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World War II “The European Theater ”. I.) War Plans. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and FDR meet Dec. 22, 1941 to discuss war Outcome : - Germany and Italy bigger threat than Japan - Focus in “European Theater” first then “Pacific Theater”. II.) Battle of the Atlantic.
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World War II “The European Theater”
I.) War Plans • British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and FDR meet Dec. 22, 1941 to discuss war Outcome: - Germany and Italy bigger threat than Japan - Focus in “European Theater” first then “Pacific Theater”
II.) Battle of the Atlantic • Britain and Soviet Union depend on supplies from sea • Battle of the Atlantic begins Goal: 1. U-Boat attacks to prevent food and war materials from getting to Allies 2. Germans carry out U-Boat raids against American coast 3. Germans succeed in 1942 • Allies turn to convoy system • 1. airplane scouts w/radar • Mid-1943 Battle of Atlantic turns in Allies favor
III.) The Eastern Front • Germans begin fighting Soviet Union in June 1941 • Winter of 1941 prevent invasion of Moscow & Leningrad C. The Battle of Stalingrad: 1. Aug. 1942 to Jan. 1943 2. Germans conquer 9/10 of city until winter strikes 3. Soviets mount offensive & defeat Germans 4. 1,100 Soviets killed Impact: Turning Point in Eastern Front Soviet army begin advance towards Germany
IV.) North African Front • Allies launch “Operation Torch” Nov. 1942 1. Allied invasion of North Africa (107,000 troops) - Allied Commander: General Dwight D. Eisenhower - Axis Commander: General Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox) B. German “Afrika Korps” surrender May 1943
V.) The Italian Campaign A. The Casablanca Conference: 1. FDR and Churchill meet Jan. 1943 2. Lay out a strategy for the period after the North African campaign • July 1943 Allies invade Sicily • 1. Mussolini stripped of power and arrested • C. Sept. 1943 Italian govt. signs armistice • Sept. 1943 Allies invade Italy near Salerno • Germans stop Allied advance near Rome • The Battle of Anzio (Jan. to June 1944) • Fighting in Italy lasts till 1945
VI.) Allies Liberate Europe • Operation Overload: code name given to the Allied invasion of France during WWII 1. Allied Commander: General Dwight D. Eisenhower 2. Destination: Normandy, France 3. Target: 5 beaches (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword) 4. Allied Forces: Americans, British, Canadians 5. Date: June 6, 1944(D-Day)
First Day: 1. paratroopers land behind enemy lines
Bombings begin by allied ships and planes • Land-Sea invasion begins of beaches
E. Outcomes: 1. After 7 days of fighting Allies gain 80 mile strip of France 2. 200,000 Allied soldiers killed
VII.) The Allies in Europe July 1944 = Allies led by General Omar Bradley attack Germans by land and air at St. Lo, France August 1944 = General George Patton’s tank division (Third Army) reach the Seine River south of Paris August 1944 = American forces & Free French forces (Charles de Gaulle) liberate Paris, France September 1944 = General Bradley & General Montgomery lead Allied troops liberating France, Belgium, & Luxemburg October 1944 = Americans capture Aachen, Germany
December 1944 = Battle of the Bulge Germans want to split Allied lines; create 50 mile “bulge” takes month to halt Germans; now Germans are in full retreat
February 1945 = Yalta Conference Stalin, Churchill, & FDR meet in Crimea, Russia to discuss post-war Soviets agree to enter war vs. Japan for land
April 25, 1945 = Soviet Red Army enters Berlin, Germany April 30, 1945 = Hitler commits suicide in underground bunker May 8, 1945 = Germany surrenders!!
