1940s

Bomb Hitler Game

World War II began in Europe on 1 September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland on the orders of Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis). Hitler had gained consider-able military power after becoming Chancellor in 1933 as he rebuilt the German economy and national sentiment in the 1930s. The Nazis obtained control over much of Europe with the new war tactic of "Blitzkrieg," or "lightening war." This method used airplanes to support swift, piercing armor attacks to punch through enemy lines and herd their opponents into isolated pockets to be dispatched by slower-moving infantry that followed their advance. Punishing bombing raids on cities such as Warsaw, Poland were used to crumble cities, as much a psychological weapon as a tactic to bring about swift victory. Ret-ribution came to the aggressors in the Allied air war that followed early German successes bringing massive destruction to German industries and large population centers before the European war ended on 8 May 1945.

The U.S. was drawn into the war in 1941 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on 7 December. American troops were sent to fight in Europe in addition to fighting on the Pacific Front.

This game, made by KOINKO, U.S.A, features a coin slot on the top and reads "PENNY A BOMB" beside an image of Adolf Hitler. The game invites players to "Test your Skill" and push a lever to drop a "bomb." An ad for war bonds is pasted on the front of the case, encouraging users to contribute to the war effort by playing the game.