,as theAllied
forcesclosedinonMilan.
The Germans had built a fortified zone in the
mountainscalledtheGustavline.TheAlliedforces
attacked both sides of the line, attacking Monte
CassinofromthesouthandlandingatAnziointhe
north.
TheAlliesfinallyenteredRomeonJune4,1944,two
daysbeforethelandingsinNormandy.TheGermans
regroupedattheGothicLinefurthernorth.Aftera
landinginsouthernFranceinAugusttothreatenthe
Germanflank,Britishforcesstartedtheattackon
thelineSeptember10.TheoffensivebyAlliedand
some Italian forces continued until the Germans
surrendered in Italy on April 29, two days after
Mussolini'scapture.
The Al lies' invasion of France: Essenti al ly
simultaneouslywiththefallofRomecamethelong
awaitedinvasionofFrance.OperationNeptuneputtroopsashoreinNormandyonJune61944.Alonggrindingcampaignfortwo
monthsfollowedasAmerican,BritishandCanadianforceswereslowlybuiltupinthebridgehead,andGermanforcesslowlyworn
down.Whenthebreakoutfinallydidcomeitwasspectacular,withAmericanforcesunderPattonracingacrossFrancetotheGerman
border.TheGermanforcesthathadbeenfightinginNormandyweretrappedinapocketaroundFalaise.
IncessantbombingofGermany'sinfrastructureandcitiescausedtremendouscasualtiesanddisruption.Internally,Hitlersurviveda
numberofassassinationattempts.ThemostseriouswastheJuly20Plot,inwhichHitlerwasslightlyinjured.
OperationNeptunewascomplementedbyaninvasionofsouthernFranceinAugustcodenamedOperationDragonthecombined
operationwasreferredtoasOperationOverlord.BySeptember,threeAlliedArmyGroupswereinlineagainstGermanformationsin
thewest.TherewasoptimismthatthewarinEuropemightbeoverbytheendof1944.
An attempt was made to force the situation with
Operation Market Garden. The Allies attempted to
capturebridgeswithanairborneassault,toopenthe
way i nt o Ger many and l i ber at e the nor ther n
Netherlands. Unfortunately, heavier German forces
thanintelligencehadpredictedwerepresent.TheBritish
1stAirborneDivisionwasalmostcompletelydestroyed.
Thecoldwinterof1944combinedwithapoorsituation
fortheAlliesledtoastagnantsituationonthewestern
front.TheAmericanscontinuedtogrindawayatthe
defendersintheBattleofHurtgenForest.Aslongas
they stayed on the defense, the Allies were hard
pressedtoadvancerapidly.
That changed when the Germans mounted a major
counteroffensive on Dec 16, 1944. The Ardennes
offensive,also calledthe Battle ofthe Bulge,drove
backandsurroundedsomeAmericanunits.TheAllied
forceswereeventuallysuccessfulindrivingbackthe
Germans, inwhat turnedout tobe theirlast major
advanceofthewar.
ThefinalobstacletotheAllieswastheRiverRhine.It
wascrossedinApril1945,andthewaylayopentothe
heartofGermany.ThelastGermanforcesinthewest
wereencircledintheRuhr.
IC : PTias(III53) E (10)of(14)
4.4 THEENDOFTHEWAR
AlliedforcesbegintotakelargenumbersofAxisprisoners.InearlyApril,thefirstRheinwiesenlagersareestablishedinwestern
Germanytoholdhundredsofthousandscapturedorsurrenderedenemypersonnel.SHAEFreclassifiesallprisonersasDisarmed
EnemyForcesnotPOWsthelegalfictioncircumventsprovisionsundertheGenevaConventiononthetreatmentofformercombatants.
ByOctober,thousandshaddiedinthecampsfromstarvation,exposureanddisease.
GermansleaveFinland:On25April1945,thelastGermansareexpelledbytheFinnishArmyfromFinlandandretreatinto
Norway.
Mussolini'sdeath:On25April1945,asAlliedforcesclosedinon
Milan,ItaliandictatorBenitoMussoliniwascapturedbyItalianpartisans
onthe27th.ItisdisputedthathewastryingtofleefromItalyto
SwitzerlandandwastravelingwithaGermanantiaircraftbattalion.
