1. D-Day
June 6th, 1944

2. What was the situation in 1944?
The Russians have defeated the Germans and are advancing in the East
The Allies are victorious in Africa and launch an assault on mainland Italy through Sicily

3. The Russian Front
On August 23rd, 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a “Non-Aggression Pact” which vowed not to interfere in each other’s business
On June 22nd, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union
Having purged his military of many of its best officers, Stalin and the Soviets were not ready for war

4. The Eastern Front Operation “Barbarossa” – began on June 22nd, 1941
The early days saw the Germans drive into the Soviet Union almost reaching Moscow by October
The German army besieged Leningrad for what was to become a two year struggle ending in the death of more than one million civilians
When the severe Russian winter arrived the Nazi offensive broke down and the German attack was halted

5. The Tide Turns
The Nazis needed supplies and resources to continue the war so victory in the Soviet Union was essential
From Sept. 14th, 1942 – Feb. 2nd, 1943 – the Germans and Russians fought for the strategic city of Stalingrad on the Volga River
Hitler and the Nazis lost the battle – German and other troops were killed or taken prisoner
By the Autumn of 1943 the Germany army of 2.5 million soldiers faced an army of 5.5 million Soviet soldiers

6. Italy
From July 10th to August 17th – the Allies including the Canadians fought and took Sicily from the German Army – Codenamed “Operation Husky”
The Campaign of Italy was designed to take the pressure off their Russian Allies and pull German troops out of north-western Europe readying the area for Operation “Overlord”
9th September, 1943 the attack began on Italy
The Allies were forced to fight for every yard of the mountainous terrain as the Germans refused to give it up

7. The Italians Surrender
On the 8th of September, 1943, the Italian Government surrenders
The Allied planners thought the Italian Campaign would be over in a matter of weeks.
They were wrong. Italy would represent frustration and death for thousands of Allied soldiers in a bitter stagnated fight.
It would be a year before Allied troops entered Rome, and the Invasion of France would overshadow that victory.

8. The Battle for Italy
When Italy formally surrendered on September 8th, the Italians separated into two camps, pro-Allied and pro-German factions.
On September 9, the Allies landed Americans at Salerno and the British landed at Taranto
By September 26 the Allies had built a force of 189,000 men and 30,000 vehicles.
Following the Italian surrender, the German Army took control of the defence of Germany

9. Ortona
Ortona is an ancient city that consists of narrow streets and connected houses
Much of Ortona was reduced to rubble, making it difficult for the Allies to use tanks
The Germans barricaded themselves in houses and mined the streets
The fighting was house-to-house-literally – the Allies blasted their way through walls to get from building to building.
The battle continued over Christmas Day, 1943 but three days later the Germans withdrew.

10. The Liberation of Rome
Following the fall of Ortona the Allies ground to a halt due to blizzards and drifting snow at the end of December
The Allied focus then turned to the western front where it was considered to have the best chance of a breakthrough towards Rome.
It took four major offensives between January and May 1944 before the Allies including British, US, French, Polish, and Canadian Corps broke through
Rome was declared an open city by the German army and the Allies took possession on June 4th.

11. The Move on to France
Having the Germans occupied in Italy allowed the allies to move forward with their plan to open up the long awaited western front in Europe

12. The Plan
Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt agreed it was time to open up a new front in the West through the beaches of France
The obvious choice for a landing area was the Pas de Calais so the Allies decided to attack in Normandy instead but believed they had to trick the Germans into believing they intended to attack elsewhere

13. Normandy It Is! Normandy is a peninsula on the French Coast
Germans expected the attack to be on the Pas de Calais (Strait of Dover)

14. The Criteria
The enemy must remain ignorant of the proposed landing site
The enemy must be prevented from bringing up reinforcements quickly once the allies landed
Complete Allied air and naval superiority in the English Channel
Local defenses must largely be destroyed by air and sea bombardment

15. Operation “Overlord”
There would be five sectors that would be attacked:
Utah – American
Omaha – American
Gold – British
Juno – Canadian
Sword - British

16. The Attack – June 6th, 1944
Operation Overlord Simulation

17. The Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the Germans between and 1944
Built along the western coast of Europe to defend against an anticipated Anglo-American led Allied invasion of the continent from Great Britain.
Thousands of forced laborers were forced to construct these permanent fortifications along the Dutch, Belgian and French coasts

18. The Atlantic Wall
Early in 1944, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was assigned to improve the defenses of the Wall.
Rommel believed the existing coastal fortifications were entirely inadequate.
A string of reinforced concrete pillboxes were built along the beaches to house machine guns, antitank guns, and light artillery.
Minefields and antitank obstacles were planted on the beaches and underwater obstacles and mines were planted in the waters just off shore to destroy incoming craft
By the time of the invasion, the Germans had laid almost 6 million mines in northern France.

19. The Atlantic Wall!

20. The Time Has Come
On the evening of June 5th paratroopers dropped in to secure bridges for the allied advance
Heavy bombers dropped their payloads on what was supposed to be the beach defenses
In the early morning the largest armada of ships left Britain for the French coast

21. The Battle for Normandy
For the first month following the D-Day landings, a stalemate developed during which the Allies built up their forces
In July Canadian troops helped capture Caen and then turned towards Falaise where they aimed at joining an American advance from the south to encircle the German forces in Normandy.
By August 21, the Germans had either retreated or been destroyed between the Canadian-British and American pincers

22. The Battle of the Bulge
The Ardennes Offensive known to the general public as the Battle of the Bulge, started on December 16, 1944
Three powerful German armies plunged into the semi-mountainous, heavily forested Ardennes region of eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg.
Their goal was to reach the sea, trap four allied armies, and impel a negotiated peace on the Western front.

24. The Battle of the Bulge
Thinking the Ardennes was the least likely spot for a German offensive the line was thin with American manpower concentrated north and south of the Ardennes.
Even though the German Offensive achieved total surprise, the American troops did not give ground without a fight
Within three days the Americans, assisted by the arrival of powerful reinforcements insured that the Germans would not achieve their goal.

25. Battle of the Bulge Outcome
The German losses in the battle were critical
The last of the German reserves were now gone
The Luftwaffe had been broken
The German Army in the West was being pushed back.
Most importantly, the Eastern Front was now ripe for the taking and the German Army was unable to halt the Soviets
German forces were sent reeling on two fronts and never recovered.

26. The Final Days In April 1945, the battle is coming to a close.
On the 30th April, Hitler commits suicide together with his mistress Eva Braun hours after they were married.
Hitler gave strict orders for his body to be burned, so that his enemies wouldn't do what they had done to Mussolini, who was publicly displayed hanging upside down.

27. The Soviets Arrive – Berlin Falls
By 2 May, the Reichstag, the old German parliament falls and Berlin surrenders to Marshall Zukhov, who receives the honor of being the conqueror of Berlin.
The battle for Berlin cost the Soviets over 70,000 dead. Many of them died because of the haste with which the campaign was conducted.

28. VE-Day
The major Allied ground offensive from the west against German territory began on February 8, 1945
In April, Canadian troops liberated most of the Netherlands
The Germans formally surrendered on May 8, 1945, known as Victory-in-Europe, or ‘V-E’ Day

29. Why Did the Allies Win? Complete material superiority – weapons etc.
More soldiers
Better Strategy
Technology
Morale
Material and financial Wealth