Transcript WWII: The US War in Europe

WWII: The US War in Europe
War on Two Fronts
• After Pearl Harbor,
Germany and Italy
declared war on the
United States.
• The USA now had
to fight a war on
two fronts…
– Develop a “Europe
First” policy with
Great Britain.
War in North Africa
• November 1942 Allied troops land in
Morocco and begin
pushing east.
• Under US General Dwight
Eisenhower.
• Why North Africa?
– Gain Experience
– Help British
• 240,000 Italian and
German troops
surrender.
– Rest flee to Italy.
Meanwhile: War in the USSR
• Frustrated by the stalemate in the
Battle of Britain, Hitler turned his
attention to the East.
– June 22, 1941: Germany
launches a Blitzkrieg on Russia.
• German troops advance east.
• Soviet army retreats to interior
of USSR.
– Stalin orders troops to destroy
supplies the Nazis may find
useful.
– German advance is stalled
between July 1942 to January
1943 at Stalingrad.
• 90,000 German surrender
• 330,000 Germans dead
• Over 1 million Soviets dead
– Stalin pleads with his new allies
(US, British) to open a new front
in Europe…
The Invasion of Italy
• “The soft underbelly of
Europe” – Churchill.
– Why?
• July to September 1943 Allies invade Sicily
followed by Italy.
– As Allied forces invade, Italy
declares war on Germany!
• Mussolini is removed and
arrested by King Victor
Emmanuel.
– Germans smuggle him to
N. Italy as they retreat.
• Progress stalls north of
Rome - Allies will not take
all of Italy until April, 1945.
– Mussolini killed, 1945
Where to launch an
invasion?
1943: The Soviets are still pleading with the USA and
Britain to open up a second front against “Fortress
Europe.” The Allies want to launch an attack, but where?
Operation Overlord
• Late 1943 – June, 1944
– Allies built up forces in
southern England in
preparation of a massive
invasion.
• Utilize carpet bombing
– Scattering a large number of
bombs over a large area.
– Germans fortified the
French coastline with
machine-gun nests, barbedwire fences, land and water
mines, and underwater
obstructions.
Where should an invasion be
launched from?
The Invasion of mainland Europe
• June 6th, 1944 – “D-Day”
– Operation Overlord
– Establish foothold in
mainland Europe.
• Midnight:
– Warships depart from
Southern England
» 1,000 RAF aircraft
begin pounding
German forces on
Normandy coast.
» 23,000 British and
American “airborne”
parachute behind
enemy lines.
• Dawn:
– 150,000 Allied troops
come ashore.
– Intense fighting ensues.
Paris Liberated!
• Within a week, 2
million Allied forces
were in Normandy.
– Allied forces quickly
moved south-east.
• Paris was liberated,
August 25th, 1944.
Operation Market Garden
• September 1944 –
British plan to end
the war by
Christmas.
– Drop paratroopers
in Netherlands,
capture bridges
and move army
quickly ahead.
– Fails miserably.
Battle of the Bulge
• December 1944 Last-ditch effort
by Germany to
turn back the
Allied advance.
– Invade sections
of Allied
controlled
Belgium.
– Largest battle of
the War.
• 100,000
German loses
• 80,000 Allied
loses
The Invasion of Germany and
Battle of Berlin
• Spring 1945 –
– Allied forces
invade Germany
– Soviet Union
takes Berlin.
• Hitler commits
suicide, April
1945.
V-E Day: May
th
8 ,
1945