Unit 1: Topic 3 - Britain at War Flashcards
Government Control
NEW MINISTRIES
In 1939, the government set up the MINISTRY OF SUPPLY that controlled iron and steel industry to organise war supplies.
Other industries such as coal mining came under government control.
The MINISTRY OF LABOUR became Ministry of Labour and National Services that controlled the organising of armed services and the war effort at the home front.
The MINISTRY OF INFORMATION was formed on the 5 September 1939.
Ministry of Information
This ministry was was in control of PROPAGANDA and CENSORSHIP.
CENSORSHIP
Censorship is stopping the passing of certain information. This included NEWSPAPERS, RADIO BROADCASTS, PRIVATE LETTERS and even CONVERSATIONS. This was used in order to stop encouraging the enemy and demoralise the British population. They censored letters going abroad to make sure important information was not given away.
PROPOGANDA
Propoganda is used to influence people in a certain way. In the same way, Nazis used this technique in the 1930s to build a large team of supporters. The MOI included methods such as:
- Posters and leaflets
- Showing people ‘how to’ films in order to keep moral high for e.g. ‘Careless talk costs lives’
- Patriotic films in cinemas
- Talks on the radio
Rationing
Before the war 70% of food bought was from imports. The MINISTRY OF FOOD began preparing to control food supplies in 1936, fearing Germans could cut off supply routes.
By JAN 1940, German U-boats sank over 100 ships.
Rationing began of the 8 JANUARY 1940. Rationing was controlled with coupons and the rationed amount varied throughout the war.
There was 3 types of rationing:
- Rationing of food by weight (e.g. butter)
- Rationing of dried goods (e.g. flour, biscuits) and tinned goods. There was a weekly point maximum in the point system.
- Government control of foods such as orange juice and mil, where babies and pregnant women were prioritised.
The MOF encouraged people to grow there own food and keep their own animals. Local parks were turned into allotments to grow crops on.
People swapped foods between themselves and eventually and ‘black market’ grew where you could buy rationed goods at higher prices. The government tried to control this, however the market still flourished.
Working Women
The Women’s Land Army was formed in July 1939.
By March 1940, 30,000 men left farm work for armed services and 15,000 for other war work.
CONSCRIPTION
On the 8 Dec 1941, the government introduced conscription for all unmarried women aged 20-30. As the war went on, older women were required to join and then soon married women too. By 1943, there was approximately 100,000 women doing every kind of job on the railways.
ARMED SERVICES
Women had their own sections in the armed services:
- ATS (Army)
- WAAF (Air Force)
- WRENS (Navy)
Their work was almost entirely cleaning, cooking or office work and were trained as drivers. As the war went on, they were used on anti-air post, radios and even spies.
Working After the War
After the war, women had to leave the services and war work. It was seen as important to find men work.
D-Day
On the 7 Dec 1941, the Japanese bombed the US Naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. USA had finally decided to enter the war against Germany. However, the main war for America was the war against Japan. But they suggested a quick invasion for Europe.
OPERATION OVERLORD
The invasion had to be carefully planned. Germany had years to plan defences of the French coast. Even though German numbers were diverted in the East against Russia, there were still large numbers in the West.
The date chosen for the invasion was changed several times. It was dependant on weather and whether the Luftwaffe had been destroyed enough to not pose a threat against Britain’s land units.
The date was set on 6 JUNE 1944.
Why did D-Day Succeed?
D-Day was a success for the following reasons:
- Attacks on radar stations all along the Chanel and up as far as Norway.
- Coded radio messages and other information leaked by resistance groups and the SOE, all suggesting the invasion will be at Calais (DECEPTION).
- A variety of complicated plans that led to the Germans to believe that large numbers of troops were landing in other parts of France and that a large fleet of ships were heading towards Calais.
- Parachute troops were able to sabotage areas ahead of the invasion of Omaha and Utah on the first day. They helped resistance by blowing up bridges and stopping communication.
- The Pluto fuel pipeline, the rapid ferrying of troops and supplies were vital, as well as air and sea backup.
- USA provided great amounts of troops to support Britain.
The Defeat of Germany
Germany was under pressure from the East, West and North of them. Their resources were scarce and they had limited troops. This was because:
- Industrial sites had been bombed far heavier than Britain in the Blitz.
- The allies cut off supply routes by keeping the seas clear.
- The allies helped the resistance movements to the fight the Germans and sabotage road and rail links.
They were military errors such as the Battle of Arnhem and only a 1/4 of the troops survived.
Some German leaders planned to assassinate Hitler on the night of the long knives, but failed.
However, the German’s rushed counter-attack at the battle of the bulge was a decisive victory for the allies.
By April 1945, the Soviets were closing in on Berlin and then Hitler committed suicide and Germany surrendered.
