Unit 3 WWII – CHC2P

Battles Part 3, Operation Overlord

Ms. Pannell

The Tide Turns 1942 - 43

1. 1942 - Russians destroy the German’s Sixth Army at Stalingrad

2. Americans recover from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Started to slow Island by Island campaign towards Japan

3. Allies launch Operation Overlord, starting with the Italian Campaign, then D-Day

Operation Overlord The Italian Campaign Part of ‘Operation

Overlord’

1943-1945

91,000 fought, 30,000 were killed or wounded

25,264 Canadians – 5900 killed

Italian Campaign continued

Allies encountered battle hardened Nazi German soldiers, not Italian

Fought mostly in the streets of towns using old abandoned buildings

Ortona – Canadian battle. House to house fights (1 month)

By June 1944 (D-day) Allied armies entered Rome (Italy’s capital city

Soldiers called ‘D-Day Dodgers’

Italian Campaign animation

Operation OverlordD-Day – June 6, 1944 Originally planned for

June 5, 1944 – pushed back to June 6 due to bad weather

Highly secretive invasion – took years to plan

A massive invasion of over 100,000 soldiers (British / American / Canadian) – over 15,000 Canadians

D-Day - Planning

1. Assumed identity of captured German spies and fed the Germans false intelligence – (the attack would be at Calais – 200km farther south)

Nazis didn’t expect us to arrive in Normandy

2. Used empty tents and movie set props to trick German pilots into believing the invasion troops were collecting in Dover

Nazis didn’t know how large our invasion was or where it was coming form

3. Built landing harbours in Britain that could be assembled in Normandy to allow for easier landing

Learned from Dieppe that the Nazis could defend any harbour. Now the allies had their own which they towed from Britain

D-Day the battle Europe the Fortress:

Normandy beach was littered with German land mines, barbed wire, heavy artillery batteries and machine-gun nests.

On Land, By Sea, In the Air Allied aircraft paved the way for the landings, bombing coastal

defences in the months leading up to the attack

massive Canadian, British and American force crossed the English Channel

Their destination: an 80-kilometre stretch of the heavily-defended coast - Juno Beach (Canada); Gold Beach (United Kingdom); Sword Beach (United Kingdom and France); and Utah Beach and Omaha Beach (United States).

Naval attack of ports, paratroopers landed before dawn on June 6th to engage the enemy

D-Day continued

D-Day animation

Operation Overlord

Canadians – only ones to meet their D-day objectives

The European fortress had been penetrated – we were through that strong ‘Atlantic Wall’

Liberation of Europe had begun

Operation Overlord animation

Operation Overlord movie

The Push to Berlin

11 months before Western troops would meet their Soviet Allies in central Germany.

Germans fought to the bitter end.

Canadians given task of clearing German forces from French, Belgium and Dutch ports.

Every port taken meant more Allied ships could unload tanks, weapons and troops.

Liberation of Holland 1945 – Canadian army

liberated the Netherlands

As Germans retreated they destroyed dykes – flooded the area

Canadians continued on with boats

Dutch people – grateful to their Canadian liberators

The End of the Dictators

Mussolini – captured and shot by his own people (April 1945)

Body was hung upside down on a meat hook and displayed in Milan for 3 days

The End of the Dictators - Hitler April 22, 1945 Hitler appeared to be having a nervous breakdown –

admitting defeat was eminent he ask his physician to recommend a reliable method for suicide (gunshot and cyanide poisoning)

April 28, 1945 – Hitler learned of Mussolini’s death and of Heinrieh Himmler’s secret attempt to negotiate a peace treaty (Accused Himmler of treason)

Hitler showing signs of paranoia

Midnight April 29, 1945 – Hitler married Ava Braun, then dictated and signed his last will and testament

April 30, 1945 – while Soviet guns bombarded Berlin, Hitler and his wife committed suicide – Hitler (gunshot to head) Eