WWII & Early Cold War
Timeline
Trigger Words
Title: France in Defeat, 1940Link: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/francedefeat.htm
Summary: The Nazi army had attempted a gamble and the odds were in their favor when they had chose to attack France. A Huge upset sent the French into shock as the Nazi's had taken over their homeland as shown in the picture below a Frenchman is crying/weeping over his countries loss at battle as the Germans roam the streets of France in 1940. To add insult to injury the French were forced upon signing the Armistice on June 22nd giving Hitler the benefit of the doubt of their precious railroad cars. Significance: This without a doubt gave Germany so much confidence to literally take the world by storm. This also shows the significance of Hitlers power as his "ride to fame" is at its highest and giving a warning to the allies to weary of this ambitious fellow of Germany. also after the signed Armistice France was given a very undefined split in their country. one under controll of Nazi Germany and the other under WWI hero Marshall Petain. Kinon C. |
Title: Attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941- Japanese View
Link: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl2.htm Summary: Through the account of a Japanese Fleet Commander, this document presents details of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Nagumo recollects flying over the islands of Hawaii, finding Pearl Harbor, and giving the command to bomb the area. He watched as ships such as the Maryland were bombed into a ball of fire and how his men were unchallenged in the air. Whenever US aircraft attempted to take flight, the Japanese would shoot them down. The attack went unchallenged except for retaliation from a few land batteries. Significance: As the day that lived in infamy, this account from a Japanese soldier may anger many Americans. Its detailed account of the bombing provides insight from the Japanese as supposed to only from an American point of view. Pearl Harbor was a major turning point in World War II because it sent the US into the war. Americans rallied together under the mindset of revenge. This is very significant because it is an enemy document and literally provides a birds-eye-view of the infamous attack. Stefania Castaneda Title The Bombing of Hiroshima, 1945 Link http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hiroshima.htm Summary Dr. Michihiko Hachiya was Director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital and he lived approximately a mile from the explosion's epicenter. He recalls first seeing an extremely bright light, then another. Suddenly he looked down and saw that he was completely naked and cut badly all over his body. He eventually found his wife who was injured just like he. They were both bleeding and impaled with various things. Hachiya even had a large piece of glass stuck in his throat. After attempting to reach the hospital with his wife, Hachiya finally had to stop. Lying on the ground, he recalls other people naked and badly burned just like he was. The last thing he remembers are the gates of the Communication Bureau. Significance The significance of this primary source is that is shows just how badly the U.S. wanted to defeat Japan. They were willing to kill thousands and inflict pain and suffering just to win a war with less American causualties. Furthermore, the U.S. wanted to defeat Japan without the aid of Russia and they wanted to show the world their military power. Many Americans celebrated frantically when they learned of Japan's surrender. However in their defense, most did not know of the horrors that the two bombs causes. Sadly, the dropping of these atomic bombs started a nuclear arms race between the U.S. and the USSR known as the Cold War. Garry Turner |
Title: Attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941
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