On 28 April, Mussolini was executed in Giulino (a civil parish of
Mezzegra)theotherFascistscapturedwithhimweretakentoDongo
andexecutedthere.ThebodieswerethentakentoMilanandhung
forpublicdisplayinoneofthemainsquaresofthecity.On29April,
Rodolfo Graziani surrendered all Fascist Italian armed forces at
Caserta.ThisincludedArmyGroupLiguria.GrazianiwastheMinister
ofDefenseforMussolini'sItalianSocialRepublicpuppetstate.
Hitler'sdeath:On30April,astheBattleofBerlinragedabovehim,
realizingthatallwaslostandnotwishingtosufferMussolini'sfate,
GermandictatorAdolfHitlercommittedsuicideinhisFhrerbunker
alongwithEvaBraun,hislongtermmistresswhomhehadmarried
lessthan40hoursbeforetheirjointsuicide.Inhiswill,HitlerdismissedReichsmarschallHermannGringwhowashissecondin
commandandInteriorministerHeinrichHimmleraftereachofthemseparatelytriedtoseizecontrolofthecrumblingThirdReich.Hitler
intheirplaceappointedhissuccessorsasfollowsAdmiralKarlDonitzasthenewReichsprasident("PresidentofGermany")and
JosephGoebbelsasthenewReichskanzler(ChancellorofGermany).However,Goebbelscommittedsuicidethefollowingday,leaving
DonitzassoleleaderofGermany.
GermanforcesinItalysurrender:On1May,SS
GeneralKarlWolffandtheCommanderinChiefof
theArmyGroupC,GeneralHeinrichvonVietinghoff,
afterprolongedunauthorisedsecretnegotiationswith
theWesternAlliesnamedOperationSunrise,which
wereviewedastryingtoreachaseparatepeaceby
theSovietUnion,orderedallGermanarmedforcesin
Italy to cease hostilities and signed a surrender
documentwhichstipulatedthatallGermanforcesin
ItalyweretosurrenderunconditionallytotheAllies
on2May.
GermanforcesinBerlinsurrender:TheBattle
ofBerlinendedon2May.Onthatdate,Generalof
theArtilleryHelmuthWeidling,thecommanderofthe
BerlinDefenseArea,unconditionallysurrenderedthe
citytoGeneralVasilyChuikovoftheSovietarmy.On
thesamedaytheofficerscommandingthetwoarmies
ofArmyGroupVistulanorthofBerlin,(GeneralKurt
vonTippelskirchcommanderoftheGerman21stArmy
andGeneralHassovon Manteuffelcommanderof
ThirdPanzerArmy)surrenderedtotheWesternAllies.
AfterlosingtheBattleofBerlinandthedeathofAdolfHitler,Germantroopsinvariouspartsoftheworldstartedsurrenderingbefore
thealliedarmis.
DnitzgovernmentordereddissolvedbyEisenhower:KarlDnitzcontinuedtoactasifheweretheGermanheadofstate,
buthisFlensburggovernment(socalledbecauseitwasbasedatFlensburgandcontrolledonlyasmallareaaroundthetown)wasnot
recognizedbytheAllies.On12MayanAlliedliaisonteamarrivedatFlensburgandtookquartersaboardthepassengershipPatria.
TheliaisonofficersandtheSupremeAlliedHeadquarterssoonrealizedthattheyhadnoneedtoactthroughtheFlensburggovernment
andthatitsmembersshouldbearrested.On23May,actingonSHAEF'sordersandwiththeapprovaloftheSoviets,AmericanMajor
GeneralRookssummonedDnitzaboardthePatriaandcommunicatedtohimthatheandallthemembersofhisGovernmentwere
underarrest,andthattheirGovernmentwasdissolved.TheAllieshadaproblem,becausetheyrealizedthatalthoughtheGerman
armedforceshadsurrenderedunconditionally,SHAEFhadfailedtousethedocumentcreatedbythe"EuropeanAdvisoryCommission"
(EAC)andsotherehadbeennoformalsurrenderbythecivilianGermangovernment.Thiswasconsideredaveryimportantissue,
becausejustasthecivilian,butnotmilitary,surrenderin1918hadbeenusedbyHitlertocreatethe"stabintheback"argument,the
AlliesdidnotwanttogiveanyfuturehostileGermanregimealegalargumenttoresurrectanoldquarrel.
IC : PTias(III53) E (11)of(14)
DeclarationRegardingtheDefeatofGermanyandtheAssumptionofSupremeAuthoritybyAllied
PowerswassignedbythefourAllieson5June.Itincludedthefollowing:
The Governments of the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics, the United Kingdom and the Provisional Government of the French
Republic,herebyassumesupremeauthoritywithrespecttoGermany,includingall
the powers possessed by the German Government, the High Command and any
state,municipal,orlocalgovernmentorauthority.Theassumption,forthepurposes
stated above,of thesaid authority and powers does noteffect theannexation of
Germany.
