World War II Mini Research Paper Jonathan Luu Norton-3 3/4/10

World War II had many different parts. Some of these things could affect the war. They were geography, diseases, turning points, treatment of prisoners, treatment of different cultural groups, and technological impact. These were all part of the war, whether good or bad. Geography: During World War II, the geography and natural occurrences affected how the war went. There were different, natural causes in nature that occurred in battles that changed how the conflict turned out. There were different components to the natural occurrences. They are weather, climate, resources, and topography/geography. First, is the weather. The weather affected WWII by causing battles to end out differently. In some cases, the weather caused a victory for a side. The weather could cause certain problems like tanks getting stuck or positions being flooded. An example of how the weather affected World War II is the Miracle of Dunkirk. At this port city, three-hundred thousand British soldiers had been pushed back to the coast. If the Germans were to capture or kill these soldiers, Great Britain would lose a huge part of their military. Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill, ordered every available ship (that could cross the English Channel) to sail to Dunkirk to save the troops. On that day, a very dense fog rolled in and obscured the British lines from the Germans. Heavy rain fell and forced the Germans to stop and dig out their tanks. Eventually, they (Germans) just halted. The German Luftwaffe could not see or fly in the heavy fog. As a result of the weather, the British soldiers were rescued and transported safely away. This is how weather helped the Allies. Second of all is the climate. The climate could be cold or hot and could affect how an army would move. A time when climate affected the battles was in the Soviet Union. The Nazis

had advanced far into Russia. They came close to the capital, Moscow. However, the Russians held their lines and the Germans stopped advancing. In that time, the Germans were caught, unprepared, in the Russian winter. The climate was very cold, and many of the Germans got sick and died. Since they lost many men, the Germans were pushed back out of Russia. This was how the climate affected the war. Third is the amount of resources. Resources could help or hurt an army, depending on the amount. In the war, if an army had a lot of supplies, then they could fight longer. On the other hand, if the supplies were low, then they could be pushed back. They would be forced to retreat, because since they do not have the sources needed, they could not fight back very long. An example of when supplies affected a battle was the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans had pushed the Allies back, creating a "bulge" in the American lines. However, the Germans were using tanks, and tanks needed fuel. The fuel areas in Germany had been bombed or depleted. The Germans could not move their tanks further, and they were pushed back. This is how resources affected the war. Last of all is topography. The topography of different regions gave an advantage to an army. An example of when World War II was affected by the topography of a region is D-Day or Normandy. At Normandy, there were high cliffs near the beaches. The Allies had chosen to attack at that beach. However, Hitler, looking at the terrain, decided that the beach of Normandy was too hard to scale. This was one reason why the Germans lost at Normandy. Since Hitler looked at the topography of the land, he thought that the cliffs were too obstructive. However, he was wrong, and the Allies surprised the Germans and won. Diseases

During World War II, there were many diseases. These sicknesses caused the deaths of many soldiers. The different diseases were Yellow Fever, Dysentery, Typhus, Malaria, Jungle Rot/Trench Foot, Scurvy, Respiratory Diseases, Mental Illness/Shell-Shock, and Hepatitis. First of these diseases is Yellow Fever. The disease is "transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes, and is found in tropical and subtropical areas in South America and Africa, but not in Asia" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_fever). The disease would cause a victim, pain, fever, and nausea. In most patients, the disease stopped after several days. However, in soldiers, yellow fever caused "liver damage with jaundice" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_fever) and lead to their death. This disease was very deadly, and many soldiers died from it. Second of these sicknesses is Dysentery. Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the feces[1] with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysentery). This disease was found mainly in tropical areas and could kill. Generally, POWs got this disease and so did soldiers in places with the Dysentery bacteria. Back during World War II, people did not have a cure for this disease, and those who were infected died. The third infection is Typhus. This disease was transmitted by lice or rats. The "Typhus epidemics killed inmates in the Nazi Germany concentration camps" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhus). There were medicines, such as antibiotics, that could cure Typhus. In between the world wars, a vaccine was created to cure Typhus. During World War II, less dangerous and cheaper medicines were made to fight this disease. This disease was curable for soldiers, though some died.

The fourth illness found in World War II was Malaria. Malaria was often found in warm and damp places such as islands in the Pacific. Typically, this disease was transmitted by mosquitoes. During the Second World War, Americans were infected by this disease from mosquitoes, as they fought on Japanese controlled islands. This disease caused them to have fevers and headaches. "In severe cases, the disease worsens, leading to coma and death"
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria). However, this illness had a cure. The doctors would use quinine to treat Malaria. There were still deaths from Malaria though.

