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Events Leading to the End of the War in Europe

Events Leading to the End of the War in Europe. Recap – Hitler’s Fatal Mistakes. Dunkirk; The “Blitz” of London; The invasion of Russia. It was the invasion of Russia that would inevitably lead to Hitler’s fall from power. Setting the Stage - The Russian Front.

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Events Leading to the End of the War in Europe

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  1. Events Leading to the End of the War in Europe

  2. Recap – Hitler’s Fatal Mistakes • Dunkirk; • The “Blitz” of London; • The invasion of Russia. It was the invasion of Russia that would inevitably lead to Hitler’s fall from power.

  3. Setting the Stage - The Russian Front • On August 23rd, 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a “Non-Aggression Pact” which vowed not to interfere in each other’s business • On June 22nd, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union • Having purged his military of many of its best officers, Stalin and the Soviets were not ready for war

  4. The Eastern Front • Operation “Barbarossa” – began on June 22nd, 1941 • The early days saw the Germans drive into the Soviet Union almost reaching Moscow by October • The German army besieged Leningrad for what was to become a two year struggle ending in the death of more than one million civilians • When the severe Russian winter arrived the Nazi offensive broke down and the German attack was halted

  5. Meanwhile, japan brings the united states into the war with the bombing of pearl harbor (one of the war's great blunders!)

  6. August 1942 The Allies Fail: The Dieppe Invasion

  7. Ever since the “Miracle at Dunkirk”, the allies were anxious to return to the mainland of western Europe and fight the Germans. • The Soviets were also looking for assistance in their fight against the Germans, so they urged the allies to launch an attack in Western Europe.

  8. The Allies Practice on the coast of France…. The Dieppe Invasion

  9. The Dieppe raid – what happened? • Summer of 1942, the Soviets are urging the Allies to attack Nazi-occupied Europe from the west • Allies were not ready to launch an all-out attack but wanted to test German defenses, test out new equipment, gather intelligence, and provide a theatre of action for restless Canadian troops • In Aug. 1942, 5000 Canadian troops stationed in England were picked for the raid on the French port of Dieppe. • August 19, 1942 - ‘Operation Jubilee’ • Dieppe, France (seaport on English Channel) • Allies: Canada, United States • Axis: Germany

  10. Purpose of the Raid: • The raid on Dieppe was launched to find out what was needed to make a full-scale Allied invasion across the English Channel a success. • It was also intended to draw German forces out of Russia.

  11. Dieppe – Bad for Canadians • The raid failed: • Before the force reached the beaches, it was spotted by a German naval patrol, and a sharp exchange of fire began. • the element of suprise was lost as the invasion had to launch in daylight. • Few units from the landing force moved far beyond the beachhead as German resistance proved to be far stronger than anticipated. • The landing sites were poorly planned and the Germans were able to fire shells at the Allied landing craft when they were still 10 minutes from shore

  12. By early afternoon, August 19, 1942, after 6 hours of slaughter, Operation Jubilee, the invasion of Dieppe, was over. • Canadians bore the brunt of the casualties at Dieppe: • 913 killed, • 2,460 wounded, • 1,946 taken prisoner by the Germans. • Of the 2,210 who returned to Britain, only 236 were unhurt - and 200 of these were men who had not been landed.

  13. Dieppe - Significance Significance? • Rehearsal for D-Day: test Germany’s defences along French coast and gain intelligence • Costly learning experience: • Next time: must be well-prepared and execute • Changed military strategy by deciding to launch a massive aerial strike ahead of the invasion to weaken German defences • Change landing location to less secure areas along the French coast http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=231174

  14. Meanwhile, the battle in the atlantic continued

  15. Ongoing 1939 - 1945 The Battle of the Atlantic

  16. The Battle of the Atlantic When? • Longest battle of the WWII; on-going throughout the war (1939-1945) Where? • In the Atlantic Ocean Who? • Allies: Britain, Canada and the United States • Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) played a vital role by transporting troops, food and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain • Axis: Germany (Kriegsmarine)

  17. The Battle of the Atlantic Why? • Britain relied on Canada for supplies and reinforcements, so it was important for Hitler to destroy Allied supply ships.

