10 Things Your Teacher Didn’t Teach You About The Second World War
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The Second World War was one of the deadliest and most catastrophic conflicts in human history. It is a period of time that has been heavily studied and dissected by historians, educators, and the general public. However, there are some lesser-known aspects of the war that often go unmentioned in textbooks and classrooms. In this blog post, we will delve into ten things your teacher probably didn’t teach you about the Second World War.

1. Propaganda Against Japan

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US government launched a massive propaganda offensive to create racist caricatures of Japanese people. This was done to fuel anti-Japanese sentiment and to justify the internment of Japanese Americans during the war. American propagandists created posters that represented the Japanese as helpless, sickly, and animals in an effort to instil a sense of cultural superiority.

In the poster below a caricatured Japanese person is being punched in the jaw by a fist that has “American Labor” printed on it. As this action emphasises American patriotism and fighting, the bright colours of red, white, and black draw the viewer in, and is a call for all Americans to help produce goods to supply the war effort.

2. Nazi’s On Drugs

The Nazi regime experimented with a variety of drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamine, in order to enhance the performance of their soldiers.

An author, Norman Ohler discovered that numerous members of the Nazi leadership habitually used narcotics, from Wehrmacht soldiers all the way up to Hitler himself, in his best-selling book Blitzed. Methamphetamine use, sometimes known as crystal meth use, was notably widespread: Millions of pills of the medicine Pervitin were given to Wehrmacht soldiers prior to the 1940 invasion of France, which was a success. The Wehrmacht soldiers were able to march farther and without stopping by using Pervitin, which allowed them to stay awake for extended periods of time.

It should be remembered that during World War II, Germans were not the only ones who used performance-enhancing drugs. To overcome combat exhaustion, Allied soldiers were known to use amphetamines (speed) in the form of Benzedrine.

3. Firebombing

The US government used a technique called “firebombing” to drop incendiary bombs on Japanese cities. One Operation, called Operation Meetinghouse, some historians believe was one of the most destructive acts of the Second World War.

During March 9-10, 1945 the US conducted bombing raids on Tokyo which led to the deaths of over 100,000 civilians and the destruction of over 60% of Tokyo. Leaving an estimated one million people homeless. The Japanese later called this the “Night of the Black Snow’.

Some historians believe this firebombing raid to be a war crime. As civilian infrastructure was also targeted causing so many mass casualties.

4. Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression pact in 1939, which surprised many people at the time. The agreement allowed both countries to invade and partition Poland without fear of retaliation from the other. It forbade any military action against one another for 10 years.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin viewed the pact as a way to keep his nation on peaceful terms with Germany, while giving him time to build up the Soviet military.

But Hitler already knew the Soviets would not stand by if he tried to occupy Poland—an act that would extend the border of Germany right up to the Soviet Union. He also knew France and the Soviets had concluded a defense alliance several years earlier—a treaty that gave Stalin an additional reason to fight Germany if it ventured into Poland and triggered France’s pledge.

So weeks after the agreement was signed both countries launched an offensive on Poland. Nazi Germany from the West, and the Soviet Union from the East. After the invasions both countries carved up East European nations by Annexing them and determined what they’re new borders would be. All of this was premeditated, as it was agreed at the meeting between Molotov and Ribbentropp.

This pact was eventually torn apart when Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

5. Royal Family’s German Ancestry

The British Royal Family changed their surname from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor in 1917 due to anti-German sentiment during the First World War. However, during the Second World War, the royal family continued to have German relatives, including Prince Philip, who fought against the Germans as a member of the British Royal Navy.

6. Top Secret Native American Code

The US military used Native American languages as a secret code during the war. Navajo Code Talkers were able to transmit messages in their native language, which the Japanese were unable to decipher.

29 Navajo men who became known as the Navajo Code Talkers, chosen by the Marine Corps command, developed a code based on the intricate, unwritten Navajo language.