USDepartmentofState,TreatiesandOtherInternationalActsSeries,No.1520:
ThePotsdamAgreementwassignedon2August1945.InconnectiontothistheAlliedleaders
plannedthenewpostwarGermangovernment,resettledwarterritoryboundaries,defacto
annexedaquarterofprewarGermanysituatedeastoftheOder
Neisseline,mandatedandorganizedtheexpulsionofthemillions
ofGermansremainingintheannexedterritoriesandelsewherein
theeast,orderedGermandemilitarization,denazification,industrial
disarmamentandsettlementsofwarreparations.
CessationofhostilitiesbetweentheUnitedStatesandGermany
wasproclaimedon13December1946byU.S.PresidentTruman.
ParisPeaceConferenceendedon10February1947withthesigning
ofpeacetreatiesbythewartimeAllieswiththeminorEuropean
Axispowers(Italy,Romania,Hungary,Bulgaria,andFinland).
TheFederalRepublicofGermany,thathadbeenfoundedon23
May 1949 (when its Basic Law was promulgated) had its first
government formed on 20 September 1949 while the German
DemocraticRepublicwasformedon7October.
EndofstateofwarwithGermanywasdeclaredbymany
formerWesternAlliesin1950:InthePetersbergAgreement
of 22 November 1949, it was noted that the West German
governmentwantedanendtothestateofwar,buttherequest
couldnotbegranted.TheU.S.stateofwarwithGermanywas
beingmaintainedforlegalreasons,andthoughitwassoftened
somewhatitwasnotsuspendedsince"theU.S.wantstoretaina
legalbasisforkeepingaU.S. forceinWesternGermany".Ata
meetingfortheForeignMinistersofFrance,theUK,andtheU.S.
inNewYorkfrom12September19December1950,itwasstated
thatamongothermeasurestostrengthenWestGermany'sposition
intheColdWarthatthewesternallieswould"endbylegislation
thestateofwarwithGermany".In1951,manyformerWestern
AlliesdidendtheirstateofwarwithGermany:Australia(9July),
Canada, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands (26 July), South
Africa,theUnitedKingdom(9July),andtheUnitedStates(19
October).ThestateofwarbetweenGermanyandtheSovietUnion
wasendedinearly1955.
"Thefullauthorityofasovereignstate"wasgrantedtotheFederal
RepublicofGermanyon5May1955underthetermsoftheBonn
Parisconventions.The treatyendedthemilitary occupationof
WestGermanterritory,butthethreeoccupyingpowersretained
somespecialrights,e.g.visvisWestBerlin.
TreatyontheFinalSettlementwithRespecttoGermany:
Underthetermsofthispeacetreaty,theFourPowersrenounced
allrightstheyformerlyheldinGermany,includingBerlin.Asaresult,Germanybecamefullysovereignon15March1991.Underthe
termsoftheTreaty,theAllieswereallowedtokeeptroopsinBerlinuntiltheendof1994(articles4and5).Inaccordancewiththe
Treaty,occupyingtroopswerewithdrawnbythatdeadline.GermanyremainshoweverwithoutthenormalprotectionoftheUN
charterduetoarticles53and107inthecharterwhichhasnotbeenamendedsincetheendofthewar.
Eisenhower
IC : PTias(III53) E (12)of(14)
5.0 THESURRENDEROFJAPAN
By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan was a foregone
conclusion.TheJapanesenavyandairforceweredestroyed.The
AlliednavalblockadeofJapanandintensivebombingofJapanese
citieshadleftthecountryanditseconomydevastated.Attheend
ofJune,theAmericanscapturedOkinawa,aJapaneseislandfrom
whichtheAlliescouldlaunchaninvasionofthemainJapanesehome
islands.U.S.GeneralDouglasMacArthurwasputinchargeofthe
invasion,whichwascodenamed"OperationOlympic"andsetfor
November1945.
TheinvasionofJapanpromisedtobethebloodiestseaborneattack
of all time but on July 16 United States secretly detonated the
world'sfirstatomicbombintheNewMexicodesert.Tendayslater,
the Al li es issued the Potsdam Declaration, demandi ng the
"unconditionalsurrenderofalltheJapanesearmedforces."Failure
tocomplywouldmean"theinevitableandcompletedestructionof
the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitable the utter
devastationoftheJapanesehomeland."OnJuly28,JapanesePrime
Minister Kantaro Suzuki responded by telling the press that his
governmentwas"payingnoattention"totheAlliedultimatum.U.S.
