WWII: Winning the War in Europe

4/13/2020

Target Timeline: Monday 4.13 - Wednesday 4.15
Lets start off this week with some basics before diving into the atomic age with the bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the resultant V-J Day on August 14th/15th, 1945.

Questions to discuss:

1) What were Hitler and the Axis Powers’ biggest military mistakes?
2) How were Asian-Americans affected after the bombing at Pearl Harbor?
3) What part of Frank Capra’s film misleads Americans or is it propaganda that is all true?
4) What were the three major "turning points" in Europe? In other words, what three events allowed the ALLIED nations to turn the tides of war and defeat the Axis powers in Europe?
5) Who deserves the most credit for winning the war in Europe?
6) Comments, Questions and Additional Points of Interest

Remember after posting to check the box that will notify when someone responds to your post. Hopefully we can create a bit of an online debate about the weekend and today's material.

22 Comments

Jose Bazaldua

4/13/2020 12:31:37 pm

1) The biggest military mistake was the attack to Pearl Harbor, that made that the USA to join the war and made world conflict. The USA stop the expansion of Japan on the battle of Midway and USA made that Japan surrender by bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki.
2) I think they had problems with the society because they were Asians and the Asians are who attack pearl harbor and I think that the Japanese on the USA had problems with their own country because they lived in enemy territory
3) He misleads on focus that Japan was the main enemy and not the Nazis
4) British and American forces begin pushing Axis forces back into Europe, In the invasion of Italy the Italian forces are defeated after a month of fighting, and the invasion of France Allied forces spend months bombing Germany.
5) I say the Soviet Unions because they stop the German advanced and made that German surrender too.
6) Is true that some countries of Latin America like Mexico were part of the war too? They were allied or axis? And what they did during the war?

Sherer

4/14/2020 09:43:10 am

For number two, notice some of the links. These were Japanese internment camps. Fascinating story, though sad. For number 5, USSR is a popular choice for both contemporaries and historians. For 6, absolutely! Here is a short History Channel link on Mexico's participation. Happy learning.
https://www.history.com/news/mexico-world-war-ii-surprising-involvement

Philip SIlva

4/15/2020 10:16:07 am

1) The Axis Powers had a complete lack of coordination, they definitely had order, but they were nowhere near as prepared and coordinated as they should have been.

2) All Asian-Americans were rounded up and transported to "relocation camps". The excuse for doing such actions was that it was done in the name of national security. Basically America did to Asian-Americans what Germany did to Jews without all the man slaughter and forced labor.

3) From the information i could gather on the web, Frank Capra's were not misleading but actually true and very much like propaganda. Capra even fired a director during the making of his movie "Know your Enemy:Japan" because he was too harsh on the emperor.

4) From my research, the 3 turning points of WWII were The Battle of Stalingrad where German forces were defeated in the soviet union in Stalingrad, Operation Overlord or D-Day as it's more well known (wow call of duty was actually accurate) was the beginning of the Battle of Normandy where Allied forces liberated western Europe of Nazi control and pretty obviously the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which pretty much ended World War II

5) I don't want to sound like an Ultra nationalist (please tell me if i used that name incorrectly) but i feel that the U.S. deserves the most credit for the victory of WWII 1st america gave Europe troops, weapons and ships in exchange for bases, if that hadn't had happend then Europe would have been less armed BUT america wouldn't have had station in Europe to fight, i already know someone is going to say that so I'll say it for you, but you america also was ale to fight the war along side europe from their home country, the bases just provided better communication and planning. Though Britain, Soviet Russia, many others helped with the war i just feel it's the U.S. that did the most in terms of support and damaging Germany. In video game terms, it's basically when the healer keeps the whole team alive and has half the eliminations on the team.

