Impacts of Invasions During WWII

Lauren McInerny and Erin Steadman

Introduction:
● Our goal is to answer the question of “What
was the impact on certain people and locations
by the events of World War II?”
● Importance: When the history of this topic is
covered the main focus tends to the Holocaust
so we are bringing awareness to other factors.
● World War II started in 1939 after the
Germans invaded Poland, lead by Hitler,
which is where we started our research. Fig. 1 German Soldiers Marching into Germany
Source: “Invasion of Poland (Sept 1, 1939) Summary &
Facts.” Totally History, 9 Jan. 2014,
totallyhistory.com/invasion-of-poland/.
 Escaping Before Invasions:
Many people living in Eastern
European countries at the time of
Nazi invasions, heard the rumors
about the attacks. Some were lucky
enough to get out before the
invasions, others were stuck in the
ghettos for some time. But under this
kind of pressure ways to escape came
easy. Jewish people were put into
ghettos while other non-Jews were
Fig. 2 Bunkers built by Jewish prisoners in Warsaw Ghetto able to escape safely.
Source: “Preparing for the Uprising and Building Bunkers.” Voices from the
Inferno, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center ,
www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/warsaw_ghetto_testimonies/preparing_upri
sing.asp.
 Starting before World War II
and into the 1930’s many people
had heard of the Nazi invasions
and made their way from
Germany and Austria to other
countries such as France,
Belgium, the Netherlands, and
Fig. 3 Escape routes of Jewish refugees from different countries occupied by
Denmark.
German forces

Source: “The Holocaust: 36 Questions and Answer about The Holocaust.” Jewish
Virtual Library,
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/36-questions-and-answers-about-the-holocaust.
 Illegal
Immigration
Ship: Exodus

Fig. 4 Exodus 1947

“Immigration to Israel.” Suleyman,
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/quot-exodus-1947-quot-illegal-immigration-ship.
 This is a group of about 900 Jewish
refugees aboard the St. Louis in June of
1939. They were arriving in Belgium
after being turned away by both Cuba
and the United States. After being
forced to return to Europe, Great
Britain, France, the Netherlands, and
Belgium accepted them. Out of the
ship’s passengers, 254 are known to
Fig. 5 Picture showing Jewish refugees aboard the St. Louis arriving in
Belgium in June, 1939. have died in the Holocaust.
Source: “MS St. Louis.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Oct. 2018,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis.
Countries Invaded and
Occupied :
● Czechoslovakia:
Invaded during 1938-1939
because of Hitler’s goal of united
German speaking people.

● Austria: Invaded March 12,

1938 because Hitler considered it
part of German borders already.

● Poland: Invaded
September 1, 1939 because Hitler
wanted more space for his people
to live.
Fig. 6 Arrival of Adolf Hitler into Vienna, Austria 1938
Source ““Stock Photo - Nazism / National Socialism, Politics, Annexation of Austria 1938,
Arrival of Adolf Hitler in Vienna, 14.3.1938, Nazi Germany, Third Reich, Anschluss,
Occupation, Hitler.” Alamy, Alamy Ltd,
www.alamy.com/stock-photo-nazism-national-socialism-politics-annexation-of-austria-193
8-arrival-19665042.html.
Annexation of
Czechoslovakia

Fig. 7 Hitler Walking Through Czechoslovakia

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/czechoslovakia.
● Denmark: Invaded April 9, 1940
for strategic purposes of getting
land closer to Norway in order to
invade them.
● Norway: Invaded April 9, 1940 –
June 10, 1940 because of trade and
mineral benefits.
● Belgium: Invaded May 10, 1940 –
May 29, 1940 in order to get
around France’s Maginot Line.
Fig. 8 A map of countries under German occupation

Source ““Causes and Events That Led up to World War II Timeline.” Timetoast,
Timetoast Timelines,
www.timetoast.com/timelines/causes-and-events-that-led-up-to-world-war-ii.
 Maginot
Line

Fig. 9 France’s Maginot Line

“The Maginot Line – 11 Fascinating Facts About France's Great Wall.” MilitaryHistoryNow.com, 9 Apr. 2018,
militaryhistorynow.com/2017/05/07/the-great-wall-of-france-11-remarkable-facts-about-the-maginot-line/.
 ● The Netherlands: Invaded May 10,
1940 for reasons of strategic convenience
of getting to Belgium.
● France: Invaded May 10, 1940 – June 25,
1940 in spite of revenge on France for what
they did in World War I.
● Britain (The Channel Islands):
Invaded June 30, 1940 - May 9, 1945 also
for some revenge.
Fig. 10 Hitler and his men in front of the Eiffel Tower after the fall of France in
1940

Source ““World War II: Axis Invasions and the Fall of France.” The Atlantic,
Atlantic Media Company, 3 July 2011,
www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/07/world-war-ii-axis-invasions-and-the-fall-of-fran
ce/100098/.
 Operation Sea Lion

Fig. 11 Operation Sea Lion

“Invasion-Secnario-Dunkirk-Alternative-Britain-Occupied-Norman-Longmate.” Richard M. Langworth, 31 July 2017,
richardlangworth.com/invasion-scenario-dunkirk-alternative.
● The Soviet Union: Invaded
June 22, 1941 – December 5, 1941
because Hitler wanted to stop
communism.
● Italy: Invaded July 10, 1943 – May
2, 1945 because the allies were also
occupied in Italy, and the Germans
did not want them surrendering or
switching.
Fig. 12 Operation Barbarossa, German invasion of Soviet Union

Source ““Barbarossa, Germany's Invasion of the Soviet Union.”

Harveyblackauthor, 15 July 2018,
harveyblackauthor.org/2012/05/11/babarossa-germanys-invasion-
of-the-soviet-union-part-1/.
 German-occupied Europe
refers to the countries of Europe
which were occupied by Hitler’s
troops throughout the war.
After the war, the land was
taken back, from Germany, in
different ways.

