MR SPENCE HISTORY
The Second World War in Europe and the Asia–Pacific, 1939–c.1945
Key ideas to be covered
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How did the Second World War in Europe develop?
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How did the Second World War in the Asia-Pacific develop?
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What was the impact of war on civilian populations in Europe and the Asia–Pacific?
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How did the Allies achieve victory over the Axis powers?
With hindsight, the six-week German defeat of France in May and June 1940 seems understandable. Politically and socially divided and haunted by the memories of the First World War. Few greeted the outbreak of the War with enthusiasm. However, the collapse of the world's largest military power seemed inexplicable to much of the world. Even Hitler and especially the German generals could scarcely believe their swift victory. British and French military planners had prepared for a repeat of 1914, and much of the world felt events would take a similar course to the previous war. In less than two months, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact became much less secure, the USA increased its preparations for war, and Italy, eager for the spoils, joined the war. We will start by looking at the tepid Anglo-French actions in the war's first nine months. After understanding what occurred during the French campaign, you will add to a padlet explaining the reasons why France fell. The resources you will use are below.
Essential Histories 2 pp.48-59
Gilbert - Chapter 5
Dark Years - Chapter 6
Fall of France - Chapter 5
Beevor - Chapter 7 - p.276
Global History - pp. 85-94
https://warwriters.com/why-france-lost-in-1940/
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Fall of France
The German victories in May–June 1940 transformed the Second World War. France fell, Germany mastered Western Europe, and Italy entered the war. The British Empire fought on. That Britain had an army to defend itself was remarkable. Britain managed to evacuate 218,000 of its troops from the beaches at Dunkirk (albeit without their equipment), having predicted they could manage 45,000 at best. The reasons for the success of the evacuation are debated. We will explore how it occurred before turning to the wider significance of the 'victory.' The unexpected French collapse meant Hitler hastily ordered the creation of plans to invade Britain. The Luftwaffe’s commanders believed they could crush Britain, but generals and admirals were less optimistic. No German leader thought that amphibious assault could beat Britain. Many doubted that air power could do so. Hitler ordered attack
simply to ensure that he did not miss an easy chance to coerce Britain into making peace overtures and accepting his diplomatic terms, becoming dependent on the Reich, and ultimately a satellite. He stopped once he
realized that such an aim was impossible. Britain began the battle with an average of six hundred aircraft available for action, while the Germans deployed a daily average of around 750 serviceable bombers, 250 dive-bombers, over six hundred single-engined and 150 twin-engined fighters, organised in three air fleets.
The Battle of Britain is portrayed as a near-run thing, won by character and brains, wizard boffins, top kit, upper-class pilots, loyal lower ranks and a stubborn people trusting their superiors, inspired by charismatic leadership. Victory had more boring causes. Both Fighter Command and the Royal Navy were prepared for the threat. Only one was tested; neither failed. Britain's victory meant it could wage the war on its traditional principles. Engaging the enemy in a position, it would find most difficult to supply where Britain could bring to bear the full support of its empire, Navy and airforce. The resulting Meditteranean campaign was hardly a showcase of British military skill, but eventually after two years they were victorious.
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Britain at War: 1939-1942
No single theatre can ultimately determine the conflict's outcome in a war as immense as the Second World War. However, the Eastern Front undoubtedly was the most significant determining factor in Germany's defeat. Although precise figures are disputed, between 66% and 90% of all German casualties were caused by the Red Army. The war also profoundly impacted the USSR, with approximately 9 million military and 20 million civilian deaths occurring during the four-year campaign. The scale of the fighting is almost unimaginable, taking place across a 2000-mile front and involving millions of soldiers. Battles that barely register in the Western consciousness, such as Kyiv or Sebastapool, involved far more men and had far more significant casualties than El Alamein, Normandy, or the Battle of the Bulge. Just as incomprehensible to westerners was the brutality of the Eastern campaign. German soldiers raised on Nazi propaganda about their racial superiority to the people of the East barely treated the Slavs as human. Even potentially friendly populations in the Baltic States and Ukraine with disdain, looting and murdering with disregard for human life. The Jews, of course, suffered the worst, but all groups in occupied territory suffered terribly. The German army was initially unprepared for the number of Russian prisoners, which saw many die of starvation and disease. As the war continued and the Soviets fought doggedly, the treatment of prisoners by both sides became reprehensible. With such a massive series of events, we can only focus on a few things. We barely touch the 900-day siege of Leningrad nor the Battle of Kursk: the largest tank battle of all time. We will focus on the initial campaign in 1941 when the Russians just stopped the Germans outside Moscow, then what most agree was the decisive battle, the Battle of Stalingrad.
