Turning Points of WWII Peace Conferences Victory THE ROAD TO VICTORY Turning Points of WWII Peace Conferences Victory

TURNING POINT: North Africa Battle of El Alamein November 2, _________ _____________ control North Africa by May 1943 July 1943: Allies invade _______________ from North Africa (Operation Husky) The Italian forces in North Africa had been destroyed by 1941, but Germans under Rommel were still strong. British Lieutenant-General Montgomery would take over & achieve victory in North Africa Canadian troops were heavily involved in the invasion of Italy.

TURNING POINT: Italian Campaign Sept. 1943: invasion of Italian ________________ Urban warfare & _________, rugged terrain Canadians instrumental in capture of ___________ where Nazis withdrew after a month of fighting. June 4, 1944: captured __________ Fighting continued in Italy until ______________1945. Progress in the Italian campaign was slow due to fierce fighting Urban warfare: close combat, house-to-house, street-to-street Muddy conditions due to constant rain Rugged terrain: Italy very mountainous Ortona is a city on the Italian coast. Ortona took 1372 Canadian lives.

TURNING POINT: Eastern Front Battle of Stalingrad Winter 1942-43: Germany’s _________ invasion attempt Captured 4/5 of Stalingrad before they’re turned back by Soviet army & __________________ fighters _________ warfare & hand-to-hand combat ____________ began winning on the Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa had failed in 1941 because the Nazis were unprepared for the “long” front & harsh Russian winter Endless stream of troops/supplies sent across the Volga & into the city. One of the bloodiest battles of the war partly because the large Russian population meant an almost endless supply of “cannon fodder.” There are stories of tanks literally rolling off the assembly lines and out into the fighting.

TURNING POINT: Western Front D-Day _________ 6, 1944 Calais was closest to England, but heavily ______________, so they landed in Normandy. Canadian troops landed on _______ beach. It forced Germany to fight on a 3rd __________________. Allies began an 11-month advance through France & ____________ towards Germany Codename: Operation Overlord, D-Day=Deployment Day US Beaches: Utah & Omaha, British Beaches: Gold & Sword The largest sea invasion in world history Allies had two advantages: massive air & naval support with the ability to land over a million troops within three weeks of a successful invasion AND the element of surprise (Germany wasn’t warned of their approach as at Dieppe) Germany was prepared for an attack, but due to recent bad weather they had not thought the Allies would invade on that day. Casualties were high: 359 dead, 715 wounded for Canada alone, but losses were much lower than expected.

Liberation of the Netherlands March 1945: Allied forces attack _______________ __________ 1945: Canadians given job of liberating the Netherlands Progress was _________ & casualties were high (6300 Canadians were killed) May 4, 1945: German ________________ in Netherlands As at Vimy, a previous attempt to liberate Netherlands in 1944 had been unsuccessful & Canadians succeeded where others had failed. Conditions in Netherlands were brutal: Germans destroyed port cities of Amsterdam & Rotterdam & flooded the countryside, they cut off food & fuel supplies—many people froze to death that winter & were reduced to eating flower bulbs and horses to survive Canadians hailed as heroes by the Dutch people, especially as they rushed food supplies into starving towns after liberation

TURNING POINT: Pacific Front Battle of Midway June ________, 1942 US ____________ about Japanese attack & were prepared. Destroyed Japanese _____________ power. US then begins “________ hopping” campaign to liberate the South Pacific. Japan had hoped to win a decisive victory at Midway but lost the element of surprise & eventually lost the battle.

VICTORY Battle of the ________: last German offensive in winter 1944-5. V-E Day: May ____, 1945 Summer 1945: Manhattan _________ built 1st atomic bomb Aug. 1945: atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, forcing Japanese _______________. V-J Day: Aug. ______, 1945 German offensive surprised the Allies & created a temporary “bulge” in the western frontline. Surrounded by Allies to the West & South & Soviets to the East Hitler will commit suicide on April 30 in a bunker in Berlin with his wife Eva Braun rather than surrender. Mussolini will be executed by the Italian people on April 28 Hirohito will survive the war but will be humiliated by the terms of surrender and loses his god-like status in the eyes of the Japanese people Official Japanese surrender documents were signed on Sept. 2, 1945 on board USS Missouri (now a floating museum in Pearl Harbour)