1939-1945

**__World War II in Europe (timeline and maps may be helpful) - Karan__**


 * To see a map of powers in Europe, [|click here].

**Events In 1942:** **Events In 1943:** **Events In 1944:**  **Events In 1945:**
 * Events In 1939: **
 * Germany signs an act of peace with the Soviet Union.
 * In addition, Soviets get manufactured supplies, and Germany gets raw materials.
 * **WWII starts when Germany invaded and took over Poland.**
 * These actions cause the French and British to declare war on Germany.
 * Events In 1940: **
 * Germany, with the help of the Soviets, begins occupying western Europe.
 * France reaches an agreement with Germany that states that Germany can occupy the northern half of France.
 * Italy and Romania join the Axis powers with Germany.
 * Events In 1941: **
 * Germany begins to become very powerful, taking over parts of lower Europe.
 * **Nazis take Kiev and murder a total of 33,771 Jews there**
 * ** Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor **
 * United States and Britain both declare war on Japan
 * **Germany declares war on the U.S.**
 * **Mass murder of Jews by gassing begins at Auschwitz**
 * Hitler orders the execution of all captured British commandos
 * First all American air attack in Europe
 * Italy declares war on Germany.
 * **Soviet Union** **liberates Jews**
 * **Germans attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but are not successful**
 * Anne Frank and her family are arrested in Amsterdam, Holland
 * Jewish resistance increases in France
 * Paris is liberated
 * **Last use of gas chambers at Auschwitz**
 * **Adolf Hitler commits suicide on April 30th**
 * First atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima, Japan
 * Second atomic bomb dropped in Nagasaki, Japan

Kaury__ ** There were buildings called death or killing camps. Unlike concentration camps, which were used more for detention, these camps were just used for mass killing. The Nazis considered killing camps top secret, and to hide traces of killing special prisoner units they were forced to remove dead bodies from chambers. To obscure the mass murder of millions, camps were even re-landscaped. There many ways to torture and kill the victims. There were gas chambers were gas was released until the victim died of poisonous fumes. Large pits were built, then Jews were lined up on the edge and shot. Even if they didn't die directly from bullet wounds, they died from the smell and blood loss. If they were not tortured or killed, they would starve to death or be worked until they died. The victims got very little food each month and when they got it, it was a small, unhealthy meal. In the end about **5** **million Jews were killed**.  **__Jewish and Non-Jewish Resistance - Kyra__**
 * __Further Nazi Persecution -
 * End Result: **11 - 17 ****million ** <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px;"> **people** killed, **5 million Jews**
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;"> Most victims did not even get a chance to resist, but many of those who did took it. There was violent and emotional resistance. People resisted in ghettoes, concentration camps, and death camps. In communities, __people held together__ and attempted to lead a “normal” life. __Non-Jews hid Jews__ in their houses: in cellars, closets, and attics, risking certain death if they were discovered. In camps, many people resisted simply through __sabotage__. Although one violent uprising in the Warsaw ghetto managed to hold the Nazis at bay for nearly a month, most attempts of armed attack on Hitler’s armies ended very quickly, and failed. __Organized rebellions__ in labor, concentration, and death camps usually inflicted a bit of harm upon the Nazi military, but caused much more death in the rebelling force. **
 * End Result: Emotional and violent resistance among Jews and Non-Jews, **very low success** **rate**

<span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; text-align: center;">**__United States - Julio__** To see President Roosevelt announce aid for Great Britain, [|Click Here] He thought that by aiding Britain, the U.S. would be better protected.
 * The Holocaust caused one of the __biggest outcries__ in American History.
 * The U.S. received a telegram informing them of Hitler's and the Nazi's plans, but they __didn't announce it publicly__.
 * The U.S. __didn’t retaliate immediately__. In 1943 the U.S. met with many British representatives to discuss ideas to rescue the refugees but none emerged. Later that year, Polish courier Jan Karski informed President Roosevelt of the reports of Jewish murders.
 * Once again the U.S. __didn’t act right away__. In 1944 President Roosevelt established the War Refugee Board. He established this with the intent of aiding civilian victims but by that time __90% of Jews were already dead__.
 * American allies brought up the idea of bombing the railroad tracks and gas chambers but U.S. refused.

<span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; text-align: center;">**__Liberation__**
 * All of the Holocaust victims that were __alive and found were liberated__ once the Allied forces (British Empire, Union of Soviet Socialist and the U.S. held the leadership for the allies) had won the War
 * Many inmates being held at concentration camps were <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">suffering from __starvation__ and __disease__.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Germans attempted to hide the evidence of mass murder by __demolishing the camps__
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">The Soviets liberated Auschwitz, the largest concentration camp, in January 1945.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">American forces __liberated more than 20,000 prisoners__ at Buchenwald
 * Many inmates <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">were so weak that they __could barely move__.

<span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 27px; text-align: center;">**__Resources__** **<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 70%;">http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005182 http://www.emersonkent.com/images/central_europe_1945.jpg http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005131 http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm#1939 http://z.about.com/d/judaism/1/5/G/6/ausch_gaschamber.gif http://www.vosizneias.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Buchenwald-Holocaust-Survivors.jpg **
 * [|Click Here] **to see liberated victims**