The next sickness was Jungle Rot/Trench Foot. This disease was caused by keeping your feet in water too long. The flesh on the foot would rot off and it would cause a lot of pain. During World War II, there was not a cure for this. The only way to avoid it was to keep your feet clean and dry. Many soldiers would suffer from the pain in their feet. The sixth disease was Scurvy. Scurvy was caused by the lack of nutrients, minerals, and other things important to the human body. Eventually, without healthy foods, the person would first lose their teeth, movement, and die. This disease could only be cured with the proper nutrients and minerals. Soldiers often got Scurvy from not eating proper food. During World War II, soldiers would suffer from Scurvy and would usually die. During World War II, there were some cases of Respiratory Diseases. These diseases consisted of asthma, bronchitis, and tuberculosis. In the war, soldiers often smoked. The toxins, caused problems for their breathing. In polluted places, soldiers often inhaled unclean materials, and had tuberculosis. The men often died from the Respiratory Diseases. During this time, the doctors did not yet know how to cure these diseases either.

Another illness in the war was Mental Illness/Shell-Shock. After battles, soldiers were traumatized from the sight of the dead bodies of comrades and enemies. Some soldiers went mental because of how these experiences affected their minds. The men often tried to comfort each other and help them through the losses. In battles, there were some servicemen who were shocked at the sight of death and pain. These men were scared and could not forget their memories of the war. The war caused many people to be scared and shocked from the war. The last disease was Hepatitis. This sickness usually refers to the "inflammation of the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis). This disease was usually caused by a virus or the over use of alcohol. If this was not treated, it could lead to death. Turning Points In the war, there were several turning points. The points are: the Battle of Britain/Operation Sea Lion, Operation Barbarossa/Siege of Leningrad and Stalingrad, Operation Torch/El Alamein, Operation Avalanche, Operation Overlord/D-Day, Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea/Guadalcanal, Midway, Doolittle Raid, Iwo Jima, and Hiroshima/Nagasaki. These events all contributed to the tide of the war. The first turning point, the Battle of Britain (also called Operation Sea Lion by Hitler) was where Germany attacked and bombed Great Britain. This battle took place from July 10th to October 31st, 1940. Hitler had defeated France, and Great Britain was the only opposing force left. He had planned to send planes to break the will of the English. During the battle, the British used radar to direct planes toward the German Luftwaffe. However, Hitler could not defeat the RAF, so he turned to civilian targets, which was his mistake. The British did not surrender, and

in October, Hitler canceled his plans to invade Britain. This battle was important because Great Britain did not fall to the Germans. The only Ally was still free. The next important part in the war was the Sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad (known as Operation Barbarossa by the Germans). The Siege of Leningrad lasted from September 8th, 1941 to January 1944. The Germans had surrounded the city and was trying to starve the Russians inside to death. This battle is important because the Russians were not defeated and the Red Army drove the Germans out of Russia. The second siege in Russia was the Siege of Stalingrad. This battle lasted from July 17th, 1942 to February 2nd, 1943. The battle was important because the Germans failed to capture Stalingrad, which prevented them from moving on to Moscow. These two battles helped the Russians push the Nazis back out of the Soviet Union and towards Germany. The third turning point in the war was Operation Torch/El Alamein. The actual operation started when the first troops landed in North Africa. The Battle of El Alamein was just an important conflict in the entire operation. The operation lasted from November 8th to June 1943. El Alamein lasted from July 1st-27th. At the Battle of El Alamein, the Americans and the British fought against the Germans. This conflict was important because it opened a direct attack route to Italy, and prevented the Germans from taking the Suez Canal (which would have cut off Britain from its colonies). The next point in World War II is Operation Avalanche. This operation was the Allied invasion of Italy. It lasted from September 3rd-16th, 1943. This operation is important because it eventually led to the defeat of Italy. The Axis Powers lost one of their allies. This battle sort of weakened the Axis by a small bit. Benito Mussolini was forced out of power, too.

Another important battle in the war was Operation Overlord, also known a D-Day (Disambiguation Day). The battle was fought on June 6th, 1944. On this day, the Allies invaded the beach of Normandy. This battle was very important, because it led the way for the freeing of occupied France, and was the start of the German retreat. On this day, many soldiers died. However, the Allies won because of Hitler's strategic error. The next turning point in the war was Pearl Harbor. The battle took place on December 7th, 1941. This was a surprise attack by the Japanese. They came in and bombed U.S. ships and naval crews. Many Americans died. This occurrence is important because the U.S. declared war on Japan, and the other Axis powers announced war with the United States. The Battle of Coral Sea and Guadalcanal are next. Coral Sea took place on May 4th-8th, 1942. The U.S. fought against the Japanese. Coral Sea is important because even though it was a draw, it showed to the Americans that Japan could be stopped. After Coral Sea was the battle of Guadalcanal. It lasted from August 7th, 1942 to February 9th, 1943. This battle is important because it showed how determined the Japanese were going to be in the Pacific campaign. One of the major naval battles between the U.S. and the Japanese was the Battle of Midway. Midway took place on June 3rd-6th, 1942. This naval battle is major because in this fight, the American Navy broke the power of Japan's Navy. From then on, Japan could no longer fight with ships. The Doolittle Raid is next. This was the bombing of Japanese home islands by the U.S. This operation took place on April 18th, 1942. The operation was led by "Lt. Col. "Jimmy" Doolittle" (http://www.doolittleraid.com/). This battle was important because this was "the first strike against the Japanese home islands" (http://www.doolittleraid.com/).

