1. Bell Work Get out your World War II notes. This day in History:
February 14, 278- Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed.
February 14, Captain James Cook, the great English explorer and navigator, is murdered by natives of Hawaii during his third visit to the Pacific island group.
February 14, Future President Theodore Roosevelt’s wife and mother die, only hours apart.
February 14, In Chicago, gunmen in the suspected employment of organized-crime boss Al Capone murder seven members of the George “Bugs” Moran North Siders gang in a garage on North Clark Street. The so-called St. Valentine’s Day Massacre stirred a media storm centered on Capone and his illegal Prohibition-era activities and motivated federal authorities to redouble their efforts to find evidence incriminating enough to take him off the streets.
February 14, Sir Alexander Fleming was a young bacteriologist when an accidental discovery led to one of the great developments of modern medicine. Having left a plate of staphylococcus bacteria uncovered, Fleming noticed that a mold that had fallen on the culture had killed many of the bacteria. He identified the mold as penicillium notatum, similar to the kind found on bread. Fleming introduced his mold by-product called penicillin to cure bacterial infections.
February 14, German General Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps launch an offensive against an Allied defensive line in Tunisia, North Africa. The Kasserine Pass was the site of the United States’ first major battle defeat of the war.

2. Invasion of Europe

4. Casablanca Conference
Churchill and Roosevelt met in Casablanca to discuss strategy.
They decided on strategic bombing and invading Sicily and Italy.

5. Strategic Bombing Campaign
The U.S. joined the British in 1942 to bomb Germany.
The Norden Bombsight replaced carpet bombing.
The British flew by night, the Americans by day.

9. The Soft Underbelly of the Axis
After North Africa the Allies attacked Sicily and Italy.
Germany invaded Italy to keep Mussolini in power.
Rough terrain made fighting difficult.

13. Tehran Conference
Churchill and FDR met with Stalin to discuss the invasion of France.
They also discussed what to do with Germany post-war.

17. Operation Fortitude
Meant to throw the Germans off where the Allies would attack.
Set up a dummy army near Pas de Calais under George Patton.
Also, used fake wire traffic and secret agents.

21. The Atlantic Wall Germany’s coastal defense system in Europe.
Erwin Rommel was in charge of making Europe impossible to invade.

31. Operation Overlord
Airborne troops would secure the bridges behind the German lines to stop reinforcements.
Amphibious troops would land on 5 beaches: Juno, Sword, Gold, Omaha, and Utah.
Omaha was the deadliest beach with 2,000 causalties.
There would be 10,000 Allied casualties with 4,414 dead including about 2,500 Americans.
During the entire Battle of Normandy over 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or went missing. This figure includes over 209,000 Allied casualties, with nearly 37,000 dead amongst the ground forces and a further 16,714 deaths amongst the Allied air forces.

41. Saving Private Ryan