4.5: The War for Europe and North Africa Essential Question: What unique decisions did the US face as a result of fighting a war on three fronts? 4/23/2017

3 Theaters of WWII Europe Pacific North Africa Today we will be discussing the European and African fronts Troops in the desert; Chinese civilians buried alive by Japanese soldiers; Soviet forces a winter offensive; Carrier-borne Japanese planes Soviet troops fighting in Berlin; German submarine 4/23/2017

The United States and Britain Join Forces The second day after Attack on Pearl Harbor, Churchill and FDR decide to meet again – and so begins an amazing alliance War Plans – spent 3 weeks in White House Hitler is greater threat – more soldier and resources After they had control, they would send more to Pacific Created a “very strong affection” for one another 4/23/2017

The Battle of the Atlantic Hitler orders raids on ships, German aim is to prevent food & war supplies reaching Britain & USSR In first 4 months, Wolf packs destroy 87 ships off the Atlantic coast 7 months into war – 681 ships sunken 4/23/2017

Response to the Atlantic Threat Organize their supplies into convoys – groups of ships traveling together for mutual protection Destroyers & planes with radar & sonar were used to escort convoys of cargo ships Extremely successful, Admiral Karl Doenitz (commander of U-boats) reported that his losses had “reached an unbearable height” 140 ships built each month at home to counter the sinking ships 4/23/2017

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Code name for Germany’s invasion into the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa Code name for Germany’s invasion into the Soviet Union 4/23/2017

The Eastern Front and the Mediterranean Battle of Stalingrad Germans had been fighting in USSR since June 1941 The bitter cold environment stopped them In summer 1942, Germans rebounded Hitler wanted oil fields in the Caucasus Mtns He also wanted to wipe out Stalingrad – a great industrial city on the Volga River They Approached in August 1942 Luftwaffe (German AF) bombed and set all buildings ablaze The USSR officers wanted to burnt he rest to prevent Hitler from taking the resources Stalin orders them to stay and defend his namesake city 4/23/2017

German Advance German Soldiers 4/23/2017

Germans Press Forward For weeks, Germans press into town conquering house by house and killing everyone By Sept., they controlled 9/10 of the city Then, another winter set in The soviets, used to the weather, take advantage rolling tanks across frozen land The Soviets close around the Stalingrad, trapping the Germans in the city, cutting off their supplies Hitler said “Stay and fight! I won’t go back from the Volga” 4/23/2017

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Outcome of the Battle The Winter proved too harsh and on January 31, 1943, the German commander surrendered. The Soviets lost 1.1 million soldiers during battle alone More than total Americans lost during the entire war Despite the death toll, the Soviet victory marked a turning point in the war The Soviet army began marching west towards Germany 4/23/2017

Soviet Propaganda of Germans retreat 4/23/2017

North African Front While the Battle of Stalingrad raged on, Stalin pressured Britain and America to open a “second front” in Western Europe He argued that an invasion across the English Channel would force Hitler to divert troops from the Soviet front. Churchill and FDR didn’t think the allies had enough troops to rage war on European soil. Instead . . . 4/23/2017

Operation Torch An invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa, commanded by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower Nov. 1942, 107,000 Allied troops landed in Casablanca, Oran, Algeirs in North Africa Pushed eastward chasing Afrika Korps Defeats General Rommel (Desert Fox) Afrika Korps May 1943 4/23/2017

Operation Torch and the Desert Fox 4/23/2017

Italian Campaign Meeting at Casablanca before Torch was won FDR, Churchill & commanders Only accept an unconditional surrender by the Axis Powers They would have to accept whatever terms the allies dictated Discussed where to strike Americans said – massive invasion in Britain then through English Channel – Through France - and into Germany Churchill thought it would be safer to attack Italy first 4/23/2017

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Decision Defeat Italy first Summer 1943 Sicily captured Mussolini forced to resign & arrested by the King Italians cheered but Hitler was determined to stop the allies in Italy Allies fighting Germans in Italy 1944- Allies win battle that lasted 4 months “Bloody Anzio” 25,000 Allied casualties and 30,000 Axis casualties Germans still resisting – would not end until Germany surrenders in 1945 4/23/2017

Allies landing in Casablanca, location of Casablanca, and British POWs 4/23/2017

Heroes in Combat All-black 99th Pursuit Squadron – Tuskegee Airmen The Buffaloes – 92nd Infantry Division In 6 months, they won 7 Legion of Merit Awards, 65 Silver Stars, and 162 Bronze Stars Mexican Americans 17 awarded Congressional Medal of Honor Japanese Americans The 442nd Regimental Combat Team became the most decorated unit in US History 4/23/2017

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Moving towards D-Day Allies gathered 3m British, American, and Canadian troops with supplies Planned to attack Normandy in Northern France To fool Hitler the allies set up a phantom army headquarters & equipment with radio messages the Germans read. Paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines Seaborne soldiers hit the beaches of Normandy 4/23/2017

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Allies Liberate Europe Operation Overlord D-Day- June 6, 1944 – allied invasion of France led by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower- Largest amphibious invasion in history. 3m British, American, & Canadian troops gather to invade Normandy, France 4/23/2017

Normandy Invasion 4/23/2017

Allies Gain Ground Despite heavy casualties the Allies held the beachheads Gen. Bradley leads air and land bombardment to provide a gap in the German line Gen. George Patton leads Third Army & reaches Paris in August 1944 4/23/2017

Battle of the Bulge Oct. 1944 Allies capture 1st German town, Aachen Hitler responds by driving German tank divisions 60 miles into Allied area Germans are pushed back and have lost 120,000 troops and thousands of (tanks, planes, guns) Cannot be replaced Retreat is all they can do 4/23/2017

Malmedy: Germans swept through lines capturing 120 US GIs Malmedy: Germans swept through lines capturing 120 US GIs. Took them in field and mower through them with machine guns 4/23/2017

Liberation of Death Camps Allies in Germany, Soviets in Poland Liberate concentration Camps Find starving prisoners, corpses, evidence of killing 4/23/2017

US Military Arrive to Find This This is one man’s account of what he remembers when arriving at a concentration camp The US soldiers, nor did anyone know that this had been going on, until they found these camps In many cases, the Nazis running the camps would have either fled or killed themselves, leaving the prisoners locked inside http://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/concentration-camp-liberation#concentration-camp-liberation

In the U.S. 1944 April 12, 1945 FDR dies and Truman becomes President FDR is elected to his 4th term as President Harry Truman is his Vice- President April 12, 1945 FDR dies and Truman becomes President 4/23/2017

Rebuilding Yalta Conference February 1945- FDR, Churchill, Stalin meet in Yalta purpose of discussing Europe's post-war reorganization 4/23/2017

Germany is Divided Temporarily divide Germany into 4 parts Stalin promises free elections in Eastern will fight Japan FDR gets support for United Nations 4/23/2017

Surrender April 1945 Soviet Army storms Berlin Hitler commits suicide Eisenhower accepts unconditional surrender of German Reich May 8, 1945 V-E Day 4/23/2017

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