The Final Years 1944-1945

Quick Review

Allied Drive from West

1. D-Day Largest land- sea-air attack in history Heavy casualties

D-Day After D-Day, Allied forces began to make their way across the European continent

Step 2: B.o.B. The Battle of the Bulge: In 1944 Allied troops captured their first German town, Aachen

Allied Drive from West A desperate Hitler ordered one last offensive German failure!

Step 3: USSR Drive from East While the U.S. & Great Britain were pushing west, Russian troops advanced into eastern Europe and Germany Liberation of the death camps

Step 4: Yalta Conference

Yalta Conference February 4, 1945 The BIG THREE: Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin Priorities of Meeting: The unconditional surrender of GR, as well as the terms of surrender

Yalta Conference Decisions: Germany would be split into four occupied zones after the war America Great Britain Soviet Union France

Yalta Conference Germany: demilitarization & denazification German war reparations were to be in the form of forced labor, at least in part

Yalta Conference Stalin agreed to join in the war against Japan within 90 days of Germany’s defeat

Yalta Conference The United Nations, should be set up to replace the failed League of Nations FDR obtained a commitment by Stalin to participate in the UN

V-E DAY In 1945 the Soviets finally reached Berlin Hitler committed suicide

V-E DAY One week later on May 8, 1945 the Germans surrendered War in Europe is over!

Potsdam Conference

Potsdam Conference The New Big Three: Joseph Stalin Harry Truman Clement Atlee

Potsdam Conference Germany & Berlin were to be divided into four zones of military occupation