Pushing Back the Axis

1. Pushing Back the Axis Striking Germany and Italy

2. Casablanca Conference • The Allied invasion of North Africa showed that large-scale invasion by sea was possible • Churchill and FDR met in Casablanca, Morocco, to plan the next step in the war. • They agreed to increase the bombing of Germany to destroy German industry, military, economy, and morale. • Also, they would invade Italy by first taking the island of Sicily. • Churchill called Italy the “soft underbelly” of Europe.

3. Strategic Bombing • The British Royal Air Force dropped an average of 2,300 tons of explosives per month on Germany for three years. • From Jan. 1943 – May 1945, the U.S. and Britain dropped ~53,000 tons of explosives per month on Germany. • It severely hurt German aircraft factories, caused an oil shortage, and wrecked the railroad system. • The German economy and morale remained intact.

4. Invading Sicily • General Dwight Eisenhower commanded the invasion, with Patton and Montgomery heading the ground forces. • Began on July 10, 1943 before dawn • Despite poor weather, Allied forces made it to shore with few casualties • New amphibious truck delivered supplies and artillery to the soldiers on the beach.

5. Securing Sicily • Eight days after troops came ashore, American tanks smashed through enemy lines, capturing the western half of Sicily. • Patton’s troops then headed east, while Montgomery’s forces attack from the south • By August 18, 1943, the Germans had fled from the island.

6. The Italian Government • The Allied attack on Sicily created a crisis in the Italian government. • The king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel, and a group of Italian generals decided to depose Mussolini. • They had Mussolini arrested at the King’s palace • But German troops seized control of north Italy, including Rome, and returned Mussolini to power.

7. Cassino and Anzio • Then the Germans took up positions in Cassino, a town with steep, barren, and rocky terrain. • The Allies landed in Anzio, behind German lines, to avoid the terrain at Cassino. • But instead of retreating, the Germans surrounded Allied troops near Anzio. • It took 5 months to break through German lines at Anzio.

8. Rome and Italy • Finally, in late May of 1944, the German retreated from Cassino and Anzio. • About 2 weeks later, the Allies capture Rome. • The Italian campaign was one of the bloodiest in World War II. • Fighting in Italy continued for another year. • There were more than 300,000 casualties for the Allies.

9. Tehran Conference • FDR wanted to meet with Stalin before the Allied invaded France. • In late 1943, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin all met in Tehran, Iran. • Stalin promised to launch a full-scale offensive against the Germans when the Allies invaded France. • FDR and Stalin agreed to divide Germany after the war in 2 pieces. • This way, Germany would never again threaten world peace.

10. Tehran Conference (cont’d) • Stalin said that once Germany was defeated, the Soviets would help the U.S. fight Japan. • Stalin also accepted FDR’s proposal of an international peacekeeping organization after the war.