1. Bell Ringer
Who were the Code Talkers?

2. The War in Europe

3. German Aggression 1933: Begin rearming military
1936: German troops reoccupy the Rhineland
*Both are a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles (military not to exceed 100,000 troops)
March 13, 1938: Annexes Austria
Sept. 29, 1938: Munich Pact

4. Munich Pact Agreement between all major European powers & Germany
U.S.S.R. & Czechoslovakia excluded
Annexed 4 districts in Czechoslovakia, called it Sudetenland
March 1939: Germany invades rest of Czechoslovakia
-Neville Chamberlain, British PM

5. Appeasement
Making political or material concessions to an enemy to avoid conflict.
Was the policy used to address Hitler’s aggression

6. Non-Aggression Pact Between Germany & U.S.S.R. August 23, 1939
No military action against each other for 10 years
Germany uses this to invade Poland
Broken in 1941

7. Blitzkrieg German offensive Literally means “lightning warfare”
Included air (Luftwaffe) and ground attacks

8. Poland September 1, 1939: Invaded by Germans
Polish fought German tanks from horseback
Sept. 3rd: Britain & France declare war
Sept. 17th: Soviets invade from East
Sept. 28th: Warsaw falls

10. France Falls Sept. 3, 1939: Declares war on Germany
May 1940: Begin building defensive fortifications in Belgium to stop a German offensive (Maginot Line)
May 14-15: German Panzer corps pass into northern France
May 26-28: Evacuation of Allied Forces from Dunkirk (338,326)
June 4: Dunkirk falls; 40,000 French captured

11. France Cont. June 24, 1940: Sign armistice, out of the war
Germany secures the western front, only has to fight USSR in the east
Britain is lone power against Germany
“The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin.”
- Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister

14. Battle for Britain July1940: German Luftwaffe attacks Britain
German navy almost destroyed during battle for Norway, ground troops unable to cross to Britain
Royal Air Force: some of the best pilots in the world
Sept. 7th: 1st bombing raid on London successful
Sept. 15th: 2nd bombing raid of London, heavy loss of German bombers
Hitler calls off invasion of Britain
RAF lost 21% of fighter pilots each month, Luftwaffe lost 16%

16. Battle of Stalingrad July 7, 1942 – Feb. 2, 1943 Major Soviet city
Halted German advance
Nearly 2 million civilian and military casualties
V. German 6th Army surrounded & destroyed
a. General Paulus surrendered 91,000 men
b. 150,000 Germans died

18. Bell Ringer
What is the name of the British Air Force?

19. Erwin Rommel
Field Marshal, leader of the 7th Panzer Division in Africa (Afrika Korps)
Most popular German general, loved by his men
Recalled to Europe in 1943 to defend the Atlantic coast
Focused on France in 1944
July 1944: Implicated in plot to kill Hitler
Forced to commit suicide

21. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Headed invasion of Northern Africa (1942)
Directed invasion of Sicily (1943)
Supreme Commander of Allied Forces (1943)
Planned Operation Overlord

22. General Bernard Montgomery
Most well-known British commander
Commander of the Eighth Army
During Normandy: Commander of all allied troops in France
Eisenhower took over in Sept. 1944

23. George Patton Started military career chasing Pancho Villa
Skilled at tank warfare
Commanded 3rd U.S. Army (swept across France after D-Day)
Died Dec. 21, 1945 in Heidelberg, Germany (broke neck in car accident)

24. German opinion of Patton
“The greatest threat was the whereabouts of the feared U.S. Army. General Patton is always the topic of military discussion. Where is he? When will he attack? Where? How? With what? General Patton is the most feared general on all fronts…He is the most modern general and the best commander of armored and infantry troops combined.” -German Lieutenant Colonel Freiherr von Wangenheim

25. Operation Overlord

26. “The eyes of the world are upon you.” – General Eisenhower

27. Operation Overlord June 6, 1944 Invasion of France by Allied Forces
H – Hour of D – Day
Goal is to liberate Western Europe

28. The Invasion June 6, 1944 5 beaches: Gold, Sword, Omaha, Juno, Utah
156,000 Allied troops land at Normandy
73,000 Americans
Utah
Omaha
15,500 paratroopers
Approximately 2000 Americans died on Omaha

30. Quick Timeline
1:11: German C/O receives alert of paratroopers dropping
6/5, 17:00: Naval vessels assemble off Isle of Wight
5:23: Naval bombardment begins
21:00: Reinforcements arrive
11:30: Troops reach the cliffs at Omaha
18:00 German counter attack at Juno & Sword
June 6
20:00 British troops arrive at Bayeux (liberate the following day)
14:00: Control of the beaches
6:30: H-Hour, first seaborne troops land at Omaha & Utah
00:16: Gliders land near Nenouville, France
1:55: Paratroopers dropping in & around Sainte Mere-Eglise

32. Victory in Normandy Allies captured Cherbourg by end of June
August 1944: France is liberated
Germany forced to fight on two fronts

33. Casualties Allies Germans 2,499 American deaths
1,914 British & Canadian deaths
209,000 total casualties (killed, wounded, missing)
4,000-9,000 total casualties estimated
At least 200,000 total casualties

34. Operation Market Garden

35. What was it?
Sept. 17 – 27, 1944
British led invasion of the Netherlands & Germany
Even bigger than D-Day
Goals:
Liberate cities of Arnhem, Eindhoven & Nijmegen
Capture German industrial center at Ruhr

36. Importance All three cities are on the Rhine River
Trying to push German forces back in Germany on multiple fronts

37. Failure Offensive stalled Bad weather made it difficult to move
American 3rd Army ran out of fuel
II. Germans launched major counter-offensives
III. Arnhem not taken, only bridge in tact that still crossed the Rhine

38. Operation Watch on the Rhine

39. What was it? Last major German counter offensive
Allies thought it to be impossible to do
Goal is to split the Allied front
Weakest point is the American line in Belgium
Creates a 30 mile by 60 mile bubble in the line
I. 101st Airborne surrounded in town of Bastogne

40. Battle of the Bulge
December 16,1944 – January 25,1945: German offensive in the Ardennes Mountains (Belgium, France, & Luxembourg)
3 German armies, 250,00+ troops
Lieutenant General George Patton’s 3rd Army neutralized offensive at Bastogne
U.S. Army suffered 100,000+ casualties

41. American Army No winter clothing Low ammunition Cold food, no fires
Many suffered from frost bite

43. Victory in Europe April 30, 1945: Hitler commits suicide
May 8, 1945: Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender to General Eisenhower
V-E Day