Transcript World War II in Europe

BELLWORK: 11/25
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How did Operation Barbarossa affect Soviet morale?
Why was the Battle of Stalingrad a turning point in the East?
Why was it so important for the Allies to win North Africa?
Explain the causes/effects of Italy’s surrender.
Why was the D-Day invasion a turning point on the Western front?
List three ways civilians were affected by WWII.
THINKER: Now that Hitler’s defeat is imminent, the Allied powers
meet in February 1945 to discuss the post-war world. Put yourself in
their place…..what do you think should be the focus of this
meeting? What decisions do you think should be made regarding
post-war Europe? Explain!
World War II in Europe
Total War blurred the lines between
combatant and civilian
Allied Strategy
• Defeating Germany is top
priority
• Attack in Europe first
• While Stalin fights
Germany in USSR, UK &
US use navy/air to take
N. Africa  Italy
• Goal  Force an
unconditional surrender
Operation Barbarossa
• Germany invaded the Soviet
Union on June 22, 1941
(launched from Poland)
• 3-Pronged Attack:
Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev 
success…..for now…..
• WINTER!!!!
• Changes to Soviet Army
(modernized, increased use
of tanks, artillery, reformed
air force, used radio)
Operation Barbarossa Outcome
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USSR declares war
Soviets launch counter-offensive at Stalingrad
Soviet patriotism and unity (save “Mother
Russia”)
Motivated by German atrocities
Stalin withdrawals himself from military
control and allows commanders more
freedom (increased confidence and pride in
military)
USSR lost ¾ its iron, coal and steel, 1/3 of its
railways…..but still able to out-produce
Germans
Shift to wartime economy
Aide from US & UK
Battle of Stalingrad
• Hitler reached Stalingrad by
August 1942 & occupied the city
• Russians refused to surrender and
launched a counter-offensive
surrounding Germans in a pincer
movement
• Turning point in the East!!!
Germany surrendered  stopped
Hitler’s eastern advance
• 250,000 dead
• Soviets take the offensive and
regain territory
The Defeat of Nazi Germany (pg.151)
• By 1942, Allies had enough
resources to open a second
front (Mediterranean)
• Allies take back North
Africa
– Prevented German takeover
of Egypt & Suez Canal
– Provided a launching
position for next target –
Italy
Nazi General, Erwin Rommel – “Desert Fox”
Invasion of North Africa
Fall of Italy (1943-1945)
• Southern offensive
began in July 1943
• Within six weeks, Allies
gained Sicily and move
up Italian peninsula
• Fascism fell from power
• Mussolini was
overthrown
• In June 1944, Italy
surrendered!
• Germany is left to fight
alone in Europe
Mussolini’s Death
• Italian government wanted
to punish Mussolini for war
crimes
• Tried to escape to
Switzerland
• He was caught by soldiers
and executed the next day
• Shot by firing squad, body
hung in city where civilians
beat, kicked, spat, and
stoned his dead body.
• Show video clip!
D-Day
• June 6, 1944
• Largest combined land-sea-air battle in history
• Allied forces landed on Normandy Beach (France) and pushed
the Germans back
• Turning point of WWII on Western Front
Battle of the Bulge
• December 1944 – January
1945
• Germany’s last offensive
attack
• Invaded Belgium and
created a “bulge” in Allied
defense lines
• Largest American death toll
• Germans lost and were
pushed back
Yalta Conference
• February 1945 Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met
at Yalta (Soviet Union) to discuss the postwar
world
• Formed the United Nations
• Divided Germany and Berlin into four zones
• Stalin obtained Poland if he promised to allow free
elections
• Stalin gained Pacific islands if he promised to
declare war on Japan
KEEP IN MIND:
Stalin is gong to break these promises …….. COLD WAR!!!!
FDR’s Death
"Men will thank God on their knees a
hundred years from now that Franklin
D. Roosevelt was in the White House”
(NY Times Editorial; 1945)
• FDR was elected to his
4th term in 1944; with a
new VP
• After 12 years in office
and four presidential
terms, FDR died on April
12, 1945
• Died from a cerebral
hemorrhage (stroke)
• Replaced by VP Harry
Truman
Death of Hitler
• The Allies surrounded
Germany and it
became clear the Axis
powers would lose.
• Hitler committed
suicide in an
underground bunker
on April 30, 1945
War in Europe is over!
• Berlin fell to the
Allies on May 2, 1945
• Germany surrenders
• May 8th: V-E Day
(Victory in Europe)
• Who is left?
War in Europe is over!!
WWII Animated Map
• Prepare to be amazed…….
Review: Why did the Allies defeat
Hitler?
Weakness of Axis Powers
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Strengths of Allied Powers
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