Mr. Meester AP European History Winning World War II Mr. Meester AP European History

Suspicious Allies Over twenty countries made up the Allied forces in World War II, most fighting was done by Britain, the U.S., and U.S.S.R. The British and Americans worked well together, they were both suspicious of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union wanted a second front in Europe They were fighting the majority of German forces The success of German U-boats delayed plans for a second front.

Attempts at a 2nd Front In the latter part of 1942, Allied forces landed in French North Africa. The British led by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Monte) were pushing the German troops from the east while American troops attacked from the west. In Tunisia, the German army was defeated and Rommel fled to the continent. Having control of Africa, the Allies next landed on Sicily in Aug. of 1943. Mussolini was overthrown as leader of Italy and its new leader Pietro Badoglio declared war on Germany. Churchill had called Italy the “Soft underbelly” of Europe German troops were sent to protect the peninsula. (Not so easy) A benefit of Mussolini’s demise was that German troops were sent to protect Italy.

The Battle of Stalingrad In the summer of 1942, Germany resumed its offensive in Russia. Hitler’s two primary objectives were the oil fields along the Caspian Sea and the capture of the city of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most brutal of the war. The Soviet Army lost more men in this battle then what the entire U.S. army lost in the entire war. Eventually, the entire German army was surrounded and forced to surrender. The Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point in the East. The Russians mounted their own offensive and started to push the Germans back, out of Russia.

Strategic Bombing By 1943, the United States industrial might was being felt in the war. The American and British air forces began day and night bombings of key German military installations and factories. The U.S. bombers flew day missions using the strategy of “precision bombing,” to hit targets more accurately. The British flew the night missions using “area bombing” similar to what the Germans did on London. As German Luftwaffe resources diminished the Allies could bomb at will.

Normandy Invasion June 6, 1944, D-Day, a “second front” was finally opened with the Normandy Invasion. U.S., British and Canadian forces landed on the beaches, attacking Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. German defenses were strong, but stretched thin Allied forces established a beach head and eventually broke though the German defenses there. The Allies were helped by Hitler He would not commit his reserve Panzer divisions because he believed the real attack would be at Calais. By mid-September, France had been liberated.

The Battle of the Bulge December 1944; Germany launched a counter-offensive in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium. The offensive made a bulge in the Allied Lines giving the battle its name. The German advance was stopped though the Allies suffered heavy casualties. In March, 1945 Allied troops crossed the Rhine River and German resistance began to dwindle.

The Capture of Berlin On the Eastern Front, the Russians continued to push back the Germans. By March, 1945 they were nearing Berlin. The Allies demanded unconditional surrender and so fighting continued on into May. April 30th, Hitler had committed suicide. Russian troops took Berlin and the “Thousand Year Reich” of Hitler ended only 12 years. The war in Europe ended on May 8th, 1945 V-E Day

The Atomic Bomb Early in the war, a secret program called the “Manhattan Project” was developing an atomic bomb. Aug. 6th, 1945 the Enola Gay dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Killed 70,000 of its 200,000 inhabitants. Aug. 8th, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria. Aug. 9th, a second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Aug. 14th, Japan surrenders and on Sep. 2nd, the surrender was formally signed on the USS Missouri. Was supposed to be on the USS Iowa, but Truman was a native of Missouri. Use of the bomb is still debated today Estimated over 1 million U.S. casualties in an invasion.

Preparations for Peace Throughout the war, the allies of Britain and U.S. were leery of the Soviets, just as Stalin was suspicious of the West. Cooperation needed to occur however, to defeat the common enemy. Several meetings between leadership of the allies would occur during the war to determine how the war was to be fought and the surrender terms to be followed.

Tehran Agreement The first meeting of the “Big Three” was at Tehran, Iran in 1943. The western powers promised a second front to help relieve the Soviets. Stalin agreed to fight Japan once Germany was defeated. The three powers also agreed on what the terms of surrender would be for Germany. “Unconditional Surrender” One problem that arose during these early negotiations was the Soviets putting themselves into a postition to gain control over Eastern Europe.

Yalta Conference The next meeting came at the Yalta Conference in 1945. Roosevelt proposed a united-nations organization. Plans for the division of Germany Roosevelt made concessions with the Stalin because he wanted their aid against the Japanese. Control of Eastern Europe

The Potsdam Conference The “Big Three’s” last meeting occurred in Potsdam, Germany after the defeat of the Germans. Harry Truman had replaced Roosevelt because of his death. Clement Attlee had replaced Churchill when his Labour Party defeated the conservatives in Parliament. The Allies hammered out details on the occupation of Germany, creating four zones of occupation.