1. The War in Europe

2. Conflict in Northern Africa
Operation Torch- Early Allied campaign in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia
Nov
Led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower and George S. Patton
Forced Germany to expand its control over France
Gave the allies a firm hold over Northern Africa.
Allied victory in Northern Africa destroyed or neutralized 900,000 Axis troops
Provided the Axis with another front on which to fight
Allowed the Allied invasion of Sicily
Removed the Axis threat to Middle Eastern oil fields

3. Battle of Stalingrad July 1942-February 1943
Turning point of the war on the Eastern Front
Successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad against the Germans
One of the bloodiest battles in history- over 2 million casualties (both military and civilian)
Soviet troops held their positions despite German shelling
Russian winter caused the German to run short on supplies and men

4. The Italian Campaign July 1943- May 1945
Mission was to remove Italy from the conflict and draw German troops away from the USSR and France (where the Allies were planning an invasion)
Operation Husky (invasion of Sicily)- amphibious assault
2 weeks later, Benito Mussolini was deposed by his own people, and the new anti-Nazi government negotiated with the Allies
However, Hitler was not about to allow the Allies to establish bases in Italy- deployed 16 new divisions and instructed his commander to make the Allies “pay for every inch”

5. Technology of WWII
Tanks and Vehicles- advanced armor and amphibious capabilities
Radar- Radio Detecting and Ranging- use of radio waves to locate aerial targets
Bombing and Rocketry- advanced targeting, other than just gravity and inertia
Medicine- first mass production of penicillin (precursor to modern antibiotics)
Plastics came into wider use because of war shortages- plastic wrap, cardboard containers for milk, etc.

6. D-Day
June 6, 1944
One of the largest amphibious assaults in military history- over 150,000 Allied troops involved
Codenamed Operation Overlord- Attack on 50 mile stretch of heavily fortified beaches of Normandy in Northern France
Turning point on the Western Front and has been called the beginning of the end for the Axis
Allies sustained ~4,000 losses from the beach landings with thousands more missing or injured
In a matter of weeks, the Allies had landed 850,000 troops and were preparing to march across France.