PresidentHarryTrumanorderedthedevastationtoproceed,andon
August6,theU.S.B29bomberEnolaGaydroppedanatomicbomb
ontheJapanesecityofHiroshima,killinganestimated80,000people
andfatallywoundingthousandsmore.
AftertheHiroshimaattack,afactionofJapan'ssupremewarcouncil
favoredacceptanceofthePotsdamDeclaration,butthemajority
resistedunconditionalsurrender.OnAugust8,Japan'sdesperate
situationtookanotherturnfortheworsewhentheUSSRdeclared
war against Japan. The next day, Soviet forces attacked in
Manchuria,rapidlyoverwhelmingJapanesepositionsthere,anda
secondU.S.atomicbombwasdroppedontheJapanesecoastalcity
ofNagasaki.
IntheearlyhoursofAugust15,amilitarycoupwasattempted
byafactionledbyMajorKenjiHatanaka.Therebelsseizedcontrol
oftheimperialpalaceandburnedPrimeMinisterSuzuki'sresidence,
butshortlyafterdawnthecoupwascrushed.Atnoonthatday,
EmperorHirohitowentonnationalradioforthefirsttimeto
announce the Japanese surrender. In his unfamiliar court
language,hetoldhissubjects,"wehaveresolvedtopavethe
wayforagrandpeaceforallthegenerationstocomebyenduring
theunendurableandsufferingwhatisinsufferable."TheUnited
StatesimmediatelyacceptedJapan'ssurrender.
OnSunday,September2,morethan250Alliedwarshipslay
atanchorinTokyoBay.TheflagsoftheUnitedStates,Britain,
the Soviet Union, and China fluttered above the deck of the
Missouri.Justafter9a.m.Tokyotime,JapaneseForeignMinister
MamoruShigemitsusignedonbehalfoftheJapanesegovernment.
GeneralYoshijiroUmezuthensignedfortheJapanesearmed
forces,andhisaidesweptashemadehissignature.
SupremeCommanderMacArthurnextsignedonbehalfoftheUnitedNations,declaring,"Itismyearnesthopeandindeedthehope
ofallmankindthatfromthissolemnoccasionabetterworldshallemergeoutofthebloodandcarnageofthepast."Tenmore
signaturesweremade, bytheUnitedStates, China,Britain,theUSSR, Australia,Canada,France,the Netherlands,andNew
Zealand,respectively.AdmiralChesterW.NimitzsignedfortheUnitedStates.Asthe20minuteceremonyended,thesunburst
throughlowhangingclouds.
Themostdevastatingwarinhumanhistorywasover!
~
Commander MacArthur
Emperor Hirohito
IC : PTias(III53) E (13)of(14)

SuggestedTime:10min Total questi ons: 20

DAILY PRACTICE QUIZ
Paper II General Studies I
Unit 5 (LECTURE 3)
World War II
1. Whicheventisgenerallyconsideredtobethefirstbelligerent
actofWorldWarII?
(A) Germany'sattackonRussia
(B) Germany'sattackonBritain
(C) Germany'sattackonPoland
(D) Germany'soccupationofAustria
2. Whi ch two countries were the first to declare war on
Germany?
(A) ItalyandGreece
(B) BritainandFrance
(C) NorwayandDenmark
(D) TheUnitedStatesandtheUSSR
3. Against which country did the Soviet Union instigate an
armedconflictinlate1939?
(A) Finland (B) Yugoslavia
(C) Czechoslovakia (D) Hungary
4. WhatwerethefirsttwowesternEuropeancountriesthat
Germanyinvaded?
(A) FranceandBelgium
(B) NorwayandDenmark
(C) SwitzerlandandLiechtenstein
(D) AustriaandtheNetherlands
5. WhichbestdescribesGermany'sstandardinvasionstrategy
atthebeginningofWorldWarII?
(A) Attackwithacombinationofspeedandoverwhelming
force
(B) Intimidatetheenemybyfirstamassingalargeforce
alongtheenemy'sborder
(C) Beginwithactsofsabotagebehindenemylines
(D) Drawoutbattlesforaslongaspossibletowearthe
enemyout
6. WhatmajormistakedidtheAlliesmakeinpreparingtodefend
againstGermany'sattackonFrance?
