Retaking EuropeRetaking Europe

Section 18.2Section 18.2

Retaking Europe

• Churchill and FDR met in Aug, 1941 (in secret) to decide their goals for the war–Both sign the Atlantic Charter

(Later, this will form the basis of the UN)

Battle of the Atlantic

• Trade was difficult to control b/c of constant attacks from German U-boats–Formed convoys for protection –

still attacked by “wolf packs” of U-boats

War in the Soviet Union

• Germany had to be self-sufficient – must have resources to survive– June 22, 1941: Hitler broke the 10yr.

Non-Aggression Pact & invaded the Soviet Union

– 3.6 million Germans vs. 3 million untrained Soviets

– Luftwaffe quickly gained control of the air

• Soviet Union: “In case of a forced retreat…all trains must be evacuated…the enemy must not be left anything…”–Destroyed everything that might

be useful to the enemy

–Stalin asks for help from the Allies – FDR extends the Lend Lease Act to the Soviets

–Bonus: Caused Germany to be fighting on multiple fronts

Battle of Stalingrad

• Russian winter stopped Germany’s advance

• Russians are able to regain ground in the summer

• Sept. 1942: Germans launch fierce campaign of firebombing and shelling (2 months)– Soviets lose most of the city

http://www.stalingrad.com.ru/history/foto/zelma_05-08/assault_6.jpg

Stalingrad

Battle of Stalingrad

• Hitler ruled out retreat

• Mid-November: city is in ruins and Germans are losing supplies

• Jan. 1943: 90,000 Germans surrender

• Turning Point of the war in Eastern Europe

Allied Air War

• Carpet Bombing: planes scattered large numbers of bombs over a wide area– German cities suffered heavy

damage

– B-17’s rained bombs on German aircraft factories, railway lines, bridges, and cities

Invasion of Western Europe• Operation Overlord (D-Day): Allied

attack on German occupied France– Leader: Dwight D. Eisenhower

– Began massive military buildup in Southern England – In response, Germany added machine-gun nests, barbed-wire fences, mines, and underwater obstructions to the coast of France

– Germany knew an invasion was coming – They just didn’t know when

Beach Obstacles

D-Day Invasion• June 6, 1944

• 155,000 troops are transported from S. England to Normandy, France

• By the end of July, Eisenhower had over 2 million troops in France

Eisenhower addressing the Paratroopers

Omaha Beach

2,000+ casualties

Liberating France• August, 1944: Patton used blitzkrieg

to encircle & destroy German forces

• August 25, 1944: Paris officially liberated– Gen. Charles de Gaulle prepared to

take charge of the city

Soviet Forces Advance

• U.S. troops pushed from the West

• Soviet troops pushed from the East– At any given time +9 million soldiers

were fighting on the Eastern Front

– Soviets lost 11 million; Germans lost 9 million

– Soviet leaders considered the capture of Berlin a matter of honor

Soviets Take Berlin• April, 1945: Soviets entered Berlin

• April 30th: Hitler commits suicide

• May 8th: German soldiers surrendered

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day

May 7, 1945

Yalta Conference• Feb. 1945: Churchill, FDR, & Stalin meet in

Yalta (Soviet Union)– Planned the final defeat of Germany– Decide the shape of the postwar world– Agreed to split Germany in 4 parts (each would

be controlled by one of the major Allies)– Agreed upon the division of Berlin– Stalin promised to allow elections in Eastern

European countries liberated from the Germans

– Stalin also promised to enter the war against Japan within 3 months of Germany’s surrender

The Manhattan Project

• 1939: FDR received letter from Einstein about a new type of bomb

• Manhattan Project: top secret plan to develop an atomic bomb

• July 16,1945: 1st field test in New Mexico

Decision to Drop the Bomb

• Alternative possibilities:–A massive invasion of Japan –

millions of Allied casualties–Naval blockade to starve Japan

w/conventional bombing–Demonstration of new weapon on a

deserted island–Softening for an unconditional

surrender

• FDR died in April, 1945

• President Harry S. Truman had to make the final decision – had no problem and never regretted his decision

• Aug. 6,1945: Bombed Hiroshima

• Aug. 9,1945: Bombed Nagasaki

Nagasaki – 40,000Hiroshima - 70,000