Chapter 17 Section 2 The War for Europe and north Africa
War Plans 12/22/41-Churchill arrives at White House Creating war plans w/ FDR Defeat of Germany made top priority
Why Germany FDR considered Hitler #1 enemy of US Stalin desperate for help against invading Nazis Only w/ Germany out of the way could Britain and Soviet Union help the US against Japan
War Plans 2 nd decision-Allies would accept only unconditional surrender from Axis Powers
Battle of the Atlantic Hitler ordered submarine raids against America east coast Germans sank 87 American ships in 1 st 4 months of months in Nazis sunk 681 allied ships in Atlantic
Battle of the Atlantic Allies responded w/ convoys Escorted with destroyers equipped w/ sonar Planes used radar to locate subs on the ocean’s surface By May 1943-germans lost more subs than they could produce
Battle of the Atlantic US built only 102 ships Early Liberty ships being built each month Launching of ships now outnumbered ships being sunk Mid Nazis no longer had control of Atlantic
Battle of Stalingrad German invasion of SU halted at Moscow Nazis had to head south to replenish oil supply Had 2 goals –Seize oil rich Caucasus Mtns. –Capture Stalingrad Major industrial center on Volga River
Battle of Stalingrad Nazis approach Stalingrad summer 1942 Luftwaffe bombed city Every wooden building set ablaze Stalin ordered city to be defended at all costs
Battle of Stalingrad Germans pressed on for 3 months Hand to hand combat By Sept. Nazis controlled 9/10 of the city November-Soviets counterattack German officers begged Hitler to allow a retreat Hitler refused
Battle of Stalingrad Winter set in 2/2/43 91,000 Germans surrendered Soviets lost 1,250,000 people defending Stalingrad Turning point in war Soviets now steadily moving westward toward Germany
North Africa Operation Torch-the invasion of Axis controlled North Africa Commanded by general Dwight D. Eisenhower
North Africa Nov ,000 Allied troops land in Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers Move eastward chasing the Nazi Afrika Korps led by general Erwin Rommel Afrika Korps surrender in may 1943
The Italian Campaign Sicily captured in summer of 1943 Italians war weary 7/25/43- Italian King stripped Mussolini of power Mussolini arrested Hitler seized control of Italy-reinstates Mussolini
The Italian Campaign 18 months of fighting followed 4/28/45 Italians helping the allies ambush Nazi convoy Found Mussolini disguised as a German soldier Killed him Hung up his body in a Milan square
D-Day US & Britain built invasion force for 2 years Ships, landing crafts, 3 million soldiers Invasion would target Normandy, France Allies begin by bombing supply routes
D-Day D-Day- day of the invasion of Hitler’s Europe-June 6, 1944 British, American and Canadian troops attack 5 points along 60 miles of beach
D-Day 156,000 troops 4,000 landing craft 600 war ships 11,000 planes Largest land/sea/air operation in history German retaliation was brutal
D-Day Allies hold beach Within 1 month- landed 1 million soldiers, 567,000 tons of supplies, 170,000 vehicles
D-Day August 25-Allied forces, many under the direction of General George Patton liberate Paris
FDR win again By September Allies had liberated France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and much of the Netherlands Also in Americans re-elect FDR to 4 th term –New VP Harry S. Truman
Battle of the Bulge October 44- Americans capture 1 st German town Hitler counterattacks 12/16/44 Germans break through American lines Resulted in a massive dent in the Allied lines
Battle of the Bulge Battle raged on for a month Germans pushed back Germans lost 120,000 troops, 600 tanks, 1,600 planes-men and weapons they could not replace
Liberation of Death Camps Allied troops moving east Soviet troops moving west Soviets 1 st to encounter a death camp-Poland Nazis working hard to destroy evidence
Unconditional Surrender 4/25/45- Soviets storm Berlin Hitler hiding in bunker Marries Eva Braun on 4/29 Writes his last message to German people- Blames Jews for starting war and his generals for losing it
Unconditional Surrender 4/30/45- Hitler commits suicide Had his body burned May 8, 1945 Victory in Europe (V-E) Day –1 st part of war over