World War II
Background
Throughout the 1920's and 1930's, a rise in nationalism and global tension was spurned by the living memory of previous conflicts, social unrest, and economic turmoil. In Italy, the fascists lead by Benito Mussolini were supported to bring glory to the long maligned Italian state. In Germany, the "National Socialist German Worker's Party" took power utilizing their national defeat in WW1, the devastating effects of the Great Depression, and an entrenched ideology of racial supremacy. In Japan, successes against Western powers such as during the Russo-Japanese war bolstered their leadership's claims of Japanese superiority, leading to widespread expansionism and imperialism – a belief which led directly to anger as many foreign powers attempted to quell their rise and punish their horrific acts of violence. These and other states thus primed their societies for war.
Although the exact start of the conflict is hotly debated (ranging from the 1937 invasion of China to the 1939 invasion of Poland), soon global powers were embroiled in conflict across the globe. Mobilization of soldiers, industry, and the public towards the common goal of war became the top priority of national governments which shaped the socio-cultural landscape of the people of the world for generations. In life and death, success and failure, the scars of World War Two would forever be etched upon those it touched.
It was thus important for societies to document these stories – not for profit, but to demonstrate that these people lived, that they mattered, and to learn from their experiences. The following are objects documenting the war, snapshots in time rather than an exploration of the entire expansive conflict.
Battle of Anzio
On January 22, 1944, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Anzio and Cassino in order to break the stiff resistance further south by German forces that had thus far halted the Italian Campaign. What had been planned as a lightning strike morphed into a months-long grueling siege between combatants with heavy losses on both sides. Through heavy sacrifice, the battle would eventually end in an Allied victory with the capture of Rome.
The following is footage from the Bureau of Public Relations, documenting the aftermath of the capture of the town of Anzio, the treatment of casualties from the conflict, German prisoners-of-war, military leaders discussing developments. This documentation helps preserve the visceral realities of war, revealing the devastation and pain inevitable to conflict. As you watch this film, ask yourself questions about how the civilians felt about the loss of their livelihoods, what physical suffering and loss the surviving Allied soldiers endured, and the social shame and fear the captured German soldiers underwent as they were led to an uncertain future.
Battle On The Homefront
Even where the physical devastation of war was a relatively remote idea, countries involved in the conflict adapted socially and industrially to meet the needs of the war effort. In the United Kingdom, children were moved from cities to the countryside to protect them from the horrors of The Blitz. In India, the country rapidly industrialized to provide war goods for the British Empire. In Japan, many children were taught to fight and die for their country and the emperor in preparation for their coming future. In the United States, many industries retooled their productions to meet war time need.
In part due to the failures of the railroad companies during the First World War to support wartime logistics which led to their nationalization, many railroad companies in the United States were quick to prove their worth. If not for the railroad, industrial hubs across the country would have been unable to transport their goods to ports and eventually towards the front. Additionally, railroad companies felt it pertinent to publicize their contribution and so published material including films highlighting their crucial role.
Loaded For War is one such film, produced by Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railways (ATSF, now part of BNSF). As you watch the film, ask yourself questions about how people and organizations were involved in World War Two in other ways. How were their lives and stories impacted by the conflict despite never joining the military?
Postwar Healing
World War Two ended in dramatic fashion. Italy capitulated in 1943, but remained in conflict as Germany occupied Northern Italy and continued to fight. Victory in Europe Day (or VE Day) often marks the end of hostilities in Europe as the Nazi Germany surrendered following the violent death of many of their leaders – and much of their citizenry. Later that same year, Imperial Japan unconditionally surrendered following a bombing campaign that culminated in the dropping of two atomic bombs that led directly to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
Healing would be long and difficult. Not only were many economies, homes, and lives shattered, but the trauma of war remained with many. In Norway, the children of Norwegian women and German men were socially ostracized and systematically abused. In Japan, the effects of the atomic bombs likewise afflicted Japanese society as bomb survivors were ostracized for their maladies. In other parts of the world, the physical violence of conflict was etched upon the bodies of soldiers and civilians alike and would continue to affect them for the remainder of their lives.
In Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan Speech Clinic worked to help many such soldiers affected with aphasia. This was publicized as part of the universities’ Teletour series, which televised the work the university was conducting. As you watch this film, ask yourself questions about how the lives of these people were permanently affected by the trauma they endured, and how their lives may have been different had they not been swept up in the whirlwind of World War Two.
Preserving Memory
Many decades have passed since the end of World War Two. Generations of people have grown up without experiencing the physical trauma of the conflict and have no living memory of the war except through the stories told by their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Those stories have been furthered and remembered through institutional practices, education, and documentation.
In most German classrooms, the horrors of the Holocaust are ingrained in the minds of young students to avoid repeating the past mistakes that led to rise of the Nazi Party. In the United Kingdom, exhibits such as HMS Belfast in the Imperial War Museum maintain the ephemera associated with the conflict. In the United States, many oral history projects help preserve the stories of the brave people who fought and died in service to their country before their stories are lost with their passing.
The following is one such oral history with Archie Hawkins, a veteran of World War Two who saw action in North Africa, Italy, and the Pacific theater. As you listen to his story, ask yourself why preserving and documenting his and other stories are so important. If these stories were not documented, what would be missing in the archival and historical record?
