1. Major Events of World War II
European Theater
Major Events of World War II

2. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
February
1943
End of Battle of Stalingrad 
Prevented Germany from taking over the Soviet Union
Marked the point from which the Soviet Army began to move west toward Germany

3. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
Mid-
1943
Victory in Battle of Atlantic 
US countered German U-boat attacks against shipping by enforcing blackouts along the East Coast (so U-boat commanders couldn’t see activity on the US coast) and by using the convoy system (ships traveling in large groups with naval escort)
Also used new technologies like sonar and depth charges to combat the U-boat threat
Safeguarded Allied shipping of war materials to Europe

4. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
May
1943
End of Operation Torch 
Began November 1942
US troops landed in Algeria and Morocco in North Africa. Landings were designed to bring relief to British forces in Egypt who had been holding off Germany’s Afrika Korps under the command of the “Desert Fox,” Gen. Erwin Rommel
Placed the Allies in control of North Africa
Gave the Allies a place to launch an attack against Italy

5. Erwin Rommel
1891 – 1944
Highly decorated hero from WWI, became Germany’s top officer during WWII
Commanded German forces in the invasion of France, in North Africa, and against the Allied invaders at Normandy
Implicated in an assassination plot against Hitler, Rommel quietly committed suicide to spare Germany and his family from his public disgrace

6. Dwight D. Eisenhower
1890 – 1969
Master strategist who helped devise the US plans for winning the war against both Germany and Japan
Placed in charge of US forces in North Africa and, later, over all Allied forces in Europe
Would go on to be elected President of the United States in 1952

7. George Patton
1885 – 1945
Outlandish and outspoken (but highly effective) US general
Played a pivotal role in the US invasions of North Africa and Italy, but was removed from command after slapping a soldier for cowardice
Returned after the D-Day invasion, helping with the final push of Allied forces into Germany
Killed in a car crash shortly after the end of the war

8. Casablanca Conference
Jan. 1943
FDR and Churchill met in Morocco to determine the next steps to take in the war
Decided on an increased bombing campaign in Germany and the Allies would only accept an unconditional surrender
Also decided to attack mainland Europe through Italy, rather than France

9. Invasion of Italy
July – Aug. 1943: Allied forces invaded and captured Sicily.
The Allies easy conquest of Sicily was disheartening to the Italian army and alarming to the King of Italy.
German forces still controlled Italy. Series of battles occurred as Allied fought up the peninsula. June 4, 1944 Allied march in Rome and liberated them from Nazi control.

10. Germans Defend Italy
The German army seized control of northern Italy, freed Mussolini from prison, and forced the Allies to fight a long and costly campaign in Italy
Particularly bloody battles took place at Monte Cassino (Jan. – May 1944) and Anzio (Jan. – June 1944)
Took Allies until May 1945 to gain complete control of Italy and cost them over 300,000 casualties

11. The Tehran Conference Nov. 1943
Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met in Tehran, Iran
US and Britain agreed to invade France, providing relief to the Soviets by dividing Germany’s troops along several fronts
Agreed to break up Germany after the war to permanently remove them as a threat to peace
Stalin agreed to help fight Japan once Germany was beaten
Stalin agreed to the creation of an international organization to help keep world peace after the war

12. The Normandy Invasion Operation Overlord
General Eisenhower commanded forces
Allies created fake camps along one section of the British coast to trick Germany into believing that the Allied attack would be farther north on the French coast than was actually planned
Allies then had to wait for a perfect combination of weather, tides, and moonlight to launch the real invasion, aimed at Normandy

13. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
June 6
1944
D-Day 
7000 ships moved over 100,000 troops across the English Channel. 23,000 paratroopers were dropped behind the German lines. Allied bombers hit critical German defense and communication sites
Naval warships began a bombardment of German fortifications along the French coast. By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold in France
The beginning of the liberation of Europe

14. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
July
1944
Liberation of Majdanek 
First death camp liberated by Allied forces (part of the “Final Solution” for Jews)

15. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
August
1944
Liberation of France 
By July 25, Allied forces had shattered the German defensive positions in Northern France
August 25: Allies retook Paris, to much celebration by the French population
By mid-September, Allies were at the German border and ready to begin an invasion of Germany itself

16. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
October
1944
Capture of Aachen 
First German town captured by the Americans

17. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
January
1945
End of Battle of the Bulge 
Last German offensive of the war to break the Allied lines and cut their supplies by taking the port of Antwerp, Belgium.
The initial surge caused a “bulge” in the Allied lines, but the Germans could not maintain the surge, especially after Patton arrived with reinforcements
The battle cost Germany over 100,000 casualties and used up their remaining war materials

18. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
Spring
1945
End of Italian Campaign 
Resulted in freedom for Italy and the execution of Mussolini

19. Yalta Conference
Feb. 1945
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in the Soviet Union to discuss postwar plans
Agreed to reestablish Poland
Issued the Declaration of Liberated Europe: agreement to let all the peoples of Europe to choose their own forms of government through free elections
Agreed to strip Germany of its industrial machinery as war reparations
Agreed to divide Germany (and its capital city of Berlin) into four zones, one each for the US, France, Britain, and USSR
United Nations was created

20. Roosevelt Dies
After months of noticeably declining health, Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945
He was replaced by his Vice-President Harry S. Truman

21. Benito Mussolini Dies
Mussolini was captured by Italian communists on April 28, 1945
He and his entourage were shot
Bodies were then hung from meat hooks, stoned by an angry crowd, and left to rot (Mussolini’s corpse was later stolen by loyalists and not recovered until August!)

22. Adolf Hitler Committed suicide on April 30, 1945
Took cyanide and shot himself (along with his newlywed wife Eva Braun)
Body was then burned by his secretary
No verifiable remains have ever been recovered; “Hitler lives” theories circulated for many years after the war

23. Major Events of World War II
The War for Europe
May
1945
V-E Day 
Berlin captured May 5, 1945; Germany formally surrenders to allies May 7, The their surrender was unconditional, meaning that they had to accept whatever terms the Allies offered to end the war
May 8: celebrated as “V-E Day” (Victory in Europe)