Chapter 24 Section 4

The North African Front Same time as Stalingrad Not enough troops yet to invade Europe Launch Operation Torch instead Invasion of Axis-controlled Northern Africa Nov 1942 Allies landed in Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers Defeated Hitler’s Afrika Korps led by Rommel Surrender May 1943 Control of North Africa boosts American morale, now can focus on Europe

Battle of Stalingrad Jan 1942 Hitler changes tactics Mid-summer 1942 German offensive to Moscow and Leningrad stalled Hitler changes tactics Seize oil rich fields in Caucasus Mts. Capture Stalingrad Mid-summer 1942 Luftwaffe bombing September 1942 Nazi’s control 9/10 of Stalingrad November 1942 Soviets launch counterattack, Germans freeze February 2, 1943 German troops surrender Victory marked turning point in the war in the east Soviets began moving towards Germany

The Italian Campaign Summer 1943 capture Sicily July 25, 1943 Mussolini stripped of power by King However, Hitler re-installed Mussolini to power, fight 18 mo. Hardest battle = Bloody Anzio April 28, 1945 Mussolini killed by his own people while trying to flee to Switzerland, Allies control Italy

D-Day and Liberation of France Plan = take Hitler by surprise on the Normandy Peninsula Attack begins June 6, 1944 Largest land-sea-air operation in history July 25, 1944 Gen. Omar Bradley starts air and land bombardment, Gen. George Patton advances Army Aug 25, 1944 – Paris free from German occupation

The Battle of the Bulge October 1944 Americans capture Aachen First German town to be captured December 16 Germans attack Americans German’s last ditch offensive Americans receive a surrender demand form Germans January 1945 Germans were pushed back From that point on, Nazis could do little but retreat

Unconditional Surrender April 25, 1945 SU stormed Berlin April 29 – Hitler marries Eva Braun, prepares statement to German people April 30 – Hitler allegedly shot himself, Eva swallows poison May 8, 1945 = V-E day First part of war over

Liberation of Death Camps July 1944 Soviets first come across death camps Majdanek Death Camp, Poland SS work to bury and burn all evidence of crime Soviets find world’s largest crematorium and a storehouse containing 800,000 shoes “Living corpses” freed across Europe

War in the Pacific April 1942, Bataan June 1942, Midway Douglas MacArthur and the Allies held out for four months against invading Japanese forces before abandoning the peninsula. Chester W. Nimitz and the Americans turned back the Japanese invasion force headed for Hawaii

War in the Pacific August 1942, Guadalcanal October 1944, Leyte Gulf MacArthur and Americans dealt Japan its first defeat on land MacArthur and the Americans retook the Philippines and dealt a devastating blow to the Japanese navy.

War in the Pacific March 1945, Iwo Jima June 1945, Okinawa MacArthur and the Allies in a fierce battle took the island from the Japanese MacArthur and the Allies took the island from Japan

Hirohito, MacArthur – Japan formally surrendered War in the Pacific September 1945, Tokyo Bay Hirohito, MacArthur – Japan formally surrendered

August 1945, Hiroshima, Nagasaki The Science of War August 1945, Hiroshima, Nagasaki July 1945, Los Alamos J. Robert Oppenheimer; the first atomic bomb was built, successfully completing the Manhattan Project Truman; first atomic bombs were dropped