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This past weekend British artists Jamie Wardley and Andy Moss accompanied by numerous volunteers, took to the beaches of Normandy with rakes and stencils in hand to etch 9,000 silhouettes representing fallen people into the sand. Titled The Fallen 9000, the piece is meant as a stark visual reminder of the civilians, Germans and allied forces who died during the D-Day beach landings at Arromanches on June 6th, 1944 during WWII. The original team consisted of 60 volunteers, but as word spread nearly 500 additional local residents arrived to help with the temporary installation that lasted only a few hours before being washed away by the tide. Station 7

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D-Day Video Clip Pearl Harbor Video Clip

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The War in Europe

World War II in Europe began when Hitler's Nazi Germany attacked Poland. Germany had allies such as Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. These European countries were part of the Axis Powers.

The countries that fought against Germany and the Axis Powers in Europe were called the Allied Powers. The main Allied Powers in Europe were Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France. Later the United States would help in defeating Hitler.

British Tank fighting in Europe

The War

Prior to invading Poland, Germany had made a deal with the Soviet Union. After Poland was defeated, the country was divided up between Germany and the Soviet Union. Even though France and Great Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, there wasn't a lot of fighting at first.

It was in April of 1940 when Germany went on the attack again. On April 9, 1940 Germany invaded Norway and Denmark. Soon after that, they invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. On June 22, 1940 Germany signed an agreement that gave them control of the Northern half of France.

Up until this point in the war, the Soviet Union had been allied with Germany. However, on June 22, 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Now the Soviet Union was on the side of the Allies.

The United States Enters the War

The United States had stayed neutral during the war. They tried to help out the Allies, but did not want to enter the fighting. However, on December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor. The US became a major power within the Allies Alliance.

Three Fronts

By 1941 Germany had control over much of mainland Europe. They had tried to take over Great Britain in 1940 with the Battle of Britain, but failed. Germany's army was stretched thin and was fighting on three fronts:

1. Eastern or Russian Front2. Mediterranean Front and Africa3. Western Front (France and Great Britain)

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The War in the Pacific

There were two major places where World War II took place. These places are sometimes called theaters of war. One theater of World War II was in Europe, the other was in the Pacific. The Pacific theater of war included Japan, China, Korea, the Philippines, and many more islands and countries in Southeast Asia.

Leading up to the War

Japan wanted to become a strong country and a world leader. However, because Japan was a small island country, they had to import many natural resources. Some Japanese leaders felt they needed to gain more land by conquering other countries.

In 1937 Japan invaded China. They wanted to dominate all of Southeast Asia. They joined the Axis alliance with Germany and Italy in 1940 by signing the Tripartite Pact. In 1941 a former General of the Army, Hideki Tojo, became Prime Minister of Japan. He had been a strong supporter of Japan joining the Axis Powers. Now that he was Prime Minister, Tojo wanted Japan to attack the United States.

Pearl Harbor

Although the US was trying to avoid getting involved in World War II, Japan was worried that the US would try and stop them from taking over some countries in Southeast Asia. They decided to attack the US Navy hoping they could sink enough ships to keep the US from ever attacking Japan.

On December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the US Navy at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. They surprised the US and sunk many ships. However, this attack did not have the effect the Japanese had hoped. The US joined the Allies in World War II the next day. The attack at Pearl Harbor united the Americans with the goal of defeating the Axis powers, and especially Japan.

The War

The Japanese quickly took over much of Southeast Asia and were well on their way to dominance by 1942. However, the US won a critical battle called the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. Badly outnumbered, the US Navy sunk four Japanese aircraft carriers and forced the Japanese to retreat. Winning this battle gave the Americans cause for hope and was a turning point in the war in the Pacific.

After the Battle of Midway the United States began to fight back against the Japanese. They fought to take over strategic islands in the Pacific. One of the first major battles was over the island of Guadalcanal. After fierce fighting the US was able to take the island, but they learned that fighting the Japanese was not going to be easy. There were many battles over islands in the South Pacific, these included Tarawa, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima took 36 days of fighting to take the island. Today a statue of marines raising a flag on the island of Iwo Jima serves as the Marine Corps Memorial in Washington DC.

Other Facts about World War II in the Pacific

Japanese fighter pilots would purposely crash their planes into US ships in what were called Kamikaze attacks.

The Japanese were guilty of many war crimes during World War II. This includes the killing of up to 20 million Chinese people. They had a policy called "Kill All, Burn All, and Loot All". They used biological weapons and tortured prisoners of war. As a result, many Japanese leaders were executed after the war including Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. Station 2

The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor marks the resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen who died onboard USS Arizona. The USS Arizona battleship sank when the Japanese Naval Forces bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. That attack and the attack on the island of Oahu was what caused the United States’ involvement in the Second World War.

Built in 1962, USS Arizona Memorial welcomes over a million visitors every year. On May 5, 1989, the sunken remains of the battleship were declared a National Historic LandmarkThe memorial is built over the wreckage of the battleship and is part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. It is accessible only by U.S. Navy boat. The memorial features historical information about the attack. It has 21 windows which is said to symbolically represent a 21 gun salute. Station 5

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Name:__________________________________ Theatre and Important Events of WWII

Station 1: War in Europe (1939 – 1944)

1. Identify the countries on each side of the conflict. Allied Powers Axis Powers:

2. Based on what we learned from WWI, what is dangerous about Germany’s decision to fight a 3-front war?

3. Summarize the sections titled “The War” in 30 words.

Station 2: War in Pacific (1939-1944)

1. Why did the Japanese attack China? United States?

2. What is the significance of the battle of Midway Island?

3. What’s a Kamikaze? Would this be an effective strategy?

Station 3: Germany Takes Most of Europe (1940-1942)

1. Looking at the map identify the neutral countries in WWII.

2. React to the size of the Nazi Empire in 2 sentences.

3. Identify members of the Allied powers shown on the map

4. If you were a leader of an Allied country where do you go from here?

Station 4: Pearl Harbor (1941)

After viewing the Pearl Harbor video clip, in 50-100 words, describe what it must have been like to live through that infamous day.

Station 5: Pearl Harbor (1941)

1. Why do you think the Memorial at the USS Arizona was built around the sunken ship? Does this make for an effective memorial? Why or why not?

2. React to two of the statistics listed on the Pearl Harbor info graphic.

3. What is the message of the political cartoon that was published after the attack on Pearl Harbor?

4. What is the historical significance of the Attack on Pearl Harbor?

Station 6: D-Day (1944)

After viewing the D-Day video clip, in 50 – 100 words, describe what it might have been like to be a solider on D-Day.

Station 7: D-Day (1944)

1.Why do you think there were phases to the attack on the beach at Normandy?

2. Why did forces focus all those soldiers and resources onto one spot on the coast of France?

3. React to two of the statistics listed on the D-Day info graphic.

4. Caption the picture (marked with a star).

5. Looking at the D-Day memorial, why is it important to remember these lives lost, sacrifices made, and the significance of D-Day?