Transcript Tough Old Gut - San Ramon Valley High School

Tough Old Gut
Part I. North Africa
• Hitler’s Victories (against France, but also in
keeping Britain pinned down during the Battle
of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic)
allowed Mussolini the opportunity to ‘rebuild
the Roman Empire’
• Luftwaffe (and Italian air force) controlled the
air over the Mediterranean, and so for a good
spell it was mostly closed to allied shipping
• Italians already held colonies in North Africa
Italian Advantages
• 215 k troops versus 50 k British troops
• Don’t forget, the British were desperately
guarding their home island, the Middle East,
Asia, etc.
• Reading from Churchill (page 401)- 1940 =
England’s greatest hour
Egypt/Suez Canal
British Torpedoed Italian Fleet at Taranto
• Gave the British naval superiority in the
Mediterranean (if only they could win the air)
• Inspired the Japanese to consider Pearl Harbor
attack
British Beat Back the Bad Battling Italians
• I don’t know much about how this happened
• Hitler, worried about prestige, sent the
Afrikakorp and Rommel (the Desert Fox)
– Gained fame during the Blitzkrieg into France
• Clip from Churchill (page 499-500) Unique
aspects of desert warfare
The Afrikakorp Battered the British
• Fortress at Tobruk Holds Out
• Made it hard for Rommel to fully attack into Egypt
• Eventually, Tobruk fell to a smaller German army (despite
being fortified
Impact of Barbarossa
• Drains off some of Hitler’s manpower and focus from North
Africa
– for example, Germans lose air domination of Mediterranean
and North Africa
• Stalin wants a 2nd front in France
– Allies agree only to step up their fighting in North Africa
• Operation Torch- an Anglo-British landing in North West Africa
(Morocco)
– Churchill argued for another ‘2nd front’ in Norway
• Compares his model to Britain’s left and right claws grabbing at Hitler,
while the fangs prepare for a later frontal assault
– There was an attack on Dieppe, in France, which was a much
smaller D-Day
• Had the advantage of a practice run, but pretty darn costly
After the Fall of Tobruk, Rommel Wants to Pierce Egypt
and take Suez and the Middle East
• British commander in North
Africa is relieved and replaced
by Montgomery (Monty)
• Anecdote about Montgomery’s
pity for Rommel (page 613 and
614 in Churchill)
– Morale grows under
Montgomery
Pause as Both Sides Prepare A Decisive
Battle in Egypt
• Eventual Battle will be at El Alamein
• Problem for Rommel
– Qattara Depression
• Allies planted a phony map showing only
one good route North of this depression
– Then they super-fortified this route
• Rommel ‘bit’
– His attack was beaten back with heavy
losses
– He also started to have major supply
problems as the allied air forces started to
own the Mediterranean
– Rommel himself was very ill at this point
Allied Counterattack is Delayed to Wait
for the perfect Moment
• Clip on page 644 -645 of Churchill talking
about the connection between luck and fate
in world events
El Alamein
• British built up a 2-1 numerical advantage in
force
• No opportunity for a fancy maneuver against
the Germans… they had a solid wall of
resistance
– ‘blast a hole in their lines’ in broad daylight
• See pages 648-653 for the action
Operation Torch
• American and British attack into Northwest Africa
– 1st time American ground forces would engage the Axis
• U-boat danger in assembling a strike force
– British ships sailed from England
– U.S. ships from the U.S.
– Allies managed to remain undetected since they increasingly controlled
the skies
• French forces put in a very awkward position
– Their commanding officers are Vichy appointed, and thus collaborationist
– To go against their commanders is treason - death
– As a result, many French soldiers and officers died fighting the Americans
and British despite wanting the French and British to win
– Churchill- “We may all be thankful if our lives have not been rent by such
dire problems and conflicting loyalties”
Part II- Italy
Sicily
• Largest Amphibious invasion before D-Day
– Argument among allied commanders
• A) We should stop with our complete victory in North Africa and
wait until next year (1944) with all of our forces for a direct assault
on France
• B) We cannot let our army sit useless for a year… Russia needs us.
Attack Italy.
• Allies bombarded lots of places before invading Sicily
to hide their intentions
– Example, Sardinia
• Bad weather on the day of the attack, which might
have been a nightmare, but probably caused the
defenders to let down their guards
Sicily (cont.)
• Glider forces sent in to capture a key bridge on Sicily
– Over a third of them got lost and landed in the watermuch drowning
– Of the 65 soldiers who got to the bridge (and held it until
they were relieved over a day later), 19 survived
• Sicily has a great mountain in the middle of it, so Axis
could watch allied troop movements
• Nonetheless, Axis quickly decided to retreat to Italy
– Sicily captured
The Fall of Mussolini
• Rome was bombed after Sicily fell
• Hitler couldn’t send many reinforcements because of his
Eastern front problems (we are now post-Stalingrad)
• High ranking Italians removed Mussolini
– They signed a treaty with the allies ending Italian resistance to the
invasion of Italy
• Hitler decided to defend Italy
– Churchill called this a horrible blunder
– By trying to hold all of his gains, he made it certain that he would lose all
of them
– “He [Hitler] could, for instance, have met the British and Americans at
the 40th or 50th day after their landing in Normandy a year later with
fresh and greatly superior forces. There was no need to consume his
strength in Italy and the Balkans, and the fact that he was induced to do
so must be taken as the waste of his last opportunity.”