6) for #2 I understand why America was suspicious of Asian-Americans but it just does't sit right with me how they just threw them all into camps, they didn't actually hurt anyone but it just doesn't feel right

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:05:47 am

You seem to be using the word correctly. Historically, USSR in Europe was the biggest factor. But, without a combined effort, albeit reluctantly as the next unit details, victory would not have been achieved. And, yes, the internet camps are a dark moment in American "freedom."

vanity enriquez

4/15/2020 01:29:04 pm

1. Hitler’s and Axis Powers’ biggest military mistake was that they weren’t prepared to go and fight.
2. The Asian-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor were rounded up and relocated by the federal government.
3. Frank Capra’s film misleads that Japan was a big enemy of theirs and not the Nazis.
4. The three turning points in Europe were the Battle of Stalingrad, the German and Soviet forces fighting for control of Stalingrad, the Operation Overload, when the Allies invaded France, and the Allie Advances, the Soviet Army moves west towards Germany.
5. I think that the Soviet Unions deserve most credit for winning war in Europe because they fought the Germans.
6. Interesting Fact: The nephew of Hitler was in the U.S Navy during WW2 and changed his name after.

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:07:53 am

1) What do you mean? Evidence?
3) Well, it was after Pearl Harbor.
6) Suppose I would change my name too! Thanks for the fact!

Sequoia

4/15/2020 04:54:03 pm

1.) For starters the attack on Pearl Harbor initiated the U.S. to join the war… with Japan. Hitler declares war against the U.S. though he didn’t really need to when he did. There was no obligation, however he did anyways with the assumption that it’d happen regardless. They also weren’t able to get an alliance from Turkey or Spain who remained neutral.

2.) After the bombing the government forced Asian-Americans to leave their homes behind, regardless of citizenship, and live in assembly centers until divided into one out of the ten internment camps.

3.) I’m sure not every little bit and piece is “true” but it sounded accurate to me. I kind of dozed off watching it and turned to the internet and it stated that Frank Capra and his films were big hits.

4.) The Invasion of Italy, the Battle of Stalingrad, and D-Day ( or the invasion of France.) The Invasion of Italy caused the Italian forces to be defeated within a month of fighting. Next, the Battle of Stalingrad, which is also one of the most costly battles on top of the fact that it caused the Nazis to retreat and leave the USSR on offense after a German commander surrendered early on. Finally, D-Day which liberated France after many bombs over a course of many months.

5.) Hard to say since it’s a team effort, but probably the Axis themselves since they made multiple military mistakes. The USSR had the most sacrifice, the U.S. was a big support with supply from the early stages and so on, and Britain was there fighting for the longest and was very persistent. My final answer is the USSR though, they defeated the majority of the German Army.

6.) Say the Allies lost... in your *expert* opinion, what do you think the world would be like now? Also did you know that there is a video game series based around the time period of and during some events World War 2? Obviously there is lots of fiction involved but it's called Wolfenstein. Kinda neat, I played some of the games in the series and it's an interesting adventure.

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:10:23 am

Great job Sequoia, as usual. Interesting take on #5. I played the 90s version of that! Huge comeback. As far as a Nazi world, there have been tons of books and movies made on the subject. Basically, imagine a world where business and profit supersede human interests and natural rights and then add a government that suppresses individual expression. Actually, maybe not that hard to imagine.

Quedemah Quijano Keever

4/15/2020 05:22:46 pm

1: Hitler and the Axis Powers biggest military mistakes were bombing Pearl Harbor and then declaring war on them 3 days later. This pushed the U.S to becoming a superpower and nuke Hiroshima. This made the war into a world war and gave the allied power the help it needed.
2: Asian-Americans received discrimination and were relocated to camps because of “national security”, even if they weren’t really connected to the attack other than their race.
3: The film says that Japan was the “enemy”, not the Nazis.
4: I think the 3 major turning points in Europe that led the allied power to victory were the red army’s capture of Berlin, France’s allied aerial bombing that went on for months, and the battle of Stalingrad.
5: I believe the Soviet Union deserves the credit because they fought nearly 80% of the German Wehrmacht and left about 20% for the rest of the allied powers to take care of, since they had an almost endless supply of soldiers.
6: Fun Fact: 80% of soviet males born in 1923 didn’t survive ww2.

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:12:07 am

You have done a tremendous effort in arguing through this section. The fun fact is probably more evidence as to why Russians claim to have done most to have won the war. As you get into the Cold War section this week, a very obvious conclusion was that the United States was not committing its full power to defeat the Nazis because we wanted the USSR and communism to fail just as much, if not more!

