European Phase of WW2 Mr. Wickersham APUSH C

War Plans FDR and Churchill met in late Dec at the White House to plan the war. They believed Germany and Italy were the greater threat than Japan, so America was to strike first in Europe. America would play defense against Japan in the Pacific while go on the offense in Europe.

Operation Torch – Nov. 8, ,000 Allied soldiers (mostly Americans) land in Morocco and Algeria. They push the Nazis eastward while the British push from the west squeezing the German forces in between. On May 13, 1943, the last German forces in Tunisia surrendered and Africa is Nazi- free. tdawn.com/interactiv emap.htmhttp:// tdawn.com/interactiv emap.htm

Italy After Africa, the allies took Sicily quickly in the summer of Mussolini was arrested and thrown in jail. Hitler, however, defended Italy, at “bloody Anzio” which lasted 4 months. Map of Allied landings on Sicily.

Stalingrad The Germans hoped to take the oil fields in the southern part of the soviet union and wipe out Stalingrad. After controlling 9/10 th of the city, the winter set in by Sept The Russians counter attacked and cut off the German supplies. January 1943, the Germans surrendered marking a turning point in the war.

D - Day, June 6, 1944 The liberation of Europe has begun with the long-awaited Allied invasion. The first day’s attack sent 160,000 and 30,000 vehicles into Normandy and the surrounding towns. The German defenses were brutal, with 10,000 casualties. There were also 12,000 Allied air force casualties as well on the first day. aunch_ani_campaign_maps.shtml

FDR/Truman Win in 1944 During his run for an unprecedented 4 th term, FDR concealed from the public how sick he really was. His advisors pushed him to pick a strong candidate for vice president, and they chose senator Harry S Truman. Their opponent was New York governor Thomas Dewey who was short and dull and unwilling to attack FDR on his foreign policy. FDR won 432 to 99 electoral votes.

Allies Liberate the Death Camps As the Allies pressed on into the heartland of Germany and the Soviets into Poland in 1944 and ‘45, they discovered the death camps. The Nazis couldn’t hide all of the evidence so they fled leaving thousands of starving victims behind.

What Did America Know? America knew about the Holocaust before the camps were liberated, and don’t let anyone tell you any different. Because of anti-Semitism, news reports of the mass killings were buried deep in the front sections of newspapers. Also, visas were denied by a blue-blood State Department. In addition, reports of the murders were suppressed by the State Dept. as well as their severity. Furthermore, Allied leaders, especially FDR, felt that the best way to save the Jews was to win the war and defeat Germany.

FDR’s Death The President had a stroke while posing for a portrait and died later in Warm Springs, Georgia on April 12, Harry Truman was sworn in as the 33 rd president.

V-E Day April 25, 1945, the Soviets had stormed Berlin. Meanwhile, Hitler prepared for the end. He married his longtime girlfriend, and then the next day, they committed suicide together. What a honeymoon! On May 8, 1945, General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany and the Allies celebrated V-E Day (Victory in Europe).