The Invasion of Italy
• In the confusion of the surrender, the allies managed
to land on the toe and heel of Italy without much
opposition
• They started to fight their way North
– Very difficult fighting- fast rivers, high mountains
• Argument between Churchill and the Americans
about how much force to focus on Italy
– Churchill- “Overlord (D-Day) isn’t scheduled for 5 months.
Let’s use our forces to push in Italy’
– Americans – “We can’t do ANYTHING that will jeopardize
Overlord”
– Central shortage- LSTs (landing craft, tanks)
A DARING RESCUE AT Gran Sasson!
• Mussolini was rescued by Hitler’s special
forces
– Glider, planes, no shots fired, etc.
• Put ‘in charge’ of the German held part of Italy
– Why the quotes around in charge?
Not a Super Fun Time To Be Italian
• Chaos
– One day you’re with Hitler, then with the allies,
then with Hitler again
– If you accidentally showed too much enthusiasm
for one side, when the other side took over you
got shot
– Large groups of Italian soldiers were shot by angry
German soldiers for surrendering
Anzio
• To break stalemate south of Rome, amphibious
invasion launched at Anzio
• Surprise was achieved
– The landing was virtually unopposed
• Surprise was squandered
– According to Churchill, his generals were too tentative in
advancing inland and gave the Germans time to surround
and contain (but not destroy) the landing group
– ‘I had thought we were unleashing a wildcat on the
beaches at Anzio, but what we got instead was a beached
whale’
Rome and the rest of 1944
• After months of stalemated battles, the allies
broke through at both Anzio and Monte Cassino
and took Rome
• For the rest of 1944 (until winter made progress
impractical), the allies inched northwards
• After D-Day, ‘Anvil’/’Dragoon’, an attack from
Italy into the southern French Riviera to support
the D-Day invasion further weakened the allied
effort in Italy
– Churchill thought Dragoon was basically a waste
In Spring, 1945, the final Axis defensive line in Italy
was pierced and the Germans surrendered in Italy,
6 days before their general European surrender
Mussolini’s Death
• During the final allied breakthrough, Mussolini and
some followers tried to drive north in the hopes of
finding a safe place to continue the resistance
• They were taken prisoner by Italian ‘partisans’
• The next day they were executed and driven to a
central square in Milan
– A crowd mangled their dead bodies and then they were
hung up on meat hooks as a symbol of dishonor
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini#Death
(American newsreel coverage of the death)
Hansen
WWII
Name ________________
Tough Old Gut
Part I. North Africa
•
Hitler’s Victories (against France, but also in keeping Britain pinned down during the
Battle of Britain and the Battle of the Atlantic) allowed ________
______________________________________________________________
•
Luftwaffe (and Italian air force) ___________________________________, and so
for a good spell it was mostly closed to _______________________
•
Italians already held colonies in _____________________
•
Italian Advantages
–
_______ troops versus _________ British troops
–
Don’t forget, the British were desperately guarding __________
____________________________________________________
–
Reading from Churchill (page 401)- 1940 = England’s greatest hour
•
Egypt/Suez Canal- _____________________________________
•
British Torpedoed Italian Fleet at ___________
–
Gave the British naval superiority in the Mediterranean (if only they could
win the air)
–
Inspired the _____________________________________________
•
British Beat Back the Bad Battling Italians
–
I don’t know much about how this happened
–
Hitler, worried about prestige, sent the ______________ and Rommel (the
___________________)
–
Gained fame during the ____________________________________
–
Clip from Churchill (page 499-500) Unique aspects of desert warfare
•
The Afrikakorp Battered the British
–
Fortress at ____________________
–
This fortress Made it hard for Rommel to ______________________
–
Eventually, Tobruk fell to a smaller German army (despite
______________________________ )
•
Impact of Barbarossa–
Drains off ___________________________________________
_______________________________________________from North Africa
•
for example, Germans lose _____________________________ of
Mediterranean and North Africa
•
Stalin wants a 2nd front in ______________
–
Allies agree only to step up their ___________________________
•
____________________- an Anglo-British landing in North West
Africa (Morocco)
–
Churchill argued for another ‘2nd front’ in _________
•
Compares his model to Britain’s ____________________
________________________________, while ___________
prepare for a later frontal assault
–
There was an attack on _________, in France, which was a much
__________________________
•
Had the advantage of a ____________, but pretty darn costly
•
•
•
•
•
After the Fall of Tobruk, Rommel Wants to Pierce __________________
_______________________ and the Middle East
–
British commander in North Africa is relieved and replaced by
____________________________________
–
Anecdote about Montgomery’s pity for Rommel (page 613 and 614
in Churchill)
–
Morale _____________ under Montgomery
Pause as Both Sides Prepare A _________________________________
–
Eventual Battle will be at _______________________
–
Problem for Rommel
•
________________________________
–
Allies planted a ___________________________________ only one
good route North of this depression
•
Then they ______________________ this route
–
Rommel ________________
•
His attack was beaten back __________________________
•
He also started to have ____________________________
as the allied air forces started to own the Mediterranean
•
Rommel himself was very _______ at this point
Allied Counterattack is Delayed to Wait for the perfect Moment
–
Clip on page 644 -645 of Churchill talking about the connection
between luck and fate in world events
El Alamein
–
British built up a _______ numerical advantage in force
–
No opportunity for a fancy maneuver against the Germans… they
had a solid wall of resistance
•
________________________________________________
–
See pages 648-653 for the action
Operation Torch
–
________________________________ attack into Northwest Africa
•
1st time American _______________ would engage the Axis
–
________________________ in assembling a strike force
•
British ships sailed from England
•
U.S. ships from the U.S.
