Chapter 17 Section 2: The War for Europe and North Africa

The united states and Britain join forces Churchill and Roosevelt plan attack Decision to attack Germany and Italy first, then open a front in the Pacific The Battle of the Atlantic Hitler ordered submarine raids against ships along America’s east coast Germans sank 87 ships off the Atlantic shore Allies responded by organizing their cargo ships into convoys, with destroyers to attack submarines using radar and sonar US produces more ships 140 Liberty ships were produced each month

The eastern front and the Mediterranean Battle of Stalingrad: a turning point The Germans took the offensive in the Southern Soviet Union in the summer of 1942 The German pressed in on Stalingrad for weeks, conquering it house by house in brutal hand-to-hand combat The fighting continued as winter turned Stalingrad into a frozen wasteland  Soviet counterattack The Soviets lost a total of 1,100,000 soldiers more than all American deaths during the entire war The Soviet army began to move westward toward Germany

North African FRONT Operation Torch: An invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa, commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower Some 107,000 Allied troops on November 1942, landed in Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers in North Africa May 1943, Germans surrender

ITALIAN CAMPAIGN The Americans argued that the best approach to victory was to assemble a massive invasion fleet in Britain and to launch it across the English Channel Churchill thought it would be safer to attack Italy FIRST The Italian government forced dictator Benito Mussolini to resign after capture of sicility Hitler was determined to stop the Allies in Italy rather than fight on German soil The battle “Bloody Anzio” lasted four months and left about 25,000 Allied and 30,000 Axis casualties

HEROES in COMBAT TUSKEGEE AIRMEN: The 99th Pursuit Squadron; The first group of African American pilots trained at the Tuskegee Institute arrived in North Africa 93nd Infantry Division nicknamed the Buffaloes Seventeen Mexican American soldiers were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor Japanese Americans also served in Italy and North Africa 100th Battalion consisted of 1,300 Hawaiian Nisei

The allies liberate Europe D-Day: June 6, 1944, the first day of the invasion The Allied invasion code-named Operation Overlord was originally set for June 5, but bad weather forced a delay German retaliation was brutal, particularly, Omaha Beach General Omar Bradley unleashed massive air and land bombardment against the enemy at St. Lo French resistance forces and American troops liberated the French capital from four years of German occupation The Allies had freed France, Belgium, and Luxembourg by September 1944 The Battle of the Bulge: Tanks drove 60 miles

Allies gain ground Seven days allies of fighting allies held 80 mile strip of france. 567,000 tons of supplies, and 170,000 vehicles in france. Omar Bradley had a massive air bombardment which left and open line in german defense. General George Patton took his third army to advance. August 23 he reaches the Seine river.

Battle of the Bulge October 1944 americans capture Aachen. German tanks drove 60 miles into allied territory, giving its name bulge. Germans had lost 120,000 troops, 600 tanks and assault guns, 1600 planes. Nazis were forced to retreat.

Liberation of the death camps In 1944 Soviets drew near a camp called Majdanek in Poland. Soviets found a thousand starving prisoners, worlds largest crematorium, and a storehouse of 800,000 shoes.

Unconditional surrender April 25 1945 soviets reach berlin. April 29 hitler marries eva braun. Hitler wrote an address blaming the jews for the war and generals for losing it. Hitler show himself and his wife took a poison pill. May 8 1945 allies celebrate V-E day, the war was finally over.

Roosevelts death President Roosevelt did not live to see V-E day. Died in April 12, 1945 while posing for a portrait. Harry S. Truman became the acting president that night.