The Tide TurnsThe Tide Turns

Stalingrad 1942-43Stalingrad 1942-43

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

Germans surround Germans surround StalingradStalingrad

But are later

trapped in it

http://users.pandora.be/stalingrad/opwinter.html

Entire 6th Army Entire 6th Army destroyed or destroyed or

capturedcaptured

•Russian hero-Georgi Russian hero-Georgi Zhukov-takes over as Zhukov-takes over as

high commander high commander (leads (leads USSR to USSR to victory)victory)

KurskSummer 1943Greatest tank

battle in history:Germans lose http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue/vy75/pictures/kursk.jpg

Victory at Victory at sea(sort of)sea(sort of)

• Main German weapon-Main German weapon-U Boats-defeated by U Boats-defeated by destroyers and convoysdestroyers and convoys

•784 Subs sunk versus 784 Subs sunk versus 2,828 Allied Merchant 2,828 Allied Merchant ShipsShips

German U-boat

US destroyer

depth-charging a

U-Boat

http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/0543001.jpg

http://www.looksmart.com/r?page=/search/frames/index.html=WWII+convoy

•2. 2. BismarkBismark-Great -Great German battleship German battleship destroyed at sea-destroyed at sea-surface fleet never surface fleet never challenges Britschallenges Brits

Bismark heads for the North Atlantic

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/2146/battleships.html

BismarkBismark sinks sinks HMS HMS

HoodHoodBritain’s Britain’s greatest greatest

BattleshipBattleship

Obsolete British Swordfish torpedo planes damaged Bismark,

allowing fleet to catch up and destroy it

http://www.stable.demon.co.uk/

Allies Call for “Unconditional

Surrender”(Jan. 1943, Casablanca)• This allows the Axis leaders to use

a huge propaganda campaign in which they convince their citizens they will be slaves of the Allies if they lose.

• Axis soldiers and citizens put more effort into the war

Air war-Allies Air war-Allies attempt to attempt to

bomb bomb Germany Germany out of out of the the war-so we don’t war-so we don’t have to invade!have to invade!

Raids of 1,000 Planes or More

Strategic Bombing of War Industries turns into “Terror Bombing” of

Civilian Cities

Why?

To break the morale of citizens

But this plan did not work-the civilians lived and worked on

And possibly to take revenge on the Germans for the bombing of Coventry, England that killed 500 people

Civilians become Civilians become targetstargets

http://www.valourandhorror.com/BC/Raids/Dresden.htm

British Lancasterhttp://blvl.igs.net/~jlynch/bharis84.htm

Allies take complete Allies take complete control control of airof air

US B-17 Flying Fortress with P-51 escort

http://www.fscwv.edu/users/rheffner/b17/B17scrapbook.html

US B-24 Liberatorhttp://www.stable.demon.co.uk/

http://www.xs4all.nl/~rhorta/jg8th.htm

http://www.xs4all.nl/~rhorta/luftwaff.htm

Best German Fighter FW-190

Best US fighter P-51

The Bombing of Hamburg and Dresden

Allied Bombing Raids-Statistics 1943-44

• 400,000 Civilian Deaths

• 400,000 Civilian Injuries

• Destruction of 50 major cities

• Germany’s ability to produce tanks and planes still increased in 1943 and 1944

• Cuts in production did not occur until late 1944,war ended in May 1945

• Cost 40,000 Allied Planes

• 160,000 Allied Airmen Dead

• WAS IT WORTH IT??????