Transcript D-Day
U.S. brought in to war on Dec 7 1941 – bombing of US port ___________ by Axis Power Japan Joined ________ Powers includes helping protect Britain from Nazi air attacks & potential invasion German _______ watch Allied forces U.S. used messages/images False invasion plans to attack at C_________ closest point to Britain Germans, then made this most heavily armed & defended Original invasion on June 5, but __________ forced delay – had to keep plan secret Deployment onto beaches at ______________, France __________ Allied troops British, US, Canadian, Australian, French, etc… Supreme Commander is ______________________ Allied forces divided by 50 mile stretch along France’s north coast … along ____ sectors/beaches Westernmost landing Primarily made up of __________ troops/arms Force of 23,000 deployed Most heavily fortified Primarily ___________ invasion force Only ___ tanks survive 5,000 American's KIA Sector was assigned to the ____________ Beach overlook was heavily armed by ____________ nests End of the day over _______ troops had successfully landed ___ days to secure beaches – allowing more troops & equipment (tanks) __________ troops & more than 100,000 _______ of military equipment ____ months later Allies reached Paris – liberating it from __________ control Marked 1st successful Allied invasion into West Europe – combining with Italian Campaign Effort to liberate Europe from the hands of Fascist & Nazi Dictatorships Major turning point in World War II - led to the German downfall & eventual surrender of one of the major Axis powers a year later • Starts with Invasion of Italy in 1943 & continues with 1944 D-Day invasion • Creation of a Western Front (France) • Airborne operation using gliders to drop paratroopers behind German lines • Target German industrial factories, oil storage, transportation infrastructure … • Prevented Luftwaffe from posing serious threat that it once had • Now had ability to launch bomber raids from France & Britain into Germany • Soviets (Red Army) closing in toward Germany = taking much of Poland & other Eastern European territories • These battles constituted the largest military confrontations in history • Estimated 70 mil deaths in WWII over 30 mil on EF – includes many civilians • As Red Army progress toward Berlin, they came across – starting in Poland – concentration/extermination camps