Mark Scott Smith's Blog: Enemy in the Mirror, page 136

“Gallopin’ Gertie” – 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse

The Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge, crossing the Puget Sound to the Kitsap peninsula, opened to traffic on July 1, 1940, and collapsed due to wind-induced flutter on November 7. The only fatality was Tubby, a cocker spaniel who tumbled into the Tacoma Narrows along with his master’s car.

Japanese Zero Fighters – 1940

Mitsubishi A6M Zero 0 Fighters, the world’s most maneuverable fighter to date, were made of lightweight duralumin alloy. With a relatively weak 950-horsepower engine, armor plating and self-sealing fuel tanks were deleted to save weight.

Escorting bombers against Chungking China on their first mission in August 1940,  Zero fighters downed 27 Chinese and Russian-made fighters while losing only two Zeros to anti-aircraft fire. After a year in China, an impressive performance led to the belief that the Zero fighters, in the hands of capable pilots, were nearly invincible.

Imperial Japan Allies with Germany But Not Anti-semitism

Yosuke Matsuoka & Adolf Hitler 1940; Wikimedia Commons

Yōsuke Matsuoka, Imperial Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs 1940-41 under Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, was a strong advocate of the Tripartite Alliance with Germany and Italy, but not Nazi anti-semitism:

“…nowhere have I promised that we would carry out (Hitler’s) anti-semitic policies in Japan. This is not simply my personal opinion, it is the opinion of Japan, and I have no compunction about announcing it to the world.”

Indeed, throughout the war, the Japanese government continually rejected requests from the Nazis to establish anti-semitic policies.

 

America’s Town Meeting of the Air

America’s Town Meeting of the Air; Wikimedia Commons

From 1935-1956, NBC’s  America’s Town Meeting of the Air reached ~ 3 million listeners and more than 1,000 discussion groups debating the issues across the nation.

Listen here:  http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/Radio/TownMeeting/01_25_1940_TownMeetingR.mov

September 1940 London Blitz

London Can Take It – YouTube.

In August 1940,  Luftwaffe night bombers aiming for RAF airfields, accidentally bombed London killing civilians. The British responded by bombing Berlin.

From September 1940 to May 1941 the Luftwaffe attacked 16 British cities. London was attacked 71 times in 37 weeks. More than one million London houses were destroyed or damaged, and more than 40,000 civilians were killed.

read more:http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/blitz.htm

Imperial Japan’s Military Academy – 1940

Fashion USA – 1940s

Women’s Fashion – 1940s – YouTube.

France Surrenders to Nazi Germany – June 1940

Nazi archive footage – WW2 | France Surrenders 1940 – YouTube.

1940 America First Committee

America First Committee; Wikimedia Commons

Merging with the pacifist Keep America Out of War Committee in 1940, the America First Committee vigorously opposed U.S. entry into world conflict. Among the 800,000 members were Walt Disney, Gerald Ford, Sinclair Lewis, Charles Lindbergh, Sargent Shriver, Norman Thomas and Frank Lloyd Wright. The group disbanded after the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941.

大政翼賛会 Imperial Rule Assistance Association – 1940

Imperial Rule Assistance Society; Wikimedia Commons

The Imperial Rule Assistance Association was created by Prime Minister (Prince) Fumimaro Konoe in 1940 to promote the goals of his Shintaisei (New Order) movement. It evolved into a ruling right wing political party aimed at removing sectionalism in the Empire of Japan to create a totalitarian single-party state.