America and WWII:The War for Europe and North
Africa
U.S. & Britain Join ForcesPrime Minister Winston Churchill and FDR meet on
December 22, 1941 to plan the war
#1 Allied Priority: The Defeat of Germany FDR always considered Hitler #1 enemy of the U.S.Stalin (now an Allied Power) was desperate for helpOnly after Germany was defeated could the U.S. look to
Britain and the Soviet Union for help in defeating Japan
U.S. & Britain Join Forces
Also decided they would only accept the UNCONDITIONAL surrender of the Axis Powers
What would be the positives and
negatives to this decision?
Battle of the AtlanticAfter Pearl Harbor Hitler ordered submarine raids on
America’s East Coast 1st four months 87 U.S. ships sunkAfter 7 months 681 Allied ships sunk
Allies used the convoy system to protect the ships used destroyers with sonar to detect U-boats
With sonar the Allies destroyed U-boats faster than Germany could replace them
U.S. went on a crash ship-building program 140 ships/mo.By mid-1943 the Allies were winning the war in the Atlantic
Battle of Stalingrad Summer 1943 Allies began to see some victories German advance had stalled short of Leningrad and Moscow Hitler changed tactics:
1. Seize rich oil fields in the Caucasus MountainsCapture Stalingrad, a major industrial city
A brutal 3 month battle ensued with the Germans advancing house-by-house in brutal hand combat
End of Sept. 1943 9/10th of Stalingrad was German controlled
Battle of StalingradNovember 1943, Soviets launched a massive
counterattack Fighting continued into the winter German soldiers
froze/starved on the Russian frozen wastelandFeb. 2, 1943 the Germans surrendered
239,000 German soldiers died1,250,000 Soviet soldiers and civilians died
Despite the death toll, this was a major turning point in the war in the east Soviets pushed farther and father west toward Germany
The North African FrontU.S. and Britain
opened a second front during the Battle of Stalingrad
Launched Operation Torch in Axis controlled N. Africa
This was led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower
The North African Front
November 1942, 107,000 troops landed in North Africa
With the British also in pursuit, the Allies sped eastward chasing Hitler’s Afrika Korps led by General Erwin Rommel
After months of heavy fighting the last of the Afrika Korps surrendered in May 1943
Next step: Italy!
The Italian Campaign Italy was considered the “soft underbelly of the Axis”Allies quickly captured Sicily (summer 1943)Italians were tired of war July 25, 1943 King Victor
Emmanuel III strips Benito Mussolini of power Mussolini arrested Italians celebrated
Hitler then seizes control of Italy and reinstalls Mussolini as its leader
After 18 months of fighting the Allies are able to drive the Germans from Italy
The Italian CampaignWorst battle was
near Rome “Bloody Anzio”
Lasted 4 months25,000 Allies died30,000 Axis
soldiers died50,000 Italians
partisan fighters assisted the Allies
Allies Liberate EuropeGeneral Eisenhower
organized Operation Overlord planned invasion of Hitler’s fortress in Europe
Allies had been planning for over two years and building an invasion force of over 3 million troops to cross the English Channel
D-Day: June 6, 1944Three divisions parachuted down behind German
enemy lines during the nightBritish, American, and Canadian troops fought their
way ashore at five points along a 60-mile stretch of beach
D-Day numbers:156,000 troops4,000 landing craft600 warships11,000 planes
Largest land-air-sea operation in history
D-Day: June 6, 1944German fortresses bombed and shelled by air and sea
bombardment Allies still faced brutal retaliation from the German forces, Omaha Beach was the worst
Allies were able to hold the beachheadWithin a month they had landed:
1,000,000 troops, 567,000 tons of supplies, 170,000 vehicles
July 25th: General Omar Bradley launched an air attack at St.-Lo General Patton advances with troops
August 23rd they reach the Seine River, two days later Paris was liberated
Battle of the BulgeBy September 1944 France, Belgium,
Luxembourg, and most of the Netherlands had been liberated
October 1944 Americans captured the first German town Aachen
Surprise counterattack by the Germans broke through the 80 miles of Allied troops
The resulting dent from the desperate last-ditch offensive was nicknamed the “Battle of the Bulge”
Battle of the BulgeThe battle lasted for a month (Dec. 1944 – Jan.
1945)The Germans were pushed back and little seemed
to have changedHowever, the Germans had lost 120,000 troops,
600 tanks and assault guns, and 1,600 planesThese weapons and men could not be replacedGermans could do little except retreat
Liberation of the Death Camps
Allies were pushing eastward towards Germany, Soviets were pushing westward across Poland
Soviet troops were the first to come across the death camps in July 1944
Majdanek was the first killing center they came across
Unconditional SurrenderBy April 1945, the Soviet Army had stormed BerlinSoldiers deserted rapidly but were shot or hanged
on sightHitler was in his underground Berlin bunker in
his final written address he blamed the Jews for starting the war and his generals for losing it
Committed suicide by shooting himself his body and his wife’s were carried outside, soaked in gasoline, and burned (Hitler’s orders)
Unconditional Surrender One week later
General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich
May 8, 1945 the Allies celebrated V-E Day – Victory in Europe Day
The first part of the war was finally over…
Despite racism, segregation, and denial of civil rights, many minorities served - All knew life in an Axis-controlled country would be much worse
Above are members of the all Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. They served in Europe and won more medals than any other unit in the war.
The most famous all black unit was the 332nd Pursuit Squadron (better known as the Tuskegee Airmen)
Shot down over 100 German planes during war
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