THE BATTLE FOR NORTH AFRICA AND THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD Stopping the Germans

The European Front Ever since the U.S. entered the war in 1941, Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, urged Roosevelt to fight in Europe in addition to the Pacific. The lend-lease aid was helping Stalin, but the Soviets were doing most of the fighting. If British and American troops opened a second front against Germany, it would take pressure off the Soviet Union.

A Two Front War Since 1940, U.S. military strategists had discussed the pressures of fighting a two front war. “Plan Dog” said that the European theatre should be the main area of focus because losing Britain would weaken any chance of regaining European land. Pearl Harbor put an end to this theory. Roosevelt wanted to put troops in battle in Europe. Churchill wanted to attack the periphery, or edges, of the German empire and Roosevelt agreed.

Morocco and Algeria In 1942, FDR ordered the invasion of Morocco and Algeria—2 French territories controlled by Germany. Why did Roosevelt decide to invade here? (1) It would give the army experience without requiring a lot of troops. (2) To help British troops fight Germans in Egypt. The Suez canal was in Egypt, and most of Britain’s empire (India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, Australia) sent supplies through the canal to Britain.

The Battle for North Africa The British defeated General Erwin “Desert Fox” Rommel in a 12 day Battle at the coastal city of El Alamein, Egypt, in November of This victory was a critical one, since it secured British control of the Suez canal and kept the Germans away from the oil in the Middle East. This prevented German control of North Africa.

North Africa is Secured U.S. General Patton captured Casablanca in Morocco Eisenhower also brought forces into North Africa. Then the Americans headed east into the mountains of western Tunisia and met the Germans. Battle of Kasserine Pass – the Americans were outmaneuvered and outfought 7000 U.S. died and 200 tanks were lost. Eisenhower fired the general; put Patton in charge. May 13, 1943 – the last German troops surrendered.

The Atlantic Meanwhile, another battle was happening in the Atlantic Ocean with German submarines. German submarines were sinking American cargo ships, which were easy targets at night when lights from coastal cities silhouetted the vessels. So East Coast cities dimmed their lights at night, people put “blackout curtains” up, and people drove without their headlights on at night.

Battleship Anyone? By Aug 1942, German subs sunk 360 American ships So may oil tankers were sunk that gas and fuel oil had to be rationed. To keep oil flowing, the U.S. built the first long- distance oil pipeline, stretching some 1,250 miles from Texas to Pennsylvania. Because of the losses, the U.S. navy set up a convoy system, where cargo ships traveled in groups escorted by navy warships.

The spring of 1942 was the high point for the German submarine campaign. In May and June, over 1.2 million tons of shipping were sunk by the Germans. But American and British shipyards built over 1.1 million tons of new shipping. From July of 1942 on, American shipyards built more ships than Germans could sink.

Tide Turns in the Atlantic Also, American planes and ships began to use new technology to locate and destroy German subs like radar, sonar, and depth charges. The new technology began to take its toll on the German U-boats. The Battle of the Atlantic began to turn in favor of the Allies.

Hitler Aims at the Soviets In the spring of 1942, Hitler was very confident that he would win the war. The German army prepared to start a new offensive to knock the Soviet Union out of the war. Hitler’s plan was to destroy the Soviet economy. May 1942, he ordered his army to capture strategic oil fields, factories, farmlands in Ukraine and southern Russia. Stalingrad, which controlled the Volga River and was a major railroad junction, was key to the attack.

Battle of Stalingrad September, Stalin ordered troops to hold the city at all costs. Germans forced to fight from house to house. Germans weren’t ready to fight in the bitter cold. But Soviet troops had quilted undersuits, felt boots, fur hats, and white camouflaged oversuits. Nov. 23 Soviet reinforcements surrounded Stalingrad, trapping 250,000 German troops.

Significance of Stalingrad Feb – battle finally ended Each side had lost nearly 500,000 soldiers Some 91,000 Germans surrendered, but only 5,000 survived the Soviet prison camps. Stalingrad was a major turning point in the war, since it put the Germans on the defensive for the rest of the war. It ended Hitler’s plans to dominate Europe.