Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the first major battle during World War II. This battle started when Germany's air force (Luftwaffe) bombed London. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign fought entirely by air forces. The duration of the war was from July 10 - October 31 1940. Germany's goal was to gain superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF). By preventing Germany from gaining air superiority, the battle ended the threat that Hitler would launch Operation Sea Lion, an amphibious and airborne invasion on Britain. The battle ended with a decisive British victory.
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the second major battle found between the Imperial Japanese and the United States. This was one of the most important naval battles of World War II. The battle only lasted between the 4 and 7th of June, 1942. The plan the Japanese had was to lure the United States' aircraft carriers into a trap. The Japanese also intended to use Midway to extend their defensive perimeter. The plan failed due to faulty assumptions of the Japanese of the American reaction and poor initial dispositions.
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the battle known as the major turning point of World War II when the Soviet Union defeated Germany at Stalingrad. The Germans fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad. It is among the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. Once the Soviets defeated the German forces, German forces never regained the initiative in the East and withdrew a vast military force from the West to reinforce their losses.
The Blackout
The Blackout occurred in Great Britain when the Air Ministry had forecast that Britain would suffer night air bombing attacks which would cause large numbers of civilian casualties and mass destruction. It was agreed that targeting and navigation would be difficult if man-made lights on the ground were extinguished. Blackout regulations were imposed on September 1, 1939, before the declaration of war. These regulations required that all windows and doors should be covered at night with suitable materials such as heavy curtains, cardboard or paint to prevent the escape of any glimmer of light that might aid enemy aircraft. External lights, such as street lights were turned off or dimmed and essential lights like headlights and street lights were fitted with a slot cover to deflect light towards the ground.
The blitz
The Blitz was the period of sustained strategic bombing of Great Britain by Nazi Germany. Starting on September 7, 1940, London was bombed by the Luftwaffe (German air force) for 57 consecutive nights. More than one million London houses were either destroyed or damaged, and more than 40,000 civilians were killed. Other cities including Bristol, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southampton, and Swansea were also targeted, as were the industrial cities of Birmingham, Belfast, Coventry, Glasgow, and Manchester. Birmingham were heavily targeted because of the Spitfire and tank building facilities.
The Home-Front
A factor in the Allied victory was the ability of the Allied nations to successfully and efficiently mobilize their civilian industries and domestic populations in order to turn out weapons and goods necessary for war. The British had already accomplished mobilization for total war by bombers. Production of most durable goods, in the United States, like cars, new housing, televisions, and kitchen appliances were banned until the war was over. Every country's citizens were forced to ration for their army, whether they were good or bad guys.
Effect on Children
The war massively affected children. Nearly two million children were evacuated from their homes at the beginning of the war; children had to endure rationing, gas mask lessons, living with strangers, etc. During the Blitz, children accounted for one out of ten deaths. Parents who had access to money invariably made their own arrangements. Nearly two million (1.9 million) children gathered at rail stations in early September not knowing where there were going or if they were going to be split apart from brothers and sisters who had gathered there with them. By January 1940, 60% of evacuees returned home to their parents when it seemed clear that the danger of bombing had been exaggerated. Most children were split from every member of their family left with strangers for months.
Safety Plans
Evacuation Plans: The Government Evacuation Scheme was developed during summer 1938. This plan evacuated people from urban areas towards rural areas. In summer 1939, the government began to publicize its plan to local authorities. The refusal of the central government to spend large sums on preparation also reduced the effectiveness of the plan. Evacuation began two days before the war started.
Rationing Plans: The British Ministry of Food refined the rationing process in the early 1940's to ensure the population did starve when food imports were severely restricted and local production limit due to the large number of men fighting in the war.
Air Raids: The purpose of the area bombardment of cities was laid out in a British Air Staff paper, dated 23 September 1941. During the first few months of the area bombing campaign, an internal debate within the British government about the most effective use of the nation's limited resources in waging war on Germany continued. An influential paper was presented to support the bombing campaign by Professor Frederick Lindemann, the British government's leading scientific adviser, justifying the use of area bombing to "dehouse" the German workforce as the most effective way of reducing their morale and affecting enemy war production.
Rationing Plans: The British Ministry of Food refined the rationing process in the early 1940's to ensure the population did starve when food imports were severely restricted and local production limit due to the large number of men fighting in the war.
Air Raids: The purpose of the area bombardment of cities was laid out in a British Air Staff paper, dated 23 September 1941. During the first few months of the area bombing campaign, an internal debate within the British government about the most effective use of the nation's limited resources in waging war on Germany continued. An influential paper was presented to support the bombing campaign by Professor Frederick Lindemann, the British government's leading scientific adviser, justifying the use of area bombing to "dehouse" the German workforce as the most effective way of reducing their morale and affecting enemy war production.
Schools
Most children during World War II didn't learn in schools. Since they had to be evacuated, most children had to learn in churches which did create some controversy. Some kids were of different religions which interfered with their education. Nearly all kids that survived didn't get all of the education that they needed. Some children were moved to rural areas and learned in some of the schools in that area.
Rationing Cards
A ration card is a card issued by the government to allow the holder to obtain food or other products that are short in supply during wartime or in other emergency situations. They were introduced in the beginning of the war and were used by people to get supplies that were scarce at the time. Ration cards were widely used during World War II by both sides after hostilities caused interruption to the normal supply of goods. Rationing cards were important because without them no one would be able to get gas they needed because at the time it was rationed.
Major Inventions
Some major inventions that were discovered before the war and helped with the war were the "RADAR Systems" and nuclear power. Without the nuclear power discovered, the United States wouldn't have been able to create the atom bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war. The RADAR Systems greatly helped with ocean warfare. This system helped submarines discover the location of enemy submarines and ships before they were spotted.
Housing
The cost of an average house during World War II was about $15,000. The appliances in one of these homes were very different than present day appliances. Telephones had a rotary dial and a cord rather than buttons. Appliances like washing machines were very big and required manual tossing. Floors didn't usually have a nice looking design or even bright colors. It was either a cement floor or a wooden floor if you could afford it. Furnishing homes during this time were centered around the war, such as pictures of a father at war or a flag hanging on the wall.
Music
Music during the war was considered a waste of time for some people, but to others, music is the only way that they survived. Most music was about wanting the soldiers back and wanting peace. These songs were typically sung by jazz musicians. The most famous musicians at the time were Vera Lynn, who lived in Britain, Jerome Kern, and Oscar Hammerstein, in which they both lived in the United States.
Department Stores
A store called Spooners was the largest department store during World War II. It had everything from food and drinks to medicines to even the production of photography. Mutley Pain was a chain store for Spooners that had nearly the same items as Spooners did.