World War II for Kids

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2 World War II for Kids A History with 21 Activities Richard Panchyk

3 For Mimi, Opi, and Bela Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Is available from the Library of Congress. The stories of their courage and strength give me inspiration. COVER DESIGN: Joan Sommers Design, Chicago INTERIOR DESIGN: Monica Baziuk INTERIOR ILLUSTRATION: Mark Baziuk PHOTO CREDITS Front Cover Images: Portraits left to right: Stalin, Roosevelt, Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, and Hirohito (Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-US ; Mussolini and Hirohito, Corbis); Save Rubber poster courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, WPA Poster Collection, LC-USZC2-920; Hitler youth, Bettmann/Corbis; We Can Do It! poster, J. Howard Miller, c. 1942, Corbis. Back Cover Images: Pilot courtesy of Howard Scott; Iwo Jima courtesy of National Archives. All other cover images courtesy of the author. Interior Images: pages xii, 1, 3, 19, 20, 23, 46, 56, 89, 97, 110, 132 courtesy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library page 25 courtesy of Elina Leonova pages 37, 111, 119, 140, 141 courtesy of National Archives page 49 courtesy of Peter Prommersberger page 64 copyright 2002 by Universal Studios. Courtesy of Universal Studios Publishing Rights, a Division of Universal Studios Licensing, Inc. All rights reserved. pages 70, 78 courtesy of Howard Scott page 101 courtesy of Eva Arvai pages 102, 107 photos by IPW Team #10, Second Cavalry, under command of Ferdinand Sperl page 108 photo by Bill Harvay page 117 courtesy of Anita Weisbord pages 124, 131 courtesy of Frigyes Gellert All other photos by the author or from the author s collection by Richard Panchyk All rights reserved First edition Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated 814 North Franklin Street Chicago, Illinois ISBN Printed in China

4 CONTENTS Acknowledgments iv Foreword v Letter from President Clinton vi Introduction vii Maps viii Time Line x 1The World at War 1 Extinguish an Incendiary Draw a Recruiting Poster The Long Road Ahead 27 Break the Code Camouflage Activity Make a Bandage The Home Front and Life During the War 47 Make a Care Package Grow a Victory Garden Rationing Game Butter Extender Activity Making Every Scrap Count Stage a Radio Adventure Program Hope Renewed 71 Make a Ration Kit V-Mail Know Your Ranks Mortar Game D-Day and Victory in Europe 87 Go on a Reconnaissance Mission Coastal Defense Latitude Longitude Tracking Game Speaking the Language When Every Day Seemed to Be a Year Long 111 Jewish Star In Hiding Pacific Victory 135 The Physics of Dropping Bombs Interview a Veteran Military Lingo Afterword Glossary Resources Web Sites for Further Exploration 155 World War II Museums 156 Bibliography 157 Key Personalities of World War II Index

Though it ended in 1918, many people were fearful that another war could easily start over a relatively

5 1 A WORLD AT WAR Throughout the 1920s, everyone in the world was aware of the terrible price of the First World War. Though it ended in 1918, many people were fearful that another war could easily start over a relatively minor disagreement. Germany, the main aggressor of World War I, was punished severely by the Allies the United States, France, and England who won the war. As part of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, 1

6 Germany had to pay large fines and was not allowed to manufacture any weapons. Inflation made German money worthless after the war. People went hungry. Disease ravaged the population. The political situation in Germany was chaotic. New political parties were formed to oppose the ruling government. One of these was called the Nazi Party. The Nazis were a strongly patriotic, anti- Communist party whose name was short for the National Socialist German Worker s Party. Founded in 1920, the Nazi Party was eventually led by a failed Austrian artist named Adolf Hitler. The Nazis believed Germany had to be rebuilt regardless of what the Treaty of Versailles said. The French, a major enemy of the Germans in World War I, were very concerned about the neighbors who had invaded their country so many times over the years. While Germany suffered greatly in the years after World War I, many people in the United States were still bitter about being dragged into the war at the cost of $32 billion and at the loss of 50,000 lives. Though in 1920 the Americans had helped create the League of Nations, an early form of the United Nations, President Woodrow Wilson could not get support in Congress and the United States did not join the League. Most Americans were content to have their country stay out of world politics. This policy was called isolationism. Still, when France called on America to sign a pact banning wars, the United States was interested. Why not invite other countries to participate? After some discussion, the question was settled. In August 1928 the United States and France were joined by 13 other countries in signing the Kellogg-Briand Pact, named after the Secretary of State of the United States, Frank B. Kellogg, and the foreign minister of France, Aristide Briand. The idea of the pact was to outlaw war:...[the diplomats signing the pact] solemnly declare in the names of their respective peoples that they condemn... war for the solution of international controversies, and renounce it... [and] agree that the settlement or solution of all disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them, shall never be sought except by pacific [peaceful] means. Eventually, about 60 countries signed the pact, including Italy, Japan, Germany, and the Soviet Union. Nobody in the United States foresaw that within a few years, several of the signing countries would violate the pact. 2