One of the most important turning points in the war was Iwo Jima. This ferocious battle took place from February 19th to March 26th, 1945. This battle was fought on the Japanese home island of Iwo Jima. This conflict was important because it allowed the U.S. to use airfields on the island. This allowed bombing attacks on Japan itself. That way, the United States could weaken Japan. The final turning points in the war were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These were the places where the two atomic bombs were dropped. The bombing of Hiroshima took place on August 6th, 1945. The bomb dropped was called Little Boy. This was crucial to the war because it helped show the Japanese that the Americans had a new, very strong weapon at their disposal. The second atomic bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on the industrial city of Nagasaki, on August 9th, 1945. This was important because it eventually led to the surrender of Japan. Treatment of Prisoners During the war, prisoners of different countries were treated differently. There were German prisoners (different prisoners), Allied prisoners, and Japanese prisoners (the Bataan Death March). These POWs all had different experiences. First of all was German treatment of prisoners. At the start of the war, French soldiers were forced into labor camps. Civilian prisoners (Jews, Gypsies, etc.) were sent to concentration camps. POWs were "held separately in different camps unless they were found guilty of some war crime and were sent to a death camp. For the Western POWs, that meant they had a better chance at survival then either the concentration camp prisoners or their comrades in Japanese hands" (http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/alliedpoweto.htm). If the prisoners were Jews or a mixed race, they were sent to the death camps and exterminated.

Next was the treatment of Axis prisoners. When the Russians overran Poland, they captured and executed thousands of Polish soldiers. If the Russians captured any German troops, the Nazis were either executed or eventually released (very rare). If the U.S. captured German prisoners, they would usually treat them fairly well. However, some Germans were killed. If the prisoners were Japanese, the Americans would kill them right away, or take to POW camps. At these camps, some of the Japanese committed suicide or attacked American guards so they would be killed. Some Axis POWs captured by the British were sent to a center known as MI19. Here, Germans were frequently tortured. This was how Axis soldiers were treated. Last of all is how Japan treated its prisoners. There was a march created to kill POWs. It was known as the Bataan Death March. This was created by the Japanese. The prisoners on the march were Americans and Filipinos. This march took place in the Philippines. On the 60 mile march, the Japanese would usually kill POWs when they felt like it. They would shoot, behead, or cut the throats of the prisoners. In some cases, "riders in vehicles would casually stick out a rifle bayonet and cut a string of throats in the lines of men marching alongside the road" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Death_March). The POWs on this march commonly died. Other treatments of POWs by the Japanese were execution and putting them in camps. Treatment of Different Cultural Groups Different groups of people were treated differently in World War II. In Europe, Jews were criticized and usually killed. In the U.S., after Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were sent to camps. And in World War II, if African Americans were captured, they were subject to racism.

First of all is the treatment of Jews by the Germans. At the beginning, the Jews were persecuted. They would have to wear stars that said Jude or Jew. The stars were in the shape of the Star of David. The Jews had a hard time finding jobs, too. Germans would make fun of Jews, and forbid them from entering certain places. Some of the shops and synagogues of Jews were burned down. This was the treatment at first. Eventually as the war progressed, the Jews were treated harshly. Most were sent to concentration/death camps, and forced to labor. Later on, Jews were forced to take baths that were actually deadly. The Jews were locked in a small room and poison gas was poured through a small hole. The hole was shut, and the Jews were exterminated. This was what happened to many Jews in Europe. Next is how Japanese Americans were treated in the U.S. during World War II. Following Pearl Harbor, the Americans felt a bitter resentment against the Japanese. Some people in the U.S. were afraid that the Japanese Americans in the United States would support Japan, so they were sent to internment camps. The treatment of the Japanese in these camps was fairly okay. The people in these camps were not killed, either. Eventually, the Americans felt that the Japanese in the U.S. were actually loyal. The Japanese American were not treated too badly. Their lives were considerably normal. However, they were not allowed to live in "white" neighborhoods. This was how Japanese Americans were treated. Another group of people who were treated according to their culture were the German Americans. After Pearl Harbor, and the entry of the United States in the war, the Germans were rounded up and put into internment camps. Americans were afraid that these Germans were