The Eastern Front 1941-1943
Understanding the Pacific theatre of World War Two is often baffling for modern history students. Why would Japan, short of natural resources and in a stalemate in China, choose to attack the worlds largest industrial power?
Although the war in China is not in the syllabus, we will spend time understanding how the campaign was unwinnable for Japan. By appreciating the Chinese quagmire helps explain the Japanese decision to attack the USA. The reasons why Japan attacked the USA demonstrated the narrow-minded ignorance that can develop within authoritarian military governments. Conversely, the American politicians demonstrated an incomprehension of how their rough diplomacy, condescension and racism provoked a Japanese reaction. We avoid the conspiracy theories about whether Roosevelt had advance warning of Pearl Harbor and allowed it to occur as a pretext for entering the war. Instead we will focus on who is to blame for allowing the US Pacific fleet to be so vulnerable to surprise attack. What is remarkable is that six-months after Pearl Harbor, the US was able to inflict a catastrophic naval defeat on Japan at the Battle of Midway. This engagement is not only significant to the war's outcome, but exemplifies the dangers of underestimating your enemy. Finally, we will examine the disastrous British campaign in Malaya and Singapore. A defeat so humiliating, that it is often used as the end of the British Empire.
The Early War in the Pacific 1941-1942
Wars have long negatively impacted the lives of civilian populations. The scale of the Second World War saw suffering on a scale never seen before. It is estimated that 60-67% of the 85 million deaths were civilian casualties, mainly due to war-related famine, disease, war crimes, or atrocities. Systematic genocide, extermination campaigns, and forced labour, especially by Germans, Japanese, and Soviets, caused the deaths of millions. As well as the suffering inflicted by the war, profound social changes took place globally, but that is not included in the syllabus. We are going to begin by looking at some case studies of occupied nations, starting with the barbaric German occupation of Poland. Part of this will involve studying the causes and impact of the Polish holocaust. This textbook produced by the Centre of Holocaust Education has some useful detail which will assist with your research project. Other sources are on the task sheet. Next, we will examine the impact of the French resistance to the German occupation. Like many of the topics looking at the relationships in Axis-occupied countries, this is politically charged with much clouded in a myth of national sacrifice. Likewise, when we study the British response to the German bombing campaign, we will find the
newsreel presentations of the blitz were far different from reality. Lastly we will study the allied bombing campaign of Germany, another controversial topic. With Historians divided over whether the results of the campaign justified the resources and human suffering it created.
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Life for Civilians
The Allies achieved four major victories in late 1942/early 1943; the Battles of Stalingrad and El Alamein against the Germans and Midway and Guadalcanal against the Japanese. These accomplishments signalled that the Axis would be unable to win the Second World War. Still, it was not until May and August 1945 that Germany and Japan surrendered. Hitler preferred national armageddon to signing a treaty such as Versailles, which effaced German dignity. Japanese leaders refused to surrender if it threatened the semi-divine status of the emperor. Subsequently the final years of the war, were characterised by bloody and increasingly futile battles, with all sides suffering greater casualties than in the wars early stages.
We will begin by looking at the economic, moral and technological explanations for the Allied victory. These are often given (with justification) as the reason why the Axis were defeated. Still, wars cannot be won without military victories. We will begin with the controversial Italian campaign, and assess how far it was needed at all. Then we will look at the highpoint of the Allied war, the successful invasion of Normandy and the liberation of France. Concurrently, a larger scale campaign was being waged on the Eastern Front and we will investigate how the Soviets were able to steam roll the Germans. We will also look at the successful American 'island hopping' campaign against the Japanese; with a particular focus on the Battles of Guadalcanal and Okinawa. One of the history's most controversial decisions will also be evaluated: President Truman's decision to drop Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Finally we will wrap up the aftermath, by looking at the treatment of the Japanese and Germans post-defeat.