1944 The Decisive Year

Island Hopping Campaign Continues Kwajalein (quah juh LEAN)

The Japanese were taken by surprise when the American’s invaded Saipan They were expecting the Americans to go after the Caroline Islands

Japan felt they had rebuilt their aircraft carrier fleet and were ready to attack. So they sent their aircraft carriers and their land based planes to attack the Americans This became known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea

The Japanese launched several attacks from carriers and land based aircraft The biggest problem was that the quality of Japanese pilots had seriously deteriorated Japan had to rush pilots through their training programs, their pilots just didn’t have enough training time The American’s annihilated the planes that were sent to attack them. Then American planes counter attacked and sank 3 more Japanese carriers

The Japanese lost 600 planes and 3 aircraft carriers to Americas’ approximately 40 aircraft and no ships American’s nicknamed it the Mariana’s Turkey Shoot Significance – Japan would never again have a carrier strike force America captured air bases that put their new long range bombers within range of the Japanese home islands.

Capture of Rome Capture of Rome June 4, 1944 After 9 months of hard fighting in Italy, the Allies had moved about half way up the Italian Peninsula. The Germans had abandoned it for a better defensive position and to keep the city from being destroyed The excitement of capturing Rome would be very short lived as they were overshadowed by bigger events

D-Day The Allied invasion of France was known as D-Day. Why D-Day? Code named Operation Overlord One of the greatest invasions in history. 5,000 Ships 150,000 Troops 30,000 Vehicles 800 transport planes dropped 13,000 paratroopers

Planning for D-Day began years before Requirements – good beaches, within air cover distance, and a major harbor Rommel and the Atlantic Wall – delay them on the beaches and used mobile armored forces to drive them into the sea Pas de Calais Where the Germans were Deception – Patton and fake army Dead body and plans Build up of troops

Pas de Calais

The plan American, British and Canadian beaches Isolate the landing area with Air interdiction – bridges and trains were destroyed to isolated the invasion area so it would be hard for the Germans to reinforce German air forces withdrawn to Germany to protect against bombing

Paratroops would capture bridges and disrupt enemy movements Paratroops are elite, but they were weaker than a regular army force because they lack equipment and they can’t be reinforced Hard decision for Eisenhower

Weather another big concern A few days good weather, Eisenhower decides to go

Omaha beach Progress good on most beaches Omaha was exception Good German unit defending this section of the beach Currents were stronger and pushed troops off course Most of the DD tanks sank in the water

U.S. / UTAH U.S. / OMAHA U.K. / GOLD CAN. / JUNO U.K. / SWORD 197 U.S. / OMAHA 2,000 U.K. / GOLD 413 CAN. / JUNO 1,204 U.K. / SWORD 630 They considered abandoning Omaha, but as the day progressed, small units led by junior officers and NCO’s started to make progress Losses at the 5 beaches

Good fortune – Rommel strafed, Hitler taking sleeping pills and could not be disturbed during the critical 1st few hours of the battle, so the panzers could not be released w/o his authority

Clip of Saving Private Ryan

Most pictures and footage are from British beaches because US footage fell in the water and was ruined By the end of the day, the Allies had a firm hold on the beaches. The Germans lost their chance to stop the Allies.