•
Allies managed to remain undetected since they
________________________________________________
–
French forces put in a very awkward position
•
Their commanding officers are ____________________
__________________, and thus collaborationist
•
To go against their commanders is ______  ________
•
As a result, many French soldiers and officers died fighting
________________________________________________
despite wanting the French and British to win
•
Churchill- “We may all be thankful if our lives have not
been rent by such dire problems and conflicting loyalties”
Part II- Italy
•
Sicily
–
•
•
_________________________________________ before D-Day
•
Argument among allied commanders
– A) We should stop with our complete victory in North Africa
and wait until next year (1944) with all of our forces for a direct
assault on France
– B) We cannot let our army sit useless for a year… Russia needs
us. Attack Italy.
–
Allies bombarded lots of places before invading Sicily to ____________________
•
Example, Sardinia
–
Bad weather on the day of the attack, which might have been a nightmare, but
probably _________________________________________________________
–
_____________________ sent in to capture a key bridge on Sicily
•
Over a third of them got lost and landed in the water- much drowning
•
Of the 65 soldiers who got to the bridge (and held it until they were
relieved over a day later), ___________________
–
Sicily has a great __________________ in the middle of it, so Axis could watch
allied troop movements
–
Nonetheless, Axis quickly decided to retreat to Italy
•
____________________________
The Fall of Mussolini
–
Rome was __________________ after Sicily fell
–
Hitler couldn’t send _________________________________________________
__________________ (we are now post-Stalingrad)
–
High ranking Italians removed Mussolini
•
They signed a treaty with the allies ending Italian resistance to the
invasion of Italy
–
Hitler decided ____________________________
•
Churchill called this _________________________________
•
By trying to hold all of his gains, he made it certain that he ___________
____________________________________________ of them
•
“He [Hitler] could, for instance, have met the British and Americans at
the 40th or 50th day after their landing in Normandy a year later with
fresh and greatly superior forces. There was no need to consume his
strength in Italy and the Balkans, and the fact that he was induced to do
so must be taken as the waste of his last opportunity.”
The Invasion of ___________
–
In the confusion of the surrender, the allies managed to land on the _________
___________________ of Italy without much opposition
–
They started to fight their way North
•
Very difficult fighting- _______________________________________
–
Argument between Churchill and the Americans about how much force to focus
on Italy
•
Churchill- “Overlord (D-Day) isn’t scheduled for 5 months. ___________
___________________________________________________________
•
Americans – “We can’t do ____________________________________”
•
Central shortage- LSTs
(________________________________________)
•
•
•
•
•
•
A Daring __________________ at Gran Sasso!
–
Mussolini was rescued by Hitler’s special forces
•
_____________________________________________
–
Put ________________ of the German held part of Italy
•
Why the quotes around in charge?
Not a _____________________Time to Be Italian
–
Chaos
•
One day you’re with Hitler, then with the allies, then with Hitler
again
•
If you _________________________________________
_______________, when the other side took over you got shot
•
Large groups of Italian soldiers were ____________________
____________________________________ for surrendering
Anzio
–
To break _________________________________________________,
amphibious invasion launched at Anzio
–
Surprise was achieved
•
The landing was virtually unopposed
–
Surprise was ___________________________
•
According to Churchill, his generals were too tentative in
advancing inland and gave the Germans time to surround and
contain (but not destroy) the landing group
•
‘I had thought we were unleashing a ___________ on the
beaches at Anzio, but what we got instead was a ___________’’
Rome and the Rest of 1944
–
After months of stalemated battles, the allies broke through at both
Anzio and Monte Cassino and took Rome
–
For the rest of 1944 (until winter made progress impractical), the allies
__________________________
–
After D-Day, ‘Anvil’/’Dragoon’, an attack from Italy into the southern
______________________________ to support the D-Day invasion
further weakened the allied effort in Italy
•
Churchill thought Dragoon was basically _______________
In Spring, 1945, the final Axis defensive line in Italy was pierced and the Germans
surrendered in Italy, _________________________________________________
Mussolini’s ______________
–
During the final allied breakthrough, Mussolini and some followers tried
__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
–
They were taken prisoner by Italian ‘______________’
–
The next day they were _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________
•
A crowd _____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
as a symbol of dishonor