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| Exploring Indiana's Historic Sites, Markers & Museums South East Edition |
Dearborn County World War II War Memorial
World War II War Memorial Marker Photo, Click for full size
By Ginger Drenning, August 23, 2009
1. World War II War Memorial Marker
Inscription.
WORLD WAR II
For God and Country
This tablet is erected in honor of the men who answered their country's call and gave their lives for freedom
Location. 39° 5.457' N, 84° 50.993' W.
Marker is in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, in Dearborn County.
Marker is on West High Street west of Mary Street, on the right when traveling west.
Located on the pillar - to the left of the front door - of the Dearborn County Courthouse in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
Marker is in this post office area: Lawrenceburg IN 47025, United States of America.
World War II (1939 - 1945)
In Europe
At the end of World War I, most of the European nations blamed Germany for the war and wished to make her pay for the war. The Armistice imposed severe reparations on Germany, stripped her of her overseas territories and reduced Germany's home territory. The armistice also imposed restrictions on the size and scope of the German military. The German Empire collapsed in the aftermath, replaced by a republic called the Weimar Republic. The Great Depression combined with severe inflation to produce a horrible economy in Germany. The Nazi leader Adolph Hitler took advantage of the deplorable conditions to maneuver into becoming the Chancellor of Germany in 1933.
Arming for War
Hitler began rearming Germany, defying treaties as he did so. At his direction, Germany signed alliance treaties with Italy and Japan. Hoping to counter the German rise, Great Britain and France signed treaties of alliance. Hitler, in an attempt to prevent the two-war front that had hampered the German military in World War I, signed a non-aggression treaty with the Soviet Union. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Seventeen days later, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east. Germany and the Soviet Union divided the nation between them. In 1940 Germany invaded, and conquered, Sweden, Norway, France and several other European countries. By late 1940 Germany, Russia and Italy controlled the European Continent. Britain alone escaped invasion and by late 1940 was engaged in a fight for its life.
Asia
Japan had continued its expansionist policy begun in the years before World War I. By 1941, it had invaded China, Indo-China, the Philippines and many other islands and nations in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese viewed the United States as a threat to its power and its sea-lanes. To knock the United States naval fleet out of the war, the Japanese attacked the naval base on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. By virtue of the treaties signed by the various nations, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, who followed suit. By late December 1941, the world was again at war.
A Brief Summary
World War II was a vast conflict involving several theaters, hundreds, if not thousands, of battles. The scale of the war is beyond the scope of this article. After expending vast supplies of lives and treasure, the Allied powers of the United States, Great Britain and France eventually prevailed. Germany had betrayed the Russians and invaded the nation, thus the Soviets joined the alliance against Germany. The Allies invaded continental Europe on June 6, 1944. This invasion, known as D-Day, allowed United States and British forces to establish a tenuous toehold on the continent. It would take almost a year of hard driving warfare to occupy Germany and force surrender on May 8, 1945. The war in the Pacific raged on. The United States employed a strategy called "Island Hopping." They captured Japanese island strongholds one at a time. The names of the battles were many, including Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Gwaum and many others. By August 1945 the United States and Britain had captured most of the Japanese fortress islands. Only Japan remained. The Japanese had rejected demand for unconditional surrender. During the war, the United States had developed a powerful weapon, the atomic bomb. Hoping to force surrender and save thousands of lives, President Harry Truman authorized the use of an atomic bomb. United States bombers delivered two bombs a few days apart, hitting Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The horrible destruction caused by the bombs forced the Japanese to surrender, on August 15, 1945. The cost of the war was dear, over 8 million military deaths and 45 million civilian deaths. United States military deaths totaled 416,800.
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