Transcript The War in Africa and Europe

World War II in
Africa and Europe
America enters the war
Millions of Americans (from all
ethnic / racial groups)
volunteered for duty following
Pearl Harbor
Selective Service Act in effect
America wanted to invade
France right away in 1942 –
Stalin agreed
Churchill thought Allies weren’t
ready yet
– Is a different strategy
possible??
– How do the Allies defeat the
Axis Powers??
Battles in Africa
Britain and Germany fought for
control of Northern Africa
Egypt was important to British
(Access to Suez Canal)
U.S. landed in Africa in Nov.
1942
May 1943 – Allies with
American forces defeat
German forces led by Erwin
Rommel in Tunisia
Allies now able to spring into
Italy – overthrowing Mussolini
in September 1943
U.S. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
More trouble for Germans
The Battle of
Stalingrad – brutal
defeat for Germans
Germans trapped in
city – in winter, many
froze to death
Scorched-earth policy
2 million military and
civilian deaths (199
day battle)
Invasion of France (D-Day)
June 6, 1944
5,000 ships – 130,000
soldiers (American,
British, Canadian)
10,000 Allies
killed/wounded
Result: Successful in
securing the beach
Map of Normandy
Allied Deception at D-Day
Note found with
Eisenhower (never used)
“Our landings have failed and I have withdrawn
our troops. My decision to attack at this time
and place was based on the best information
available. The troops, the air and the Navy did
all that bravery could do. If any blame or fault
attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.”
-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
June 1944
Allies fight into Europe
Allies fight Germans
into France
Paris liberated in
August 1944
Germans final assault
made at Battle of the
Bulge
– Allies defeat Germans
– Heavy casualties
War comes to a Close
Stalin, Churchill, FDR
meet at Yalta to
discuss post-war
situation
FDR dies of stroke in
April 1945
Harry Truman now
President
Hitler commits suicide
in his Berlin bunker –
Allies overrun the
Germans
Horrors of the Holocaust
6 million Jews – and
millions of other
people - killed by
Nazis
Sent to death centers
called “Concentration
Camps”
Based on Hitler’s
racism
– Blamed Jews for
Germany’s problems
Band of Brothers
The “Band of Brothers” miniseries follows
a company of American paratroopers in
World War II – E. Company, 506th
Regiment, 101st Airborne, known as “Easy
Company”
Episode Synopsis – Day of Days
In this episode, the focus is on the
Normandy invasion and Easy Company’s
assignment to take out a German artillery
installation firing on U.S. forces making the
seaborne invasion. On June 5th and 6th,
1944, thousands of Allied paratroopers
dropped from the sky to begin one of the
most audacious military campaigns of the
war
Cast
Major Richard Winters – Easy Company’s
commanding officer
Captain Lewis Nixon
Questions to think about…
1. Red light vs. Green light
2. What do the troops do when being
dropped in the incorrect drop zones
3. What other challenges existed? How
did they overcome these challenges?
4. What were the major themes of the
episode?