War Beyond Europe
to describe why and when did the United States join World War Two;
to explain the nature and significance Lend‑Lease ActLend‑Lease Act;
to define the “leapfrog” tactic;
to list the war operations in Africa and Asia;
to characterize the significance of the atomic bomb.
War operations outside of Europe have been conducted in 1940 by the Italian army. Their aim was to take control of the Suez Canal, situated in the British zone of influence. After a brief period of success, the Italian army had to acknowledge the Allied armies’ superiority, though; what’s more, the Allies took over a part of the Italian coloniescolonies (Libya). It led to the German intervention in Africa, commanded by gen. Erwin Rommel (known as the “Desert Fox”). His activities enabled the Axis to retake the territories lost by Italy and enter Egypt. However, the supplying difficulties and the activities of the British airforce put an end to the expansion (the Battle of El Alamein, 1942). In the end, due to the entry of the British and American forces into Africa (Operation Torch), the Allied forces managed to take control of Northern portion of the continent, forcing the AxisAxis armies to surrendersurrender.
At the outset of the war in Europe in September 1939, Japan declared its neutralityneutrality and agreed to an armistice with the Soviet Union in the war between the two states in the Far East. The United States assumed a similar stance. The situation changed dramatically on 7 December 1941. The unexpected Japanese attack on the American military base of Pearl Harbor that resulted in the sinking of 5 battleships and over 2300 American casualties caused the US to join the war on the Allied side. From that moment onwards, the main American frontfront of operations was the war against Japan on the Pacific. The US achieved their first success as early as May 1942, stopping the Japanese at the Coral Sea, then in June of the same year, inflicting heavy casualties upon the enemy in the Battle of Midway. In the months that followed, owing to the so‑called “[leapfrog]”Leapfrog tactic tactic, they managed to take control of other Pacific islands, threatening Japan directly. The Empire of Japan, however, was not willing to surrender. However, after the Soviet Union’s entry into the war in the Far East (after the conclusion of the war in Europe in May 1945), and, especially, the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the fighting ceased. The act of unconditional surrendersurrender has been signed on 2 September 1945, aboard the battleship Missouri; thus ended the bloodiest armed conflict in the history of humanity.
Study the most important events of the war outside of Europe and organize your knowledge. Which of the events were the most important and why?
Find the information, using for example the Internet, on what were the guidelines for compiling the crew of the plane to drop the bomb on Hiroshima. Have unambiguous criteria been defined?
Match the term with its definition.
a state that did not declare its allegiance to either of the sides of a conflict, declaring neutrality and no aid to the belligerents., a territory where opposing armies fight against each other., the formations of Japanese airforce units of the World War Two era, piloting specially-prepared airplanes and aiming to launch suicidal attacks on the enemy., seeking to fulfill one’s goals by way of acts of war, with the military playing a decisive role in politics., the countries fighting against the Allies on the side of the Third Reich, Italy and Japan during World War Two., the capitulation of the entire military or parts of it against the enemy. It may be unconditional or be signed under pre-established conditions. It usually ends an armed conflict.
| Neutral state | |
| Axis | |
| Militarism | |
| Front | |
| Kamikaze | |
| Surrender |
Explain, using various sources of knowledge, why the act of capitulation on the American side was signed by General MacArthur and why it did not take place on land.
Keywords
World War Two, Japan, United States, Pearl Harbor
Glossary
Państwo neutralne – państwo, które w czasie trwania konfliktu zbrojnego nie opowiedziało się po żadnej ze stron i zadeklarowało swoją neutralność oraz nieudzielanie pomocy walczącym.
Państwa Osi – państwa należące do obozu sojuszu III Rzeszy, Włoch i Japonii, walczące przeciw aliantom podczas II wojny światowej.
Lend‑Lease Act – dosłownie umowa pożyczki‑dzierżawy, ustawa z 1941 r. pozwalająca prezydentowi Stanów Zjednoczonych sprzedawać i udostępniać rządom innych państw broni, amunicji i innych towarów z obszaru obronności.
Militaryzm – dążenie do realizacji celów na drodze działań wojennych, w której wojsko wywiera decydujący wpływ na politykę.
Kolonie – posiadłość państwa, która znajduje się poza jego granicami, ale bezpośrednio mu podlega.
Taktyka „żabich skoków” – taktyka walki wojsk Stanów Zjednoczonych na Dalekim Wschodzie w czasie II wojny światowej polegająca na przejmowaniu kolejnych strategicznych wysp na drodze ku Japonii.
Front – terytorium, na którym walczą ze sobą wrogie armie.
Kamikadze – formacje japońskich jednostek lotniczych z okresu II wojny światowej, pilotujące specjalnie przygotowane samoloty, których celem był samobójczy atak na przeciwnika.
Kapitulacja – poddanie się części lub całości wojska przeciwnikowi. Może być bezwarunkowa lub pod pewnymi wcześniej ustalonymi warunkami. Najczęściej kończy konflikt zbrojny.