Transcript The End of World War Two

The End of World War
Two
Defeat of the Axis, 1943-45
Stalingrad and Kursk:
Russia 1943
1943 was the beginning of the end for the Axis.
Germany had just suffered its worst-ever defeat at
Stalingrad, and for the first time was on the defensive
in Russia. The fighting culminated in a gigantic tank
battle that summer in Kursk. Meanwhile, on the home
front, the British were inflicting terrible damage on
German industrial cities such as Hamburg.
Feb 2: German surrender at Stalingrad
July 5: Massive tank battle at Kursk
July 27: Huge bombing raid on Hamburg
Nov 6: Russians recapture Kiev
The Second Front: Italy
1943
After winning the Battle
of El Alamein the previous
October, the Allies pushed on into Libya and Tunisia.
By the middle of the year, the Anglo-Americans were
able to launch an invasion of Italy. The fighting was
difficult, but the opening of a second front relieved
some of the pressure on the Soviets.
May 13: Afrika Corps surrenders in North Africa
July 10: Allies land in Sicily
July 26: Fascist government falls; Mussolini arrested
Sept 8: Italy surrenders
Sept 11: Germany occupies northern Italy
Sept 12: Mussolini rescued by German commandos;
forms a puppet government
‘D’ Day and the Liberation of
France: 1944
By 1944, the Axis was clearly losing the war. For the
knockout blow, the Allies launched the invasion of France
known as ‘D-Day’. This landing of several hundred
thousand Allies troops drew German strength away from
the Eastern Front, enabling the Russians to rapidly
advance. It also enabled the liberation of France after four
years of Nazi occupation.
June 6: D-Day landings at Normandy
June 13: First V-1 rocket attack on Britain
June 24: Assassination attempt on Hitler
Aug 25: Paris liberated
Sept: Belgium liberated
Russian Offensives 1944
The Russian steamroller advanced with increasing speed in
1944, pushing the Nazis from Russian territory, and advancing
almost to the German border. 1.2 million Red Army soldiers
took part in Operation Bagration.
Jan 6: Soviets enter Poland
Jan 27: Leningrad siege lifted after 900 days
Jun 9: Soviets advance into Finland
June 22: Operation Bagration – the Russian summer offensive
July 24: First concentration camp liberated
Aug 19: Soviets advance into Romania
Sept: Baltic states liberated
Dec 27: Siege of Budapest
Battle of the Bulge 1944
Staring defeat in the face, the Germans mustered all
of their remaining strength for one last offensive. The
Ardennes Offensive, known as the Battle of the
Bulge, lasted around a month, and saw fierce
fighting between American and German troops. The
offensive failed and left the way clear for the Allies to
march into western Germany.
Dec 16: Ardennes Offensive begins
Dec 26: Allies begin counterattack
Jan 25: Official end of the battle
Road to Defeat: 1945
At the beginning of 1945, Germany was hanging by a
thread. Vast numbers of Allied troops surrounded her
borders, and unconditional surrender was the only
acceptable outcome. Hitler vowed to fight on, and so
German civilians bore the brunt of the tough fighting of
early 1945.
Jan 17: Warsaw liberated
Jan 26: Auschwitz liberated
Feb 13: Dresden destroyed in firebombing
March 6: Final German offensive to guard Hungarian
oilfields
April 1: US troops encircle the Ruhr
Collapse: April/May 1945
By April the war was lost. The Soviets fought street by
street to capture Berlin, as Hitler cowered in his bunker.
At the end of the month, he killed himself. A week later,
his successor, Admiral Doenitz, signed the surrender.
The most destructive war in human history was over.
April 28: Mussolini is captured and hanged
April 30: Hitler commits suicide
May 2: German troops in Italy surrender
May 7: Unconditional surrender of all German troops
May 8: V-E (Victory in Europe) Day
June 5: Germany is divided between the Allies
Nov 20: Nuremberg War Crimes Trials begin