Transcript Retaking Europe & The Holocaust

Retaking Europe
Section 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
Stalingrad
http://www.stalingrad.com.ru/history/foto/zelma_05-08/assault_6.jpg
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
• 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
D-Day Invasion
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 – 40,000
Hiroshima - 70,000