dangerous. Some people worried that the German "aliens" would somehow hurt the United States. These Germans were not allowed to live with the other Americans. At the camps, the Germans had to live their own lives. The U.S. eventually dealt with these Germans. Some of the people were expelled back to Germany. The U.S. discovered that some of those people were Nazis. These Nazis were the recruiting people for the Nazi Army. They had no choice but to leave the U.S. Other people, who were left behind, stayed in the internment camps. This was the treatment of the German Americans. Last of all was the treatment of African Americans. In the American Army, the barracks were often segregated. During the war, blacks were not allowed to fight. The soldiers believed that a black person could not fight as well as a white one. Most of the black units in the army never saw combat. They had to do the jobs that low class people had to do. However, this was not true for all of the blacks. Some units, like the Tuskegee Airmen, went through missions. In some cases, the African Americans even helped win a battle. This was one of the cases in the Battle of the Bulge. A key town was surrounded by Germans, and the U.S. troops in that town needed supplies. An American general, ordered a group of blacks, who had never seen combat, to drive supply trucks to the town. Thanks to their efforts, the Americans managed to save the crucial town. Most of the blacks were exposed to racism, but not all. In the war, if an African American was captured by Germans, they were sent to death camps. Hitler considered them to be a mixed race (he hated them). The blacks were then killed. This was how African Americans were treated, in the U.S. and in Europe. Technological Impact

World War II brought many scares, but it also provided new things that soldiers could use. These new creation provided good weapons and other advancements. These important technologies include: radar, sonar, code-breaking/encryption of messages, development of rocket engines/jet engines, military technology (aircraft carriers, atomic weapons, sub-machine guns, and jeep), clothing (nylon, breathable fabrics, synthetic rubber), and battlefield medicine/treatment. These things all made the power of the armies stronger. First of all was the radar. Radar was used to locate enemy fighters or ships. That way, the users would know where to go safely. This invention was very important. During the Battle of Britain, if the British had not had their radar, then the Germans could have them by surprise. This is the importance of the radar. The second technological advance was the sonar. This device was used underwater. Sonar could send out sound waves and tell if there was an object there or not. The German subs used these to detect rocks or enemy ships. That way, they could know where to go to torpedo the ship. This was the significance of the sonar. The next crucial invention was code breaking and encryption of messages. If an army had a knowledge of and encryption, they could disguise an enemy so the other could not figure out what the army was saying. During World War II, if a side did not encrypt their messages, the enemy could read them. The code would protect the secrets it said. The other part was codebreaking. If a side could decipher the enemy's code, they could freely read the messages the enemy sent. Before the Battle of Midway, the U.S. cracked the Japanese codes and knew their location. The Americans then sent fake messages. The Japanese intercepted the messages, and

prepared to attack Midway. The U.S. intercepted one of the Japanese messages, and knew that Japan was going to attack. This was the importance of code-breaking and encryption. Rocket engines and jet engines were also important in the war. They allowed a vehicle to move much faster. During World War II, Hitler used rocket planes that flew really fast. They were much harder to shoot down. This was why these new engines could be effective. The next technological impact was the military technology. First of these is the aircraft carrier. These were vital to naval battles. They could carry large amounts of planes, and they allowed the landing of planes on deck, instead of having to land on a faraway base. This allowed the Air Force to fly missions, farther away from an airfield. The next one is the atomic weapons. These were important because they led to the surrender of Japan. These bombs were very powerful. The third one is the sub-machine gun. These guns could fire more bullets in less time. Also, they did not have to be cocked and loaded. The last military technology was the jeep. The jeep was a vehicle built for tough terrain. These cars could travel in harder spots, like though rivers and deserts. This allowed the faster movement of troops. This was why military technology was important. Clothing was also very important. Nylon was used to make some types of clothing. It was stronger than normal fabrics. Also, it was used in parachutes. Another clothing factor was breathable fabrics. These fabrics could remove sweat so the soldier's clothes would get damp and heavy. They could keep some water out, too. The next one is synthetic rubber. This rubber was easily made. The man-made rubber had many more uses than the normal rubber. This was the importance of the clothing.

Last of all was the battlefield medicine and treatment. The new medicines and drugs helped save lives. The treatment was better and faster. Without these, many soldiers would have died. The drugs helped prevent infection and sickness. This was why the new medicines were very crucial and vital. All of these were components of World War II. They helped contribute different things to it. These were both useful and disastrous. Warfare was made better, even though millions of people died. Nowadays, the technology created back then is used to improve today's life. This was the most infamous war. This was World War II.

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