1. The War In Europe
Mr. White
US History 2

2. Invasion of France
To defeat Germany and win the war, the Allies would have to invade Europe
Allies planned to invade and liberate France, then push on Germany
Invasion was gradually pushed back to June of 1944

3. The Atlantic Wall
Hitler had been preparing for the coming Allied invasion
Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall” had been built – a system of concrete bunkers, gun emplacements, machine gun nests, etc., to pin the invasion forces on the beaches
Allies decided to avoid the strongest point and attack at Normandy, where it was weakest

4. Three Phases of D-Day
Phase One – Paratroopers and glider infantry would be dropped behind beaches to secure bridges
Phase Two – Bombers would bomb Germans and the beaches
Phase Three – Allied troops would land on the beaches and take them, creating a beachhead

5. Phase One: Airborne Landings
Paratroopers and glider infantry would drop behind enemy lines and seize bridges
Troops would defend the bridges to keep German tanks from crossing them
Would drop at night to avoid detection

6. Phase Two: Bombings from the Air
American planes would drop bombs on Germans and the beaches
Destroy German fortifications and troops
Bombs on the beach would create large craters for soldiers to take cover in

7. Phase Three: Beach Landings
Allied troops would come from ships and land on five different beaches (two American, three British)
Troops would take the beaches, then move inland to relieve the paratroopers holding the bridges

8. Results of D-Day
Phase One – Airborne troops had landed disorganized and scattered, but managed to hold bridges
Phase Two – Planes had largely missed their targets; no craters on the beaches, Germans largely unhurt
Phase Three – Allied beach landings successful, but did not move as far inland as plans had called for

9. Breaking Out
After D-Day, Allies were bogged down in hedgerows – thick banks of hedges that kept them from moving forward, and made it easy for Germans to ambush
Gradually, Allies broke out of hedgerows and pushed on to the borders of Germany
British commanders had a daring plan to end the war by the end of 1944

10. Operation Market Garden
British wanted to make largest drop ever of airborne troops
Wanted to seize a series of bridges, hold the bridges, and have tanks race across them into Germany
Plan had to go perfectly to work

11. Market Garden Results
Many British troops, at the farthest bridge at Arnhem, were captured by German tank units
Casualties were high, and few objectives were accomplished
Widely regarded as a failure, although not a total one

12. End of 1944
At the beginning of 1944, many American troops and commanders thought the war would be over by Christmas
Failure at Market Garden would make the Americans and British realize that the war was going to be much longer
Germans were going to fight to the end

13. Situation at the end of 1944 France had been completely liberated
Allies were right up to the border of Germany
Allies thought that Germany army was about to collapse
German army still had fight left in it

14. Hitler’s Last Attack
German army would use last remaining troops, tanks, fuel, and other resources to mount one last attack
German army would drive through a weak spot in the American lines and drive all the way to Antwerp
Germans would capture Antwerp and trap many Allies
Hoped Americans would have to agree to peace

15. The Attack Germans attacked on December 16th, 1944
Americans holding the line were taken totally by surprise
Germans advanced quickly

16. Desperate Times
Fog and clouds prevented the Americans from bringing in air support to destroy German tanks
Many American units, like the 101st airborne (including Easy Company) were surrounded
These units were kept supplied by air and kept fighting

17. Rallying
American units gradually rallied and slowed the German advance
When asked to surrender, General McAuliffe of the 101st Airborne responded to the Germans, “Nuts.”
German attack eventually stalled and failed to achieve its objectives

18. FDR Dies April 12, 1945 – FDR dies of a sudden stroke
Had been president for 12 years
Had led the United States through the Depression and most of the war
Americans would have to find a way to go on without him

19. Liberating the Death Camps
As Americans pushed on, they began to come across Hitler’s death camps, where Jews and other “sub-humans” were being exterminated
Americans had known about what Hitler was doing, but many were stunned at the brutality and the extent of it
This experience would change many American’s lives

20. Freeing the Prisoners
German troops had killed as many prisoners as they could on their way out
Many prisoners were too weak to stand or walk
Many American soldiers started giving food to the prisoners, but this shock to their systems ended up killing many of them

21. Germany’s Final Collapse
During the spring of 1945, the German army begins surrendering en masse.
At the river Elbe, American and Soviet troops linked up
Germany’s defeat was almost complete

22. Hitler’s End
Hitler forbade any of his people, soldiers or civilians, to surrender
With the Soviets closing in on Berlin, Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, hiding in his bunker
Germany and the German Army soon surrendered

23. War in Europe Over! War in Europe ended with the surrender of Germany
Europe would now be split into two
America now shifted its entire focus to the Pacific, and the Japanese
Many Americans expected a long fight in the Pacific