World War II: In Europe

Nazi conquest- September 1942

North Africa 1940 British and Italian forces clash. Italians are beaten Enter Germany and General Erwin Rommel “Desert Fox” Rommel pushes British forces back to Egypt British troops gets a new commander General Bernard Montgomery. Montgomery rebuilds the British Army and attacks Battle of El Alamein Nov. 1942 Montgomery attacks, beats Rommel Rommel Montgomery

Operation Torch American Forces land in French North Africa American suffer huge defeat at Kasserine Pass New General- George Patton Americans from the West and British from the East force Germany out of Africa Americans Americans British

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle Started in July 1942 and ended in Jan 1943 The German 6th Army is stopped by the Russians This defeat is the turning point on the Eastern Front. Considered one to the bloodiest battles of the war. Germany lost 800,000 killed, missing or wounded Of the 91,000 German that surrendered, only 5,000 made it back home.

Invasion of Italy, 1943 Combined British & American invasion of Italy didn’t go very well, but it stretched the German army very thin

D-Day – Operation Overlord (June 6th, 1944) *American and British forces land on the beaches of Normandy, and gain a foothold in France D-Day – Operation Overlord (June 6th, 1944)

*D-Day (June 6, 1944) Pointe du Hoc It was a nearly 100-meter-high cliff, with perpendicular sides jutting out into the Channel. It looked down on Utah Beach to the left and Omaha Beach to the right. There were six 155mm cannon in heavily reinforced concrete bunkers that were capable of hitting either beach 

*D-Day (June 6, 1944) Airborne Assault The 82nd and 101st Airborne troops were dropped behind enemy lines to secure important cross roads to prevent the Germans from reinforcing the coast. The drop was a disaster, troops were dropped all over northern France

Normandy Landing (June 6, 1944) German Prisoners Higgins Landing Crafts

Battle of the Bulge – winter 1944 *German counter-attack against American and British forces * Despite heavy casualties, the allied line holds * Last serious Nazi threat

The Battle of the Bulge: Hitler’s Last Offensive Dec. 16, 1944 to Jan. 28, 1945 Hitler tries one last attack to split the Allies Attack fails due to the Americans that hold on to the town of Bastogne

German Defeat *As Soviet forces approached Berlin, Hitler committed suicide on April 30th, 1945 *Germany surrendered to the allies on May 7th, 1945 (V-E Day)

*Hitler Commits Suicide April 30, 1945 Cyanide & Pistols The Führer’s Bunker http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS2rQhMWmuo (How did Hitler Die?) Mr. & Mrs. Hitler

*V(ictory-E(urope) Day (May 8, 1945)