Antonio Marquez

4/16/2020 04:08:05 pm

1) What were Hitler and the Axis Powers’ biggest military mistakes?
One of the mistakes of Hitler was when he attacked Russia and broke the non aggression pact he made with Stalin. Another big mistake made was the attack of Pearl Harbor by Japan. This caused the neutral US to get involved in the war.
2) How were Asian-Americans affected after the bombing at Pearl Harbor?
There was mistrust between the two causing a lot of prejudice. The Asian-Americans were sent to relocation camps and some even joined the US military.
3) What part of Frank Capra’s film misleads Americans or is it propaganda that is all true?
I believe that with his film there is not 100 percent truth and misleading Americans to believe that the Japan was the real enemy instead of the Nazi’s.
4) What were the three major "turning points" in Europe? In other words, what three events
allowed the ALLIED nations to turn the tides of war and defeat the Axis powers in Europe?
Battle of Stalingrad
Pearl Harbor
D-Day
5) Who deserves the most credit for winning the war in Europe?
America deserves the most credit because we had the military power and created different strategies. Although we really couldn’t have done it without the USSR because they were able to distract the Axis powers.

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:14:41 am

Interesting choice of words: distract

Precious

4/16/2020 08:32:00 pm

1. Some of Hitler biggest military mistakes were being prepared with outdated military weapons, and Having bad command structure. He set up a system to where he was the only one truly in control, no one else had the authority to make action calls.
2. Asian-Americans lots of backlash. There was a division between “good” and “bad” Asians. They felt like they had to work hard to prove that they were loyal to America.
3. The film is mislead by making it seem as the Nazis didn’t play a part in the war. He made sure the Japanese were pointed out.
4. The Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, and The Battle of Moscow.
5. In my opinion the Soviet Unions, they were able to stop Hitler and his soldiers when they had the advantage.

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:17:44 am

There is more to the story for number 2: internment camps. As far as 3, it was immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and there was more than one film. Also, Stalingrad has to be in the top 3 turning points.

Jolene

4/17/2020 12:23:45 pm

1. The Axis Powers spread themselves to thin by fighting on to many fronts.
2. America put Asian Americans in internment camps because they were unsure where their loyalty was.
3. His film tried to make it seem like Japan was the main enemy whereas America was more concern with Germany taking over the world.
4. Three events that allowed the allied nations to turn the tides of war and defeat the Axis powers in Europe are the battle of Stalingrad since they successfully able to hold off German soldiers, the Soviet forces since they were fighting for control of Stalingrad, and the Allie Advances.
5. I honestly think it was a team effort, but if I had to chose I would say America because of the strategies and military power.

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:18:33 am

Regarding the last one, what evidence leads you to believe the USA did the most?

Melisa Sandoval

4/17/2020 03:16:11 pm

1. Hitler and the Axis powers' biggest mistake was when the attack on pearl harbor happened and Hitler declared war. This later leads to the US to join; it became a bigger war than expected.
2. Asian-Americans after the bombing of pearl harbor where suffering with racism; more than 110,000 were sent to internment camps.
3. Frank Capra's film was misleading to americans because japan was framed as the main enemy and was "the bad guy" instead of the natzis.
4. The three major turning points were the battle of Stalingrad, invasion of italy, and d-day invasion of france.
5. US should be given the credit because they had advanced technology and provided with weapons in order to win the war.

