War in Africa and Europe Capter 26-3

Allied Advances ●Millions of Americans enlisted in the Army soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and millions more were drafted. ●The Selective Service Act - All men between 21 and 35 years old had to register for military service. ●Meanwhile, Britain had been battling Axis forces for Northern Africa. ●General Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) was a General for Germany at the time. He commanded Germany’s Afrika Korps and led an advance to stop the British. ●Soon, allied troops under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower landed in Northern Africa in November, 1942 and fought with Britain. ●Afterwards, the Axis powers in Northern Africa surrendered and the Allies set up bases to aim for Germany.

Invasion of Italy ●Allies invaded Sicily, Italy in June ●A month of bitter fighting ●The Allies forced the Germans out and swept into Italy. ●Italians had already imprisoned Mussolini, who soon escaped. ●With the new government in place, Italy surrendered to the Allies in September 1943

Germany On The Defensive ●September German forces attacked the Russian city, Stalingrand. ●Fighting through the Winter, the Soviets launched a massive counterattack. ●Cut off the German’s food supply and trapped them, causing many casualties from the cold and starvation. ●In February 1943, the German troops surrendered. ●A big turning point in the war

June 6, 1944: D-Day ●The Allies planned to Invade France in June 1944, calling it Operation Overlord, led by General Eisenhower. ●On June 6th, after midnight, over 150,000 allied troops were carried into Normandy. ●Largest sea/air/land operation in history - D-Day ●More than 10,000 allied soldiers killed, but the Allies had secured the beaches.

The Allies Gain Ground ●On August 25, Allied forces freed the French capital. ●Meanwhile, General George S. Patton led another force to the German frontier. ●Many WWII heroes arose in this time like Audie Murphy, the most decorated U.S. soldier of WWII ●In the east, the Soviet troops were defeating Hitler’s army.

The Allies Gain Ground ●December 1944, Hitler launched his final assault - Battle of the Bulge. ●Germans gave everything and weren’t defeated until U.S. forces regrouped and won. ●About 120,000 German casualties and 80,000 American

The War Ends In Europe ●In February 1945, Allied leaders met, attending the Yalta Conference - The “Big Three” - Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. ●Made plans to end the war ●Russia was to declare war on Japan next ●Also, agreed to establish a postwar peacekeeping organization. ●In April 1945 however, Roosevelt was in poor condition and died at the start of his fourth term. ●Harry S. Truman succeeded him

Germany Surrenders ●On April 30, Hitler sensed the war was coming to a close, and committed suicide. ●On May 7, Germany leaders officially signed a surrender ●May 8, was declared V-E day or, Victory in Europe day

The Horrors of the Holocaust ●The Allies made a shocking discovery, learning that mass murders were being committed in concentration camps led by the Nazis. ●The world soon learned of the horrors, and the events were known as the Holocaust. ●About 6 million Jews died, over 11 million people overall. ●After becoming leader, Hitler enforced anti-semitism, prejudice against Jews by denying them rights. ●Once war broke out, Nazi leaders were to follow a policy called “The Final Solution,” in which they would murder every Jew under German rule. ●To do this, concentration camps were built. ●The Allies were enraged and would soon bring Germany leaders to trial for their crimes.