Technology and Total War

W O R LD W A R II (1939-1945)

Lingering issues (post W W I)

Germany
Russia
Weak states
U.S. withdrawal; UK too
France left to contain a humiliated

Germany
German stab in the back theory
and national mood of outrage

W W IIin brief
1939-1945
Two military alliances: the Allies and

the Axis
Involved majority of worlds nations
Total War
Mass deaths (including the
Holocaust)
Use of nuclear weapons

Key belligerents
Allies

Axis

United Kingdom
Commonwealth allies

(Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, etc.)
France
United States
Soviet Union
Poland
Etc.

Nazi Germany
Japan
Italy
(Hungary, Romania,

Bulgaria)
Etc.

Preparing for the next w ar

Collapse of Wall Street stock

market in Oct. 1929

Weimar Republic dissolved and in
Jan. 1933, Adolf Hitler became
Chancellor of Germany
Hitler, Benito Mussolini (Italy), Joseph
Stalin (Soviet Union), militarists in
Japan

Preparing for the next w ar

Coming to terms with lessons of

WWI
Changing technology, reduced
budgets, skies now a factor
German innovation
Compared to Britain, France, Soviet
Union

Air and Sea Pow er

Use of aircraft
Focused on future potential and

irrelevance of armies and navies

Two approaches:
Strategic bombing of civilian centres
Disabling enemys economic system

Air and Sea Pow er

The case for Germany:
Emphasis on cooperation with other

services
Strategic bombing
Navigation and blind bombing
devices

The Blitz
7 September 1940 and 21 May 1941
Major raids on 16 British cities (London

hit 71 times)

Air and Sea Pow er

Some Navies ignored lessons of

WWI
British didnt counter submarine
menace: sonar
Germany took minimal steps
Japanese and Americans were
innovative

Rise ofFascism

(p.302)

WWI : 1,300,000 French soldiers killed (1 /10

adult men); 300,000 injured, 600,000 widows

Fascism in Italy & Germany
Hitler elected German Chancellor, 1933.

The Road to W ar
Hitler and a new world order
Racist ideology
Dangers of capitalism and

communism
Hitler believed Germany must either
seize the territory and resources
required for its world-historical
mission or sink into insignificance
(p. 302)
Dismantling of Versailles settlement

Trium ph of the W ill(1934-1935)

LeniR iefenstahl (p.209)
Nationalistic pride, Eugenic
Triumph of the Will
Nazis defied Treaty of Versailles

rearmament.
Remilitarized Rhineland 1936.

D eutschland U ber A lles

(p.304-306)

March 1938, Hitler annexed Austria to German

Reich, Sights on Czechoslovakia.

Appeasement: Munich Pact of Sept. 30, 1938.
Hitler & Stalin: non-aggression treaty August

1939.
Sept 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, at war.

H ow W as the W ar Fought?
B LITZK R IEG & TA N K W A R FA R E
Germans: Blitzkrieg or lightening war
Mechanized, fast, & efficient
Weapons of World War II Tanks

M A G IN O T LIN E

(p.308)

French defensive
Elaborate fortifications along German border.
Underground forts.
8 months: phony war.

M ore Technology
Light Machine guns: German Mauser MG

34 & British Bren

Machine Guns 7:11 min in.

Spitfires & Hurricanes (British)

(p. 310-311)

vs. German Stuka Dive Bomber or Ju 87

M ore Technology
Fighter Bombers
Bazooka (Allied)
Panzerschreck Rocket propelled grenade

(Germany)
Long-Range Heavy

Carpet & Precision Bombers (p. 301-302)

Heinkel HE-111 (German)
Atomic bomb

TotalW ar
Spring 1940, Canada began to mobilize for

total war.
Canada: Rational reasons, Morally worthy.
Counter Propaganda: The War for Mens Minds

(1943)

(21min)

The H om efront & Frontlines

Recruitment campaign
June of 1941- Germany invades Russia. Two-

front war, Germans winning.

