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History Projects For World War II
World War II
When the Great War ended in 1918 world leaders had a determination that war on this scale could never happen again, just 21 years later the same sides were fighting again.
From 1939-1945 another generation of young men were at war, World War II proved to be the biggest and most destructive war that the world has ever seen.
The people of four continents were involved in the war, Antarctica the only continent that did not see any direct action.
What happened in so short a time span to a world ravaged by war, a world that was determined that such an atrocity should never be allowed to happen again?
Teaching World War 2 to students can prove to be a difficult task with so many battles fought in so many different locations around the world.
Adolf Hitler WW II
Strange But True
On August 5Th 1914, just moments after the news of the outbreak of WW 1 reached Australia at 12:10 am The German merchant ship Pfalz was leaving Port Phillip Bay; shots were fired from Fort Nepean, in Victoria, across the ships hull forcing her to surrender. The Pfalz was the first German ship captured by the allies in WWI and the first allied shots fired in the war.
Strangely enough at 1.30am on 4Th September 1939, within hours of World War 2 being declared, shots were fired again from Fort Nepean across the bow of a ship that failed to identify itself. The ship later identified as the Australian freighter SS Woniora.
Again, these were the first shots fired by Australia of World War 2.
WW II Projects The Causes of World War 2
World War 2 was fought on a truly global battleground, almost every country in the world was involved in some way, but before we can teach students about the war, we have to look at the time in between the end of the Great War and the beginning of the Second World War.
The Versailles treaty signed in Paris in 1919 is said to have been one of the main factors involved in the run up to war, The rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, Britain’s "Appeasement" to Hitler’s demands and his re occupation of lands taken from Germany after WWI.
The German invasion of Poland on the first of September 1939 was the final straw; on the third of September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
The Build up to WW II (History Project)
The purpose of this project is to familiarize students with the causes of World War II, from the events in Paris in 1919, to the German invasion of Poland in 1939.
Students should try to include the following information:
How could the Versailles treaty, a treaty for peace, be one of the main reasons for World War 2?
Why were Hitler’s policies so welcomed by the German people?
Why did the League of Nations fail?
Why did Chamberlain follow a policy of Appeasement?
Why was appeasement abandoned?
Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany?
Some useful reading:
What Was the End Result of WW I
World War II Germany Invades Poland
WW II Women at War
The Home Front
With the young men away at the war the role of women changed dramatically and they had to take on the jobs that were normally done by men, they worked on farms in factories and kept production going in a time of struggle. Women on the home front were the unsung Hero's of the war.
The Changing Role of Women in World War II
This project looks at the Changing role of Women and how the war affected their daily lives, students should be encouraged to include some of the following information.
Before the war what roles did women play in the workforce?
Why did the role of women Change?
Why were women doing "Men's" work?
Why were women conscripted into the Land Army?
How did this affect the role of women after the war?
Some Useful Reading
Dunkirk
The Dunkirk Evacuation
The German army had decimated France and was heading to the coast, Allied troops were in retreat and had nowhere else to go and on May 25Th 1940, the order was given for the allied troops to retreat to Dunkirk, where a mass evacuation would take place under heavy enemy fire.
The Dunkirk Evacuation
This project will look at the events that led up to the evacuation of Dunkirk and why this massive retreat was hailed as a victory for the Allies.
Students should be asked to include the following.
Why was Hitler keen to invade France so early in the war?
What was the Phony War?
Why were Allied troops pulled out of Narvic in Norway after fighting to take control of it?
When did the Phony war end?
Where did Hitler finally decide to stage the initial attack on France?
Why did Hitler halt the attack on Dunkirk?
Why did the Allies consider the retreat from Dunkirk as a victory?
Useful Reading
Pearl Harbor
America Join the War
America did not join the War until December 1941 when the Japanese carried out an unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor destroying 11 ships and 169 aircraft, 2403 men lost their lives and 1176 men were wounded on that fateful day.
America Joins World War II
This project will explore America's reluctance to join another war and show that without choice America were forced onto the battlefield of World War II.
Students should be asked to provide the following information.
Why was America reluctant to join the War?
Which event forced America into the war?
What was the Aftermath of Pearl Harbor?
Where were the other attacks carried out by the Japanese on 7th December 1941"The Day of Infamy"?
When did America Declare war on Japan?
What was Adolf Hitler's response to America's declaration of war with Japan?
Useful Reading