(A) Theyfailedtoanticipatethattheattackwouldtake
place
(B) Theyexpectedanattackbygroundforcesratherthan
anavalassault
(C) Theymisinterpretedwherethemaininvasionwould
takeplace
(D) Theyfailedtosetupminefieldsalongtheborderwith
Germany
7.WhathappenedatDunkirkinMay1940?
(A) BritishforcesretreatedacrosstheEnglishChannel
(B) TheFrencharmylostamajorbattle
(C) AmericanforcesinvadedFrance
(D) Germanforcesweredefeatedinalargenavalbattle
8. WherewastheFrenchsurrendertoGermanysigned?
(A) InParis (B) InBerlin
(C) Inarailwaycar (D) Onaboat
9. WhydidtheBritishRoyalNavyattackFrenchwarshipsat
MerselKebir?
(A) TheFrenchcrewshadswornallegiancetoGermany
(B) FrancewasatwarwithBritain
(C) The French crews refused to surrender their ships
whentheBritishrequested
(D) TheyweremannedbyGermans
10. WhatwasGermany'sinitialstrategyforconqueringBritain?
(A) First establish air superiority, then send in ground
forces
(B) First destroythe Britishnavy, then sendinground
forces
(C) Firstsendingroundforces,thenattackthecountry
withaircraft
(D) ImmobilizeLondonwithpoisongasattacks
11. Whatwasthe"LondonBlitz"?
(A) Germany'splanforablitzkriegonLondon
(B) A term used for Germany's bombing campaign on
London
(C) AseriesofGermanmissileattackslateinthewar
(D) CodenameforasecretBritishradarsystem
12. Overall,theBattleofBritainisconsideredtobe
(A) AvictoryforGermany
(B) AvictoryforBritain
(C) Avictoryforneither
(D) Aminorconflict
IC : PTias(III53) E (14)of(14)
13. WhatwasItaly'sprimaryroleinthewar?
(A) IthelpedGermanyinaccomplishingitsmainobjectives
(B) ItwashelpfultoBritain
(C) ItcausedproblemsforJapan
(D) It distractedGermany from accomplishingits main
objectives
14. WhatwasHitler'sprimaryjustificationforinvadingRussia?
(A) StalinwaspreparingtoattackGermany
(B) Germanyneededmorespaceforitspopulation
(C) Hitlerbelievedthatawarontwofrontswouldbeto
hisadvantage
(D) HedesiredrevengefortheexecutionofTsarNicholasII
15. WhatwasthecodenamegiventoGermany'splantoinvade
theUSSR?
(A) OperationSeaLion
(B) OperationBarbarossa
(C) OperationWolfenstein
(D) OperationCrossbow
16. WhathappenedtotheSovietairforceduringtheopening
daysoftheGermaninvasion?
(A) Upto2,000Sovietaircraftweredestroyedwhilestill
ontheground.
(B) Sovi et pi l ot s s cor ed easy vi c t or i es agai ns t
inexperiencedGermanpilots.
(C) ItwasevacuatedtoSiberia.
(D) The Sovi et ai r force engaged i n huge dogfights
involvingthousandsofplanesoneachside.
17. WhichofthefollowingwasnotapartoftheSovietdefense
planagainstGermany?
(A) Wellorganizedpartisanresistance
(B) A strict policy of destroying any usable resources
beforeretreating
(C) TheSovietssoughttolureGermanarmiesintoforests,
whichtheywouldthensetonfire
(D) Majorfactoriesweredisassembledandmovedeast
18. Onwhichregion oftheSovietUniondid Hitlerplacethe
highestpriority?
(A) UkraineandsouthernRussia
(B) LeningradandnorthernRussia
(C) MoscowandcentralRussia
(D) Siberia
19. ViawhatroutedidRussiansmanagetosendsomesupplies
toLeningradduringtheGermansiegeofthecity?
(A) AGermansupplylineacrosstheBlackSea
(B) Anundergroundrailroad
(C) AsupplyrouteacrossLakeLadoga
(D) Anairlift
20. WhichcountrywasthesiteofmostoftheNaziextermination
camps?
(A) TheUSSR
(B) Czechoslovakia
(C) Poland
(D) Hungary
Pl ease make sure t hat you mark t he answers i n t hi s scoresheet wi t h an HB penci l / pen.
The marking of answers must be done i n t he st i pul at ed t i me f or t he test . Do not t ake ext ra t i me over and above the t ime l i mi t .
1 A B C D E
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SCORESHEET