Transcript II.) Battle of the Atlantic

World War II
“The European Theater”
I.) War Plans
A. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and FDR meet Dec. 22,
1941 to discuss war
Outcome:
- Germany and Italy bigger threat than Japan
- Focus in “European Theater” first then “Pacific Theater”
II.) Battle of the Atlantic
A. Britain and Soviet Union depend on supplies from sea
B. Battle of the Atlantic begins
Goal:
1. U-Boat attacks to prevent food and war materials
from getting to Allies
2. Germans carry out U-Boat raids against American
coast
3. Germans succeed in 1942
C.
Allies turn to convoy system
1. airplane scouts w/radar
D. Mid-1943 Battle of Atlantic turns in Allies
favor
III.) The Eastern Front
A. Germans begin fighting Soviet Union in June 1941
B. Winter of 1941 prevent invasion of Moscow & Leningrad
C. The Battle of Stalingrad:
1. Aug. 1942 to Jan. 1943
2. Germans conquer 9/10 of city until winter strikes
3. Soviets mount offensive & defeat Germans
4. 1,100 Soviets killed
Impact: Turning Point in Eastern Front
Soviet army begin advance towards Germany
IV.) North African Front
A. Allies launch “Operation Torch” Nov. 1942
1. Allied invasion of North Africa (107,000 troops)
- Allied Commander: General Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Axis Commander: General Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox)
B. German “Afrika Korps” surrender
May 1943
V.) The Italian Campaign
A. The Casablanca Conference:
1. FDR and Churchill meet Jan. 1943
2. Lay out a strategy for the period after the
North African campaign
B. July 1943 Allies invade Sicily
1. Mussolini stripped of power and arrested
C. Sept. 1943 Italian govt. signs armistice
D. Sept. 1943 Allies invade Italy near Salerno
E. Germans stop Allied advance near Rome
F. The Battle of Anzio (Jan. to June 1944)
G. Fighting in Italy lasts till 1945
VI.) Allies Liberate Europe
A. Operation Overload: code name given to the Allied invasion
of France during WWII
1. Allied Commander: General Dwight D. Eisenhower
2. Destination: Normandy, France
3. Target: 5 beaches (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword)
4. Allied Forces: Americans, British, Canadians
5. Date: June 6, 1944 (D-Day)
B. First Day:
1. paratroopers land behind enemy lines
C. Bombings begin by allied ships and planes
D. Land-Sea invasion begins of beaches
E. Outcomes:
1. After 7 days of fighting Allies gain 80 mile strip of France
2. 200,000 Allied soldiers killed
VII.) The Allies in Europe
July 1944 = Allies led by General Omar Bradley attack Germans
by land and air at St. Lo, France
August 1944 = General George Patton’s tank division (Third Army) reach
the Seine River south of Paris
August 1944 = American forces & Free French forces (Charles de Gaulle)
liberate Paris, France
September 1944 = General Bradley & General Montgomery lead Allied
troops liberating France, Belgium, & Luxemburg
October 1944 = Americans capture Aachen, Germany
December 1944 = Battle of the Bulge
Germans want to split Allied lines; create 50 mile “bulge”
takes month to halt Germans; now Germans are in full retreat
February 1945 = Yalta Conference
Stalin, Churchill, & FDR meet in Crimea, Russia to discuss post-war
Soviets agree to enter war vs. Japan for land
April 25, 1945 = Soviet Red Army enters Berlin, Germany
April 30, 1945 = Hitler commits suicide in underground bunker
May 8, 1945 = Germany surrenders!!
May 8, 1945