1. North Africa, Russia, & the Atlantic

2. Turning Back the German Army
In 1942 Allied forces began winning victories in Europe. Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, appreciated the Lend-Lease aid but the Soviets were doing most of the fighting against Hitler. He urged Roosevelt and Churchill to open a second front by attacking Germany in the west as it would take pressure off of the Soviet Union.
Churchill urged caution, believing GREAT BRITAIN and the US were not ready for a full scale invasion of Europe, there was also very genuine concern of getting bogged down in northern France as had happened in WWI. Churchill wanted to start attacking the edges so Roosevelt ordered the invasion of German held Morocco and Algiers in northern Africa (French territories).
The Struggle for North Africa
Egypt was important to the British because the Suez Canal allowed Britain’s Asian colonies (India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, Australia) to send supplies to Britain
German forces in Morocco and Algiers were under the command of General Erwin Rommel, nicknamed the “Desert Fox”
the American invasion of North Africa was led by General Dwight D Eisenhower
US forces in Morocco were led by General George Patton who quickly captured the city of Casablanca
American forces headed east towards Tunisia while British forces headed west with the goal of trapping Rommel between the two Allied forces
American troops encountered Germans for the first time in western Tunisia where the Americans were outmaneuvered and outfought (7,000 casualties and 200 tanks lost)
the British and Americans finally pushed the Germans out of North Africa, with the last surrendering in 1943

3. Who was actively fighting Hitler on continental Europe in 1942?
Why didn’t Churchill want to invade France yet?
Why was the Suez Canal important to the British war effort?
Who was the German leader in North Africa?
Who were the two American leaders?
What happened in Tunisia?
Using the map and pictures, what challenges do you think the soldiers faced while fighting in North Africa?

4. Stalingrad
In the Spring of 1942 Hitler believed he would win the war, but he had to knock out the USSR
the key to the attack was the city of Stalingrad
if Stalingrad could be captured the Soviet army would be cut off from critical supplies necessary for continuing the war - also would hurt Stalin’s ego
when the Germans entered the city in September 1942, Stalin ordered the Soviets to hold the city at all cost – retreat was not an option, fighting took place from house to house, costing thousands of lives
Soviet reinforcements arrived in November surrounding Stalingrad and trapped 250,000 German troops in the city
by the end of the battle 91,000 Germans were alive to surrender and only 5,000 survived the Soviet POW camps (Prisoners of War)
the Battle of Stalingrad put Germany on the defensive for the rest of the war
Why did Hitler target Stalingrad?
How did the Soviets defend Stalingrad?
What can be inferred about Soviet POW camps?
How could the Battle of Stalingrad be considered a turning point in WWII ?

5. The Battle of the Atlantic
The war against German submarines in the Atlantic intensified and after Germany declared war on the US, U-boats entered American coastal waters. American cargo ships were easy targets especially at night when the glow from cities silhouetted the vessels
cities dimmed their lights, hung black-out curtains, and drove with their headlights off
by Aug 1942 Germans had sunk about 360 cargo ships, many of which were oil tankers, resulting in the rationing of gasoline and fuel oil
to keep the oil flowing the government built the first long-distance oil pipeline from the oil fields in Texas to the refineries in Pennsylvania
the US navy set up a convoy system to use navy warships to escort groups of cargo ships which greatly reduced the number of lost ships
from July 1942 onwards American shipyards produced more than the German submarines could sink
American planes and warships used new technology such as radar, sonar and depth charges to locate and attack submarines
What were the u-boats targeting and why?
How did people on shore help foil the u-boat attacks?
Why was the first oil pipeline built?
How did the navy protect cargo ships?
What technology helped the Allies win the Battle of the Atlantic?