world war ii in the european theater

World War II in the European Theater

WWII before Pearl Harbor (this is review!)

Before the US: a very quick review

September 1939: Germany invades Poland; Britain and France declare war

Blitzkrieg – German tactic of massive, rapid, armored tank attacks

Before the US: a very quick review

June 1940: Fall of France; British troops retreat

Before the US: a very quick review

Summer and fall 1940: Battle of Britain; aerial bombing of major British cities

Before the US: a very quick review

June 1941: Germany invades the Soviet Union; the USSR joins WWII

Axis control by 1942

US Contributions to WWII

In your notebook: how can the Allies turn the tide?

“The Arsenal of Democracy”

Date: 1939-1945Definition: idea that the US would build enough war products to supply the Allies and itself

SignificanceEssential to Allies winning the war

US had tremendous unused production capacity

Also led to recovery from the Depression

The Battle of the Atlantic

Date: 1939-1945 (longest of WWII) Definition: Allied and German forces competing for control over shipping lanes in the Atlantic Ocean

Essentially an economic battle: Allies’ goal: protect US shipping to Britain, which was crucial to the war effort

Germany’s goal: disrupt US shipping to Britain

Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; US joins the war

Who wants what from the USA?

USSRBritai

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The debate over US involvement

Stalin (USSR) wants the US and UK to open a second front in France

Churchill (UK) wants to be cautious – the UK has already lost a lot of troops – and focus on other theaters

Roosevelt (USA) wants to defeat the Nazis

Political pressure to defeat JapanWants to minimize American losses

The North African campaign

October-November 1942: Allies win at El Alamein (Egypt) and start pushing back Axis

November 1942: Operation Torch – US/UK reinforcements to North Africa

May 1943: Axis forces leave North Africa

The War in the USSR

June 1941: Operation Barbarossa – Hitler invades the USSR, surprising Stalin

Turns out it’s hard to advance quickly in Russia…

Cold Mud “Scorched earth”

The Battle of StalingradJuly 1942-February 1943

Stalingrad: Urban warfare; massive casualties

Stalingrad: 2 million casualties

The Soviets advance

February 1943: Battle of Stalingrad ends; Germans retreat

Turning point of WWII on the eastern frontUSSR steadily advances toward Germany

Operation Overlord

Meanwhile, the US and UK have been stockpiling troops and materiel in Britain

Operation Overlord: planned invasion of northern France

By the time it begins: 1.5 million American troops

5 million tons of supplies

In your notebook: -Challenges for the Allies?-Challenges for Germany?

D-Day

June 6, 1944Allied amphibious invasion of Normandy (northern France)

Importance of espionage:Allies broke the German codes (Enigma) and monitored troop movements in France

Operation Bodyguard: attempt to deceive the Germans about where the amphibious invasion would take place

Opens up a second front against the Germans in Europe

The End of the War

Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945): last major German counteroffensive on the Western Front

April 1945: Soviet troops surround Berlin

April 30, 1945: Hitler commits suicideMay 2, 1945: Germany surrenders to the Allies

…But what about Japan?