The code’s primary word association technique was associating important phrases and military strategies with Navajo words. Instead of taking 30 minutes as was typical with earlier code-breaking devices, this method allowed the Code Talkers to translate three lines of text in 20 seconds.

The Code Talkers took part in each significant Marine action in the Pacific theatre, providing the Marines with a crucial tactical advantage throughout the conflict.

For instance, six Navajo Code Talker Marines successfully relayed more than 800 signals without any mistakes throughout the almost month-long struggle for Iwo Jima. The victory at the battle was crucially dependent on the Code Talkers, according to the Marine Corp Command.

7. Japanese Sex Slaves

The Japanese military used “comfort women” during the war, which were essentially sex slaves taken from the countries they invaded, prominently Korea. But also Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan. It is estimated that up to 200,000 women were forced into sexual slavery during the war.

Normally these women would be forced to work in brothels. The brothels were initially created to give serving Japanese’s soldiers a place to have sex in an effort to lower the rate of wartime rape, which was a factor in the rise of anti Japanese sentiment throughout the conquered regions.

The comfort stations in fact worsened rape and accelerated the spread of venereal illnesses, despite the intention to decrease rape and venereal disease.

The employment of many women in the brothels was primarily forced upon them. Testimonies claim that certain young ladies were kidnapped from their homes in nations ruled by the Imperial Japanese.

8. Holocaust Victims

The Holocaust wasn’t just limited to Jewish people. The Nazi regime also targeted other groups such as Roma people, disabled individuals, homosexuals, and political dissidents.

With those who were disabled Hitler approved a euthanasia programme in 1939, formally known as the “T-4” programme after the headquarters’ Tiergarten 4 address. The goal of the programme was to purge the nation of individuals who, in his opinion, posed a risk to the gene pool.

With homosexuality 60,000 men were ultimately convicted of being homosexuals. Castration or hard labour in a concentration camp were the only two choices available to those found guilty of homosexual behaviour.

Once inside the camp, they were given pink triangle marks and “re-educated” in order to be “cured” of being homosexual or possessing “homosexual tendencies.”They endured horrendous working conditions and horrendous pseudo-medical experiments. In these camps, the mortality rate was around 60%.

As homosexual people were viewed as depraved by society, survivors were never given compensation. A secret order was issued in 1943 to execute any SS or police discovered to be homosexual or even guilty of “homosexual intent” and a special criminal police squad was established to combat homosexuality.

9. Operation Downfall

The US government created a plan to invade Japan called Operation Downfall. This plan involved a massive amphibious assault on the Japanese mainland and was estimated to potentially result in over one million American casualties.

The strategy the US navy proposed was to blockade and bomb Japan as part of the invasion plan in order to cause its collapse. Then a quick attack on Kyushu, followed by an invasion of the main island of Honshu, was recommended by General Arthur MacArthur and the US Army planners.

Two major assaults which were planned for Operation Downfall’s subsequent campaign: Operation Olympic on Kyushu, scheduled for early November, and Operation Coronet, an invasion of Honshu in March 1946. With 767,000 men expected to take part in the invasion of Kyushu, the loss rate on Okinawa was 35%; 268,000 casualties were anticipated.

In anticipation of an invasion the Japanese High Command launched a vast defence programme called Ketsu Go (Operation Decisive), which would eventually involve over 3 million soldiers, with the aim of defending Japan and to weaken American morale.

10. Japan’s Proposed Invasion of Australia

Japan was planning to invade Australia: Most people are aware that Japan was planning to invade the United States during the war, but few realize that they were also planning to invade Australia. The plan was never carried out, but it did lead to the Battle of the Coral Sea, which was a significant naval battle fought between the Japanese and the United States.

Japanese Military Planners put the idea to high command however the idea was rejected by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, due to Australia’s difficult geography, and the strength of Allied defences. There lines of communication and supply would have been severely stretched and more than likely made Japan vulnerable. Instead it was decided that Japan should conduct operations in the vicinity to slow down the advance of Allied Forces.

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