The War for Europe and North Africa

By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Axis Powers firmly controlled much of Western Europe and North Africa. Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler

The United States and Britain Join Forces to battle the Axis Powers for control of Europe and North Africa President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill

The British victory in the Battle of El Alamein helped turn the corner for the Allies in North Africa. Gen. Erwin RommelRommel’s Afrika Corps

Another turning point came in the fall and winter of when Soviet troops turned back the German siege of Stalingrad. The Germans lost 100,000 men and the Soviets lost 1.1 million.

Gen. Patton (left) Landing in Gela, Sicily In 1943, the Allies turn their attention to the liberation of Italy.

Even as the Allies were battling for Italy in 1943, they had begun work on a dramatic plan to invade France and free Western Europe from the Nazis. Normandy, France

This invasion, known as Operation Overlord or D-Day, occurred on June 6, The invasion was planned by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.