Transcript Retaking Europe

Retaking Europe
Atlantic Charter
Set of principles mutually agreed upon by FDR and
Churchill that would guide them during the war and
in the years following the war.
The U.S. Enters the War
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When the U.S. joined the
war, Germany controlled
most of Europe and was
bearing down on British
possessions in the
Middle East.
Battle of the Atlantic
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Britain needed supplies.
The U.S. and British territories delivered those supplies.
German U-boats attempted to sink these ships.
The Allies attempted to use the convoy system.
The Germans countered with large groups of U-boats
(wolf packs).
In June of 1942, 175 ships were sunk.
As the war went on, the Allies developed better
strategies and technology for dealing with U-boats and
the effectiveness of U-boats declined significantly.
North Africa Campaign
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August 1940 – The British successfully battled Italian troops in
Egypt and Syria.
February 1941 – Hitler send General Erwin Rommel, the Desert
Fox, to North Africa.
Rommel attacked the British successfully until November 1942
when the British under General Bernard Montgomery defeated
the Germans at El Alamein.
American troops landed on the Northwest coast of Africa soon
after this.
They suffered a loss at Kasserine Pass but soon after this had
the Germans on the run.
In the summer of 1943, 240,000 German and Italian troops
surrendered.
The Invasion of Italy
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By controlling North Africa, the Allies now had the option of
invading southern Europe.
In July 1943, the U.S. Seventh Army under Patton invaded Sicily.
The Italians quickly turned on Mussolini and the Fascist party.
With the Italian government in transition, German troops tried
to halt the invading Allies
The Germans set up Mussolini as a puppet dictator in Northern
Italy.
Eventually, the U.S. broke through German defenses at Cassino
and took Rome.
There would be many more casualties before all of Italy was
taken in April 1945.
War in the Soviet Union
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After the Battle of Britain failed, Hitler decided to
attack the Soviet Union.
He wanted their land and resources.
In June 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union
along the length of the Soviet border.
The German blitzkrieg took Soviet land very quickly.
As the Soviet army retreated, they destroyed anything
that might be of use to the invading German army.
By Autumn, the German army was threatening
Moscow and Leningrad.
Stalingrad
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In October the Russian winter halted German advances into the
Soviet Union.
The next summer, Germany looked to Stalingrad and its
oilfields.
The Soviet army decided to make its stand at Stalingrad.
The German army advanced into Stalingrad and then the Soviets
launched a fierce counterattack.
The German soldiers were trapped inside Stalingrad.
Hitler urged the German soldiers to keep fighting and promised
reinforcements that would never come.
In January 1943, 90,000 German troops surrendered.
In all, Germany lost 330,00 troops at Stalingrad.
Soviet losses are estimated to be as high as 1,100,000.
The Allied Air War
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Support from the air was a key to winning WWII.
Bombing raids could take out military targets as
well as strategic targets that could take away the
enemy’s ability to produce weapons, produce raw
materials or transport war goods..
Carpet Bombing
At the height of the Allied bombing campaign in
Germany, 3000 planes were involved.
Invasion of Western Europe
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Operation Overlord
Suggested by George Marshall
Dwight Eisenhower was supreme commander
June 6, 1944
D Day
Heavy casualties
Within 2 months, 2 million Allied troops were in
Northern France.
Battle of the Bulge
Named for the shape in the lines
caused by Germany’s
counterattack.
 Generals Patton and Bradley
helped to push the Germans
back.
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Soviet Forces Advance
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Much higher casualty rates
11 million Soviet / 3 million German
The Soviets pushed west into Berlin in April
1945.
Germany Surrenders
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April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide as
Soviet troops advanced.
May 8, 1945, Remaining German troops
surrender. (V-E Day – “Victory in Europe”)
Yalta Conference
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FDR, Stalin and Churchill met to discuss postwar
plans.
They agreed to split Germany into 4 zones under the
control of the Allies (including France).
Stalin promised to allow free elections in areas of
Eastern Europe occupied by Soviet forces.
He also agreed to join in the fight against Japan
within 3 months.
Stalin did not follow through on any of his promises.