Kid

4/17/2020 05:26:32 pm

1) Hitler’s biggest mistake was going to war with outdated technology because this puts his soldiers at a disadvantage in the war, the German military leaders spent their money on ground armies and fortifications instead of new technology which they will regret later. Being allied with Italy was also a mistake they made because the Fascists kept on trying to invade countries and failed, this forced the Nazis to aid the Italians and lose their soldiers because of Mussolini’s mistakes. Japan attacking Pearl Harbor was a mistake that cost them the war because the U.S. didn’t join the war until Japan decided to attack and this led them to losing the war because the U.S. bombed where their military was and they were forced to surrender. The biggest mistake of all was Hitler attacking the Soviet Union after they made a pact of nonaggression between them. Even though Hitler was successful in invading the Soviet Union it didn’t last long because the season changed and it favored the winning of the Soviet Union because the Germans weren’t well equipped for the winter. This resulted in the Soviet Union joining the war and made Germany vulnerable to attacks by all sides.
2) Asian-Americans were neglected after the bombing in Pearl Harbor. They were rounded up and put on an evacuation bus to go to a relocation camp, they were only allowed to take possessions they could carry. Even though most of them were American born and citizens, they were held in a guarded relocation camp for more than two years. They were stripped of their possessions and were forced to restart their lives in America again.
3) From what I researched, Frank Capra tried to inform the American soldiers about the culture and origin of the Japanese people. He gave them their backstory but the main purpose was to give the American soldiers the history of the Japanese people so it would cause a positive effect on the allied war effort. If you watch the movie now you might think bad about the movie and that the people who made it are bad people but if you watched the movie when the war was going on, you would understand why it was created.
4) The battle of El Alamein helped contribute to turning the tides around against the axis powers’ because by winning that battle it kicked Germany and Italy out of North Africa and let them have low control over the sea, this made Germany and Italy vulnerable from the south since the allies could now use the mediterrenean sea to go to Austria and then to Germany. The battle of Stalingrad contributed to the victory of the allies because they defeated the Germans and stopped them from advancing to Eastern Europe and Russia, this was their first major loss and after this battle they were defending instead of attacking. D-Day also helped the allies win the war because it was the invasion that helped defeat the Germans. The Germans were being invaded from two sides and couldn’t handle it and lost France which helped the allies win the war.
5) I would say the Soviet Union and Great Britain should get the most credit for winning the war. I think the Soviet Union should deserve the credit because they were the first ones to win against Germany in a major battle and made them retreat, they were the ones that stopped their invasion to the east and took on 80 percent of the German soldiers. The USSR did contribute to the victory but they also helped the Germans before they broke their pact, Russia gave them strategic raw materials to help the Germans so I don’t think they deserve all the credit for the allies victory. Great Britain also deserves credit for winning the war because they kept the Soviet from collapsing and the U.S. taking Germany alone. Britain could have quit the war in 1940 but it stuck around to help the countries that were being invaded by the axis powers’, they also helped by taking back North Africa and securing the mediterranean sea which helped defeat Germany because they had a new way to attack them.Great Britain and the Soviet Union deserve the most credit but it was a team effort because without the small countries that helped, it wouldn’t be possible to defeat the axis powers’.
6) Military leaders tried to assassinate Hitler using a bomb on July 20 but he survived it with only scratches on his face and went to his meeting with Bennito Mussolini right after.

Sherer

4/21/2020 10:20:20 am

This is exceptional work, kind of why I think you are an AP history student in the making. There were several assassination attempts on the fuhrer, but ultimately only he was successful in the endeavor!

keiko romero

4/24/2020 04:38:47 pm

1. Hitler and the Axis Powers’ biggest military mistakes were probably attacking Pearl Harbor and deciding to declare war on the US even though they didn’t need to because everything starts to go downhill from there.
2. Asian-Americans were affected after the bombing of Pearl Harbor because they were transported to internment camps which caused those transported to bear a stigma.
3. Capra misleads Americans by saying that Japan is the enemy and not the Nazis.
4. The three major turning points were the Battle of Stalingrad, the Invasion of Italy, and the Invasion of France.
5. I feel like the Soviet Union deserves the most credit because they were able to defeat the Germans.

Mariela

5/7/2020 10:33:19 am

1) Hitler and Axis Power’s biggest military mistake was the attack on Pearl Harbor, that also caused the US to join war with Japan. Making it an even bigger war.
2) After the bombing, hundreds and thousands of Asian-Americans were fled out of their homes by force and were divided up and taken to live in 1 of 10 internment camps.
3) Frank Capra’s film was misleading because it makes Japan seem like the ‘bad guy’ whereas people should have been more concerned about Germany taking over the world.
4) The 3 major turning points in Europe was D-day, the invasion of Italy and Stalingrad.
5) The US did play an important role and also had the technology, but I believe the Soviet Union should get most of the credit because they defeated Germany.

Sherer

5/7/2020 10:35:04 am

Regarding 3, the US was just bombed by Japan, so...

WWII: Winning the War in Europe

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