7 The Great Depression American hopes for world peace were soon overshadowed by a new concern. On Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the value of the New York stock market fell and, in a panic, people around the country rushed to their banks to withdraw all their money. The banks, having also suffered badly from the crash, could not pay everyone who wanted their money. So began the Great Depression in America. Once prosperous, Americans now struggled to make ends meet. Farmers could not make enough money because crop prices tumbled. Jobs were scarce, and many families did not have enough money to pay for their basic needs. By the end of 1932, nearly 100,000 businesses had collapsed. The presidential election of 1932 pitted Republican President Herbert Hoover against former New York governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat. Americans decided that they were ready for a change and voted in Roosevelt as the 32nd President. Over the next several years, President Roosevelt did much to help his country get back on its feet. In 1936 he won reelection by a landslide. Roosevelt started many federal programs aimed at assisting the needy and putting a chicken in every pot, as he promised. Because many people had lost almost all their money, Roosevelt created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), a plan that insured bank deposits against future bank closings. Overall, in the 1930s Americans were focused on fixing their own problems. Through the early and mid- 1930s, hoping to avoid major involvement in world politics, Roosevelt participated warily in world affairs. Trouble Abroad Meanwhile, trouble was brewing in Europe. For years Hitler had tried to gain power in Germany, and, in November 1923, he staged an attempt to overthrow the government by holding hostage the leaders of a rival political party who had been meeting at a beer hall. For this attempt he was thrown into prison for a short time. While in prison he wrote Mein Kampf, a political philosophy that laid out many of his ideas about Germany s superiority. Through the late 1920s, the Nazi Party s influence slowly grew, but not enough to attract the attention of the world. By 1928 the Nazis had only a few seats in the Reichstag, or German parliament. Things changed quickly, though. In 1930, after inflation and high unemployment hit Germany, elections gave the Communists 13 percent 3

8 Adolf Hitler (right) with Dr. Otto Dietrich, head of the Nazi Press Agency and publicity agent for Hitler. of the vote and the Nazis 18 percent. In the 1932 elections, President Hindenburg received 53 percent of the vote and Hitler, 37 percent. Giving in to pressure, Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor on January 30, The German people, of whom millions were unemployed, were eager for a leader who could take them into prosperity. Meanwhile, on February 27, 1933, the Reichstag building broke out in flames. The German Communists were blamed for the fire, and several thousand were arrested. By July 1933 Hitler s power was much greater than Hindenburg s. After the elderly Hindenburg died in August 1934, the military swore their allegiance to Hitler, and the Nazis took complete control of the government. Hitler continued to have Communist and Socialist leaders arrested, and finally he was able to declare that the Nazi Party was to be the only legal party in Germany. Teams of his specially trained blackshirted protection team, the Schutz Staffel (SS), roamed the streets. Hitler was now in a position to begin the rearmament of Germany. As the world eyed Germany cautiously, there were already signs that the new Nazi government would spell big trouble for world peace. In 1936, in defiance of the Versailles Treaty, Hitler militarized the Rhineland, the area of Germany along the west banks of the Rhine River. Hitler quickly gained complete support of the people in Germany. By 1936 almost 99 percent of the people said they had confidence in him few dared oppose him. To restore pride in Germany and also to create loyalty to the Nazi Party, Hitler organized youth groups. German boys and girls, some as young as six years old, were encouraged to join these groups. Many of these youths joined the army when they grew up and fought during the war in France, Poland, and Russia. Most of them did not have a choice. In March 1935, service in the German Army became mandatory for all German men of military age. In June 1935, it became a law that German men who turned 20 had to join the Arbeitsdienst (work service) to help build roads or construct buildings for six months 4

Chapter 15. Years of Crisis

Chapter 15. Years of Crisis Chapter 15 Years of Crisis Section 2 A Worldwide Depression Setting the Stage European nations were rebuilding U.S. gave loans to help Unstable New Democracies A large number of political parties made