Transcript File

The Tide Turns
The End of WW2
The Dieppe Raid
Canada Leads the Way
Origins
• Allies were not yet prepared for a full
invasion of Europe
• Dieppe Raid was a way to test new
techniques and equipment
• The raid would serve as a reconnaissance
mission and a precursor to the Normandy
invasion
• The town of Dieppe was an important port
town
Why Canada?
• Most Canadian troops had not yet
fought in Europe as much of the war for
Canada was being fought in Africa
• Canadian troops were highly esteemed
• British General Bernard Montgomery
selects the 2nd Canadian Division
Numer of troops committed
Division of Involvement
4963
1075
Canada
Britain
50
15
America
France
Countries invloved
The Plan
• Intended to gauge the possibility of a sea
landing attack, to gather intelligence, and to
draw the Luftwaffe out
• Paratroopers would flank the beach while the
main forces would seize the town from the
main beach. Tanks would provide ground
support
• After poor weather and scaled down RAF
involvement, the raid was cancelled on July
7th 1942
The Plan Continued
• General Mountbatten began reorganizing
the raid for July 11th under the codename
“Operation Jubilee”
• Mountbatten went ahead with the raid
despite a lack of approval from the Joint
Chiefs of staff
• This created a disjointed plan and a lack of
involvement from intelligence agencies
The Plan
The Reality
• Canadian ships were to have
disembarked before dawn but delays
kept them in port until early daylight
• On the way to the raid, a Canadian ship
met a German convoy and a battle
ensued
– Lost element of surprise
• Troops were gunned down easily by
German machine gunners
The Reality
• Poor communications led commanders
to believe that the first wave of troops
made it to shore in good shape
• They sent reinforcements who also
became trapped
• Tanks could not advance on the pebble
beach because of a lack of traction
The Aftermath
• The raid was a disaster
• In total, 907 Canadian troops died in the
nine-hour battle, while 586 were
wounded and 1874 were taken prisoner
• Some historians argue that the raid was
a failure but it taught Allied forces what
not to do next time
Dieppe Today
D-day to VJ Day
D-Day
Italian Campaign
Liberation of the Netherlands
The Final Solution - Holocaust
Propaganda
Nuclear Bombs
D-Day: The Normandy Invasion
• June 6, 1944 “Operation Overlord”
• Opening of a Western Front to support
Russian attack in the East
• Canadians attacked Juno Beach
• remains the largest seaborne invasion
in history, involving almost three million
troops
Defences
Italian Campaign
• An Allied victory in Northern Africa
allowed them to launch an attack on
Italy from the south.
• First assault onto Mainland Europe
• Canadians played a large role
• Canadian Army in Italy had reached its
peak theatre strength of nearly 76,000.
Italy surrenders
• September 1943 – Armistice with Italy.
• Mussolini killed and hung up for public
display.
• Canadian troops advanced through Italy
until they were sent to join the fighting in
France
Liberating the Netherlands
• Earlier Allied attempts to
liberate Holland had
failed.
• Canada continued the
fight, eventually forcing
Germany to call a truce
on April 28, 1945.
• Canadians were hailed
as heroes and were
treated to parades.
Persecution Continues
• Einstazgruppen - Their task to kill the
Jews on the spot - Jews, but not only
Jews; communists, Gypsies, political
leaders, and the intelligentsia were also
killed.
Concentration/Extermination
Camps
• Of the approximately 6 million Jews murdered
in the Holocaust, more than half were
systematically exterminated in the highly
rationalized gas chamber/crematorium
system of the Nazi Death Camps between
1942 and 1945.
• Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Dachau,
Chelmno, Sobibor, Belzek and Majdanek.
Birkenau
Auschwitz
VE Day
• Facing certain defeat, Germany
surrendered to the Allies on May 7,
1945.
• The war in Europe was over and the
Allies declared May 8 as Victory in
Europe Day (VE Day)
Hitler’s Last
Days
Dead
April 30, 1945
VE Day
• May 8, 1945
Turning to Japan
• Russia set to get involved in Pacific
• US has secret weapon (atomic bomb)
- Allies did not know
• Drop the bomb or invade Japan?
- Estimated 250,000 – 1,000,000
American Casualties
Turning to Japan
• Two atomic bombs “Fat Man” and “Little
Boy” dropped on Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Pgs 120-121
– Two cities that were purposely sparred
previous bombings to ensure “clearly
nuclear damage”
The Bombs
Turning to Japan
• Realizing that they could not withstand
the power of the atomic bomb, Japan
surrendered on August 14, 1945.
• After six long years and the loss of
millions of lives, WW2 was over.
Japanese Surrender 1945
VJ Celebration in NY
VJ DAY
Liberation of the Netherlands
• 1945 Canada liberates the Netherlands
• Starving Dutch people rejoice and
welcome Canadians
• Tough fight for Canada
– 6300 killed