War Poster #2

This World War II cartoon is encouraging people that are fighting the Nazi powers to keep their mouths shut about Allied plans. Although “button your lip!” is not a literal command, and the image looks almost comical, the other words on the poster show how serious the matter is. They remind people that even a small comment on a future attack or plan could have the possibility of being overheard by spy ears and could “cost lives.”

War Poster #3

This piece of propaganda displays the very negative attitude of the United States against the Japanese after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese “Tokio Kid” is portrayed with hideous buck teeth and pointy ears to raise feelings of hatred toward the Japanese race. The sign the kid holds is shown as written in blood with a message that is encouraging Americans to conserve material so the Japanese will not be benefited from it.

An Important Event of WWII

The Battle of Stalingrad is considered by many historians to be the turning point of World War II in Europe. After the Germans had taken control of the city of Stalingrad, winter came and Soviet troops began a counterattack. They trapped the Germans inside, starving them until they were forced to surrender. There were only 90,000 German soldiers left out of the original army of 330,000. This pivotal battle put the Germans on the defensive side, changing the course of the war in favor of the Allies.

My reaction to learning about this event in history was amazement. First, I was surprised to discover that over one-third of the German army at Stalingrad was killed from starvation and the harsh cold. I also found out that this defeat of Germany did not come without a cost to the Soviets. I read that they lost one million soldiers in the defense of Stalingrad, but at least their losses were not in vain, as they ended up winning the battle. It made me wonder- what would the world be like today if the Soviets had not won and caused this turning point in the war?

Connection Across Time

Perhaps the most infamous event of World War II, the Holocaust, was a mass genocide of Jews and other "inferior" people (those with disabilities or homosexuals), by the Nazis. Hitler used mass extermination in an insane attempt to rid the world of all people but Aryans, the "pure-bloods." Millions of innocent people were killed during the 1930s and 40s. Although it is hard to believe, genocide is still seen in our "modern" world. Currently in Darfur, Sudan, Non-Arabs are being hunted down and killed by Jangaweed troops, proving that history repeats itself. Over 700,000 have been killed so far, with many more innocent people dying every day.