Allies Achieve Victory in Europe

North Africa By 1943, the Western Allies decided that North Africa must be taken over so an invasion of Italy and Germany from the South could be undertaken. Note: The USSR did not like this. In early May, 1943, the Germans and Italians found themselves caught between two Allied armies led by Gen. Montgomery of England, and Gen. Eisenhower of the US.

Importance of Victory in North Africa With the victory in North Africa, the Allies captured over 250,000 troops. More importantly, the Allies now controlled the Mediterranean Sea. In June, 1943, the Allies started bombing Sicily and Italy to prepare for an invasion.

Invasion of Italy The Italian Campaign was one of the longest and most difficult of the war. An American army under the command of Mark W. Clark was an important part of the invasion. It was not until June 4, 1944 that the Allies entered the city of Rome.

Significance of US Victory in Italy 1. Allies strengthened their control of the Mediterranean Sea. 2. Loss of Italy deprived Germany of many soldiers. 3. From Italian bases, American fliers could now bomb Southern Germany. 4. Germans had to move troops off of the Soviet front to stop the Allies in Italy.

Invasion of France Next, the Allies began heavy bombing of German transportation centers, industrial plants and military installations. This led the way to an Allied invasion of France called “Operation Overlord.” The Supreme Commander of the Allied invasion forces was General Eisenhower. We didn’t want the Germans to know exactly where the invasion of France would occur, so:

“Fooling the Germans”

Invasion of France On June 6, 1944, called D-Day, over a million troops landed on the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy. Despite barbed wire, mines and heavy artillery, the Allies overran the Germans. By August 25, 1944, the city of Paris fell to the Allies. By this time, the Allies had landed over 2 million troops.

Normandy Invasion

Within 6 months after D-Day, France had been liberated and the Allied forces had stated to invade Germany. At this point the Allies stopped to regroup. The Germans counterattacked. On December 16, 1944, 24 German armored divisions struck a weakly held point on the Allied line. The Germans broke through temporarily. This was known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Allies were finally able to stop the Germans and push them back. This defeat cost the Germans many troops, and much equipment. It also helped break the spirit of the German army

End of the War in Europe The US, France, and England from the West and the Soviets from the East, invaded Germany. On May 1, 1945, Hitler reportedly committed suicide. On May 2, Soviet troops entered Berlin and nearly 1 million German soldiers surrendered. Within one week, German forces in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany stopped fighting.

Victory in Europe!!! On May 8, 1945, called V-E Day, the German High Command surrendered unconditionally. This formally ended World War II in Europe. The US and Soviet Armies met at the Elbe River, southwest of Berlin.

V-E Day