1941, Canada & Britain declared war on Japan
December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on

American military base Pearl Harbour, US

enters war on side of allied forces.

P ropaganda: Freeing M en to Fight

Rosie the Riveter
Patriotic duty to country
Sense of loss & Loyalty
Cartoons from Love hate and Propaganda

W om en in M ilitary
1st time womens section of army
CWACs in 1941. Air Force in 1942 & 1943,

Navy WRENs
Support jobs (clerical), so men released for

technical jobs/combat.
Im the proudest girl in the world!

43 000 Canadian women enrolled in armed

forces, 4000 in nursing

Case Study:
D ieppe Raid Aug.19,1942
Shingle beaches
German anti-aircraft guns
Large gun batteries
Machine gun pill boxes
Super-raid, led by Canadians-- ended

in disaster

Russian Front to W estern O ff

ensive
(p.318-319)

Stalin: offensive in West to reduce pressure

Commonly believed: unless offensive in West

within short term, US concentrate efforts in

Pacific against Japanese
Mass rallies

P lanning & P reparations

Original Plan: Operation Rutter
Aims:
1- Harass Germans
2- Engage superior Luftwaffe planes
3- Test German defences
4- Provide Allies with experience

Surprise?
Surprise lost
Raid on Dieppe: compromise
Tried to make operation less weather

dependant
Commando forces landing from sea

D ieppe Com m ando Forces & M ain

O bjectives
Final plan: Assault landings 8 locations, air

bombing support, fire support from naval force

stationed offshore
Commando forces land pre-dawn darkness, 3

waves. Edges of beaches into main beach.

No. 3 Commando and No. 4 Commando

M ain Assault
Main assault landing force: Canadian 2nd

division landing in 4 separate locations.

1st wave: land immediately to east of Dieppe

at Puys & west at Pourville half an hour

before main assault.
Disabled machine gun nests.

The R aid
Dieppe Assault Footage

Canadians expected 1500 poor quality German

soldiers not 3500 highly trained veterans

Canadians not rehearsed raid, guns new, never

fired.
Admiralty refused to provide battle ships for

Channel.
General Montgomery resigned command.

Replacement, General Paget, went ahead with plan

O peration Jubilee A ugust 18,1942

230 ships assembled southern English ports.
Convoy warned Germans?
Commandos: LCP (20 men). 3 tanks to each

LCT.

P oint of N o R eturn, N o. 3
C om m ando
At 3:47am, before landing, ran into 5 German

ships armed trawlers escorting tanker.

4:40am landed, small % arrived at correct

landing points.
Sniping

N o. 4 C om m ando
In west, No. 4 commando landed on schedule

& executed almost flawless operation.

Hard fighting, overran & neutralized coastal

battery on west flank.

Royal Regiment of Canada
Germans alerted killed men as came off

landing craft.
Of 495 men who landed, 227 men died.

The O utcom e
Raid 9 hours. 4,000 Canadian & British killed,

wounded or taken prisoner.

Escape and Aftermath

22-foot tide came in, many wounded drowned.

Major-General Roberts unfairly scape-goated

W hat W ent W rong?

1. Topographical
2. Poor Intelligence
3. Time & Tide
4. Tactical surprise

Lessons learned
Must capture significant port? No.
Intelligence
Communication
Armoured landing craft
Bombardment of entrenched
defensive positions
6. German ramifications?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

A P reventable Tragedy
Did lives lost at Dieppe contribute to success

of Normandy invasion during D-day? Yes, but

neednt have done.
Decision to go ahead political (Churchill)
Colonial troops expendable, planes &

battleships were not.

Conclusion: W hat w as ef e
fct of D ieppe
on Canadian nationalidentity?
Loss
Canadian 2nd Division liberated Dieppe Sept.

1st, 1944.
Emotional Response (co-opted for ads)