The Allies Turn the Tide

Start-Up Review the political cartoon titled, "The Axis Boys Act." Consider the questions below, and briefly jot down your responses to each. Who are the characters in the cartoon? Who do you think is throwing the objects? What is about to happen to the Axis powers, symbolized in the cartoon by the hook?

A Commitment to Total War As 1942 began, the Allies were in trouble. The Germans had advanced deep into the Soviet Union The Japanese onslaught seemed unstoppable. The tide was about to turn United States and Great Britain directed more economic resources into the war effort They ordered factories to stop making cars and refrigerators for instance, and had them instead produce airplanes or tanks.

Limits on Individual Rights Under the pressures of war, even democratic governments limited the rights of citizens. The press was censored, and propaganda was used to win public support for the war In the United States and Canada, racial prejudice and concerns about security led to the internment, of citizens of Japanese Descent. Japanese Americans on the West Coast and Japanese Canadians were forced to move to camps inland, where conditions were very poor.

British and American women served in the armed forces in many auxiliary roles Driving ambulances Delivering airplanes Decoding messages In Occupied Europe, women fought in the resistance Soviet women served in combat roles The “Night Witches”

Progress on Three Fronts During 1942 and 1943, the Allies won several victories that would turn the tide of battle. Battle of the Coral Sea May 1942 Five day battle in which ships engaged each other via aircraft launched from their decks. Americans sank a carrier and several cruisers and destroyers Battle of Midway June 1942 Americans destroyed four Japanese carriers and more than 250 planes This would be the last offensive operation carried out by Japan in the war

“Big Three” Strategize In 1942, the “Big Three” met and agreed to focus on finishing the war in Europe before trying to end the war in Asia. From the beginning the Allies distrusted one another Churchill and Roosevelt feared that Stalin wanted to dominate Europe Stalin believed the West wanted to destroy communism Stalin also wanted Roosevelt and Churchill to open a second front against Germany in Western Europe to relieve the pressure on the Soviet Union.

Victories in North Africa and Italy In North Africa, the British finally halted the Desert Fox’s advances Later in 1942, General Eisenhower took command of a joint British and American force in Morocco and Algeria. Advancing on Tunisia from the west, the Allies trapped Rommel’s army, and he surrendered in May 1943 With North Africa under control, the Allies were able to turn to Italy July 1943, a combined British and American army landed first in Sicily and then in southern Italy. Italian forces were defeated in about a month.

Stalingrad After stalling outside of Moscow and Leningrad, Hitler turned his attention to the rich oil fields of the south. During his drive to the oil fields however, his armies ran into stiff resistance in Stalingrad. Hitler was determined to take the city named after his bitter rival Stalin was equally determined to not let it fall into enemy hands As winter closed in, bitter street-by-street, house-by-housing fighting raged In November, the Soviets encircled the attackers. Trapped without food or ammunition and with no hope of rescue, the German commander finally surrendered in January 1943

The Normandy Landings June 6, 1944 was chosen as D-Day – the invasion of France Just before midnight on June 5, Allied planes dropped paratroopers behind enemy lines. At dawn 156,000 Allied troops were ferried across the English Channel. The troops fought their way to shore amid underwater mines and raking machine-gun fire, and the casualties mounted as they reached the shore.

Eisenhower speech in case invasion failed "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone." Eisenhower speech in case invasion failed

D-Day + Meanwhile, other Allied forces sailed from Italy to land in southern France. In Paris, French resistance forces up against the occupying Germans. On August 25, the Allies entered Paris. Within a month, all of France was free After freeing France, Allied forces battled toward Germany.

Battle of the Bulge In December 1944, Germany launched a massive attack into Belgium. Known as the Battle of the Bulge, it lasted from more than a month, and both sides took terrible losses. The offensive into the Ardennes forest would be the last major attack by German forces in the war.

Germany starts to stumble By the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Germany was reeling under round-the-clock bombing. For 2 years, Allied bombers hammered military bases, factories, railroads, oil depots, and cities. By 1945, Germany could no longer defend itself in the air In one 10 day period, bombing almost erased the huge industrial city of Hamburg, killing 40,000 civilians and forcing 1 million more to flee their homes

Yalta Conference As the war turned against the Germans the leaders of the three main allied nations met again to discuss how to proceed in the Pacific campaign and how to manage the post-war issues. What do you think each nation would have wanted ? (America, Britain, Soviet Union)