1. The War in Europe
The Fall of the Nazis

2. Mobilization
In 1940, the United States Government authorized the first peace time draft in American History
The Selective Service Training Act
Required all males ages to register for military service
A limited number were selected
Defense spending went from $2 billion at the beginning of 1940 to about $10 billion by September

3. G.I.’s The new American soldiers referred to themselves as “G.I.’s”
Abbreviation for “Government Issue:
Everything that they had was issued to them by the U.S. Government
Sent around the world to train and fight in various climates and environments
They felt that they were fighting for the freedoms that they held dear

4. Preparation The Office of War Mobilization
Superagency that oversaw the conversion of peacetime production to war time production
Centralized all government wartime agencies
Ford Motor Company built planes and tanks instead of cars
Increase in volunteering
Mass production of Liberty Ships
Carried wartime goods across the globe
Henry Kaiser’s assembly line technique sped the process from 200 days to 40 days

5. The assault on Europe
Chief-of-Staff George C. Marshall and his protégé General Dwight Eisenhower developed a plan to invade Europe and push back the Nazis
Eisenhower was in charge of D-Day
General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower

6. D-Day Planned invasion of northern Europe by Allied Forces
June 6, 1944
Coordinated attack by air, land and sea
150,000 Allied forces slogged their way to the Normandy beaches after wading through the surf and taking heavy German fire
23,000 airborne troopers parachuted behind enemy lines in the night
American and British planes continued to bomb the area

7. D-Day landing

8. Attack zones at the Atlantic Wall
German defenses along northern Europe
Barbed wire fences and tanks
The Allies chose the least defended area, which was harder to reach

9. German Counter attack
The Germans were slow to react to the Allied Invasion
Allied deception caused a Hitler hesitation
Hitler feared an attack in a different place, so he was reluctant to move his troops
The Allies make steady gains across northern Europe
Liberation of France
Movement toward Berlin

10. The Battle of the Bulge
Germans mounted a counter offensive, placing stress on the Allied lines
Thousands of additional draftees
Soldiers as young as 15
Heavy Panzer divisions took a huge toll on Allied positions

11. The Counter-counter-attack…
Eisenhower ordered more troops to assist at the Battle of the Bulge
General Omar Bradley and General George Patton were sent to the aide of the struggling allied force
Defeated the Germans at the Belgian town of Bastogne
General of the Army Omar Bradley

12. “NUTS!”
The Germans demanded the surrender of the surrounded town of Bastogne
When told of the request, a frustrated General McAuliffe replied “Nuts!”
This was the reply sent to the Germans, who had no idea what it meant.
The Americans fought on until General Patton’s reinforcements arrived.
Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe

13. To the U. S. A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne. The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Our near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands. There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note. If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term. All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity. The German Commander

14. To the German Commander,
NUTS!
The American Commander

15. Patton’s Prayer
Unbeknownst to Eisenhower, Patton had already began moving his troops to Bastogne before he was ordered to
He ordered his army chaplain to create a prayer for good weather. He needed 24 hours
When the weather broke, he awarded his chaplain a Bronze Star on the spot
Lieutenant General George Patton

16. It’s over…
After the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans knew the battle was over
Their Army had been decimated
Most of their equipment had been destroyed
The angry Russians felt that the capture of Berlin was a matter of honor; they would not be stopped
The Russians, pressing west, met the Americans pushing east, at the Elbe River

17. Victory
When the Russians arrived in Berlin and captured the city, Hitler committed suicide rather than be captured
Control of the country fell to the new Furher, Karl Donitz
Donitz and General Josef Goebbels surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945
V-E Day – Victory in Europe

18. The Yalta Conference The “Big Three” at the Yalta Conference
Early tensions
Russia’s non-aggression treaty with the Germans
Allies failure to take pressure off the Russians by invading Europe sooner
Fate of Poland
Yalta Conference
Division of conquered Germany into military zones
American, British, and French zones (West Germany)
Soviet zone (East Germany)
Creation of The United Nations
New International peace-keeping organization
Replace the largely ineffective League of Nations formed after World War
The “Big Three” at the Yalta Conference