  18. The Battle of the Atlantic • To protect the cargo ships, the allies organized convoys – the first ½ of the trip the convoys were protected by Canadian ships; the latter half, British • In the beginning, the German U-boats (submarines) travelled in “wolf packs” and had the upper hand, sinking many ships (143 in July 1942) • More than 1600 Canadian and Newfoundland merchant marines were killed.

  19. This map shows the convoy system and the Battle of the Atlantic. The battle built Canada’s naval power. When the war began, the Canadian navy consisted of just 11 ships and 20,000 sailors. When it ended, Canada had the third-largest navy in the world, with close to 400 ships and 113,000 personnel, including 7000 women.

  20. The Battle of the Atlantic • The RCN grew to become the world’s 3rd largest navy • Helped 25,000+ ships cross the Atlantic Ocean • Delivered 165 metric tons of supplies to Europe (needed for D-Day invasion) http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=227045

  21. On to stalingrad

  22. The Tide Turns • The Nazis needed supplies and resources to continue the war so victory in the Soviet Union was essential • From Sept. 14th, 1942 – Feb. 2nd, 1943 – the Germans and Russians fought for the strategic city of Stalingrad on the Volga River • Hitler and the Nazis lost the battle – 500 000 German and other troops were killed or taken prisoner • By the Autumn of 1943 the Germany army of 2.5 million soldiers faced an army of 5.5 million Soviet soldiers

  23. July 1942 – Feb. 1943 Turning Point Europe - Stalingrad

  24. Why was Stalingrad So Important? • It was a strategic transportation and communication hub; • It was the largest city near the Caspian Sea – its capture would cut off the land route carrying British and American supplies to the Soviet troops • Provided access to Caucasus, which was rich in oil. • Was Stalin's namesake – defeat would lead to lowering the morale of the Soviet troops. What went wrong? • Over-reliance on the Luftwaffe, who were unable to bring in the necessary supplies in the cold winter months; • Nazi soldiers had very low morale; • Stalin was willing to do whatever necessary to defend the city which held his name. On February 22, 1943, German troops surrendered at Stalingrad. The tides were turning.

  25. The Battle of Stalingrad • July 1942 – February 1943 • Amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare • Heavy casualties on both sides: • 147,000 Germans killed and 91,000 taken prisoner • 500,000 Soviets killed • The Red Army showed the world that the German war machine was vulnerable http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=138516

  26. German troops were surrounded by the Russians at Stalingrad. • Unable to break out, the Germans also had to face the winter. Temperatures dropped to well below zero and food, ammunition and heat were in short supply.  "My hands are done for, and have been ever since the beginning of December. The little finger of my left hand is missing and - what's even  worse - the three middle fingers of my right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug with my thumb and little finger. I'm pretty helpless; only when a man has lost any fingers does he see how much he needs then for the smallest jobs. The best thing I can do with the little finger is to shoot with it. My hands are finished."Anonymous German soldier 

  27. Why was this battle so important? • The failure of the German Army was nothing short of a disaster. • A complete army group was lost at Stalingrad and 91,000 Germans were taken prisoner. • With such a massive loss of manpower and equipment, the Germans simply did not have enough manpower to cope with the Russian advance to Germany when it came. • Despite resistance in parts – such as a Kursk – they were in retreat on the Eastern Front from February 1943 on. • In his fury, Hitler ordered a day’s national mourning in Germany, not for the men lost at the battle, but for the shame the German Commander, General von Paulus ,had brought on the Wehrmacht and Germany. • Paulus was also stripped of his rank to emphasise Hitler’s anger with him.

  28. Assignment: • Complete Maps • E. Hitler Tastes Defeat on page 117-118. • F. The Defeat of Nazi Germany on page 119-120. • Complete the following sections on your chart on pages 125: • Battle of Stalingrad • Dieppe • The Battle of the Atlantic • Working Ahead for next class (homework) • Complete the following sections of your chart: • North Africa • The Invasion of Italy – Sicily and Ortona

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