Major European Battles

1942-1945

North African Front

• 1942 • 107,000 allied troops land in North Africa.• Take on German General Rommel.• 1943 allies drove out the Germans and

launched an Invasion of Italy!

Germany vs Soviet Union

• Stalin wanted allies to invade Europe (make 2 fronts)

• Germans rapidly advanced until Stalingrad• Brutal hand to hand combat• Soviets launched a massive counterattack and

drove out the Germans• Soviet lost 1.1 million soldiers

D-day

D-Day

• June 6, 1944• Allies launch an assault on the beaches of

Normandy• 3 million British, Americans, and Canadian

troops led by General Eisenhower• Allied gained a hold on Europe and started

driving the Germans back• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwBkQy9

CpS0&feature=related

Battle of the Bulge

• Last ditch effort by the Germans • October 1944 through Belgium• Germans drove 60 miles into American lines• Germans eventually pushed back and lost

120,000 troops, 600 tanks, 1,600 planes• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBeXRvdl

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Hitler comes to an end

• Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker on April 29, 1945.

• Soviets came in from the East in Berlin, allies came from the West

• V-E day was May 8, 1945• (FDR passed away on April 12, 1945 and

President Truman takes over)

Today