Use pages 569-573 to answer the following questions Why was winning the Battle of the Atlantic so crucial to the fortunes of the Allies? Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so important? Why did you think the U.S. started with attacking the Germans in North Africa? What happened to the Allied invasion of Italy?

The European Theater

War Plans Beginning December 22, 1941, Prime Minister Churchill spent three weeks at the White House working out war plans with President Roosevelt. They believed that Germany and Italy posed a greater threat than Japan. Churchill and Roosevelt planned to strike against Hitler first. The plan was to gain the upper hand in Europe before focusing on the war in the Pacific. Attack North Africa and the soft under belly of Europe.

Battle of the Atlantic The German goal in the Atlantic was to prevent food and war materials from reaching Great Britain and the Soviet Union. By August 1942, Germany had sunk 681 Allied boats in the Atlantic. Allies responded by organizing their cargo ships into convoys. The convoys were escorted by U.S. destroyers and airplanes. By mid-1943 the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic had turned in the Allies favor.

North Africa November 1942, the Allies launch Operation Torch: an invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa. Commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Germany was led in Africa by Erwin Rommel. May 1943, Rommel surrendered.

The Italian Campaign Summer 1943, The Allied forces captured Sicily. The Italian government forced Mussolini (Il Duce) to resign. On July 25, 1943 King Victor Emmanuel III stripped Mussolini of his power and had him arrested. Hitler and Germany refused to give up Italy so easily and made their stand 40 miles outside of Rome. “Bloody Anzio” lasted 4 months until the end of May 1944.  25,000 Allied soldiers died and 30,000 Germans died The Allied effort to free Italy did not succeed until 1945.

Stalingrad: 7/17/42-2/2/43 The Battle of Stalingrad was the first major turning point of WWII and the bloodiest battle in modern history. Stalingrad was a major industrial center that Hitler wanted destroyed. By the end of September 1942 Germany controlled nine-tenths of the city by going house to house in brutal hand-to-hand combat. When winter hit the Soviets army closed around the city with fresh tanks and troops, cutting off supplies to German troops. The German commander surrendered on 1/31/1943. The Soviet victory at Stalingrad marked a turning point in the war. The soviet army began moving westward. 1.1 million soviets died.  Germany lost 1.5 million.

The Atlantic Wall Erwin Rommel spent several years fortifying the cliffs and beaches on the European coast with concrete walls to deter a possible allied invasion. 6 million mines were placed in Northern France and the English Channel. Under water obstacles were constructed in the English Channel and anti-tank obstacles built on the beaches.

Watch the PowerPoint. Write down 5 questions you have about the pictures you see.

Normandy Beach Obstacles

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D-Day: June 6, 1944 The Allies agreed that the best approach to victory was a massive invasion of France across the English Channel (Operation Overlord). Dwight D. Eisenhower was given command of Operation Overlord. Eisenhower planed to attack Normandy in northern France with 3 million Allied troops. On June 6, 1944, Eisenhower ordered the invasion of France (D-day). D-day was the largest land-sea-air operation in army history.  

1200 fighting ships 4126 landing craft 804 transport ships 10,000 airplanes 23,000 airborne troops 132,500 soldiers transported across the English Channel on Day 1.

D-Day: Invasion Operation “Body Guard”: Phantom army built in Dover, England was given message to attack Calais, France-150 miles away-across the English Channel. Phantom army was commanded by General Patton. The Germans intercept the message and Hitler orders the bulk of the German troops to fortify Calais. Fake parachutist with guns that fire upon impact with the ground.

D-Day On June 6, 1944 3 allied divisions parachuted down behind German lines shortly after midnight. The job of the light infantry airborne units was to isolate and remove the German howitzers that protected the English Channel and to block the Germans from getting reinforcements to the beach cities.

D-Day At 6:30 AM on June 6, 1944 the Allied air planes ineffectively bombed the beaches and pillboxes of Normandy for 1 hour. At 7:30 AM the Allied forces began landing troops on the beaches. The U.S. took 2 beaches-Utah and Omaha.  Britain and Canada took 3 beaches-Gold, Juno, and Sword. 4,413 Allied soldiers killed on June 6th. 9,000 Germans killed. The allies held an 80 mile strip of the beach after 7 days, but within a month the allies had landed 1 million troops. By August 25, 1944 the allied forces had liberated Paris and Northern France from German occupation.

Luck on D-Day Weather.  Would have had to wait until end of July if the weather wasn’t good enough on June 6 for the attack. Operation Body Guard fooled the Germans.  Largest German battalion stayed at Calais convinced the allies would attack there. Rommell left the front and went home to celebrate his wife’s birthday. Hitler was asleep at the time of the attack and no one was brave enough to wake him up.