Fig. 13 Map showing Europe domination by Germany in 1942

Source: “Germany & The Nazis Maps.” German Occupied Europe,

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/german-occupied-europe.
Occupied Germany
after
World War II

Fig. 14 Map of Germany

“Allied-Occupied Germany.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2018,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied-occupied_Germany.
 Deaths:

Five to six million Jews

More than 1 million Polish civilians

More than 2 million Soviet civilians

Statistics:
More than 1 million Yugoslav
civilians

Displaced People:

7 to 11 Million
 Locational Impacts from World War II:
After being released from
camps or still being displaced
from escaping invasions many
settled into refugee camps. Despite
the great hardships, starvation,
and poverty this was a good thing
for most.

Fig 15. Family in Germany in a Displaced Person’s Camp

“Displaced Persons' Camps in Post War Europe.” A Short History of The Danube
Swabian, www.dvhh.org/history/dp_camps/index.htm.
 After the end of the war, in 1945,
the problem of misplaced people,
specifically Jews, occurred. After a
couple years of stricter immigration
policies, President Harry Truman
issued a statement, the “Truman
Directive”, on December 22, 1945. It
announced that displaced people
would be granted priority for United
States visas. Between 35,000 and
Fig. 16 Immigrants after the end of World War II

Source: “Truman Directive.” Jews and Mexicans Here and There, 40,000 people, mostly Jews, entered
macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/friedlander12/immigration-policies/jewish-im
migration-policies/truman-directive/. the United States.
Impacts in America:
Starting in 1942 President
Roosevelt sent out an
executive order for the
Japanese internment of Japanese

Internment
Americans, this lasted until
1945. This order was an
American response to Pearl
Harbor.
 Inside the Camps
● Budget for food was 50 cents a
day per inmate
● Camps were placed in high
temperature, deserted places.
○ Sandstorms were common
as well as mosquitos
● Some internees were allowed
to leave for school or work
● Communal latrines
● Waiting in lines
○ Bathroom, food
Fig. 20 Japanese in mess hall

“Internment Camps.” Japanese American Internment,

japanese-american-internment-tas.weebly.com/internment-camps.html.
 Japanese
Internment
Camp

Fig. 21 Japanese Internment Camp

Gómez, Esteban M. “Trump and the Echo of Amache.” SAPIENS, Garry Knight/Flickr, 7 Nov.
2016, www.sapiens.org/archaeology/children-of-amache/.
Eva Simons Rickles
Eva was a Jewish girl living in Berlin,
Germany. Her family saw the rise of Hitler as well
as the growth of anti-semitism, they knew they had
to get out. They plotted their escape for years.
Finally when the Gestapo showed up at their
house, they had a nurse help them get out of the
trap. They settled in Seattle in 1937. She went to
Reed College, the University of Washington, and
the New York School of Social Work.

Fig. 17 Eva Simons Rickles with her mother in 1930

Source “Hildebrandt, Rebekah. “Escaping the Nazis

Through the Back Door.” The Immigrant Story, 1 Oct.
2018, theimmigrantstory.org/escaping-nazis/.
Hideaway Tunnel

Fig. 18 Holocaust Hideaway Tunnel

“Fox, Emily. “Nazi Gold Train: Secret Tunnel Found by Same Treasure Hunters Using 1926 Railway
Map.” Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 9 Sept. 2015,
www.express.co.uk/news/history/603997/Nazi-gold-train-another-tunnel-found-treasure-hunters-192
6-railway-map.
 Simon Gronowski
In February of 1943 Gestapo burst into
the Gronowski household. They were
taken to the Nazi Notorious
Headquarters and then eventually to a
detention camp. His mother and him
were informed of their transport to a
camp. Resistance fighters escaped and
made the train stop. Gronowski then
Fig. 19 Young Simon Gronowski with his parents, two years before the arrest
decided to jump off the train.
Source “Williams, Althea, and Sarah Ehrlich. “Escaping the Train to Auschwitz.” BBC
News, BBC, 20 Apr. 2013, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22188075.
Video: Leo Bretholz
 In conclusion to this
presentation, we have been left with
more historical knowledge about the

Conclusion:
invasions in Europe by Hitler, and a
better understanding of what the
people of Europe had to endure. Our
hope is that you all were left with a
better understanding of what went on
during World War II outside of the
Concentration Camps.
 Works Cited
Becker, Peggy Daniels, and Gale Group. Japanese-American Internment During World War II. Omnigraphics, Inc., 2014

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www.hitlerschildren.com/article/1286-how-did-people-escape-the-holocaust.

“Escape from German-Occupied Europe.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,

encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/escape-from-german-occupied-europe.

“Japanese Relocation During World War II.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records

Administration, 10 Apr. 2017, www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation.

Knighton, Andrew. “11 Countries Invaded by Nazi Germany And Why They Were Invaded.” WAR HISTORY ONLINE, 18 Sept. 2017,

www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/11-countries-invaded-nazi-germany-invaded.html.

Hildebrandt, Rebekah. “Escaping the Nazis Through the Back Door.” The Immigrant Story, 1 Oct. 2018,

theimmigrantstory.org/escaping-nazis/.
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“The Holocaust Death Toll.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 26 Jan. 2005,

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1481975/The-Holocaust-death-toll.html.

“United States Immigration and Refugee Law, 1921–1980.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/united-states-immigration-and-refugee-law-1921-1980

“Japanese Internment Camps.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,

www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation.

Wisse, Ruth. “Anti-Semitism Is Never Solely About the Jews.” Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company Inc, 16 Jan. 2015, p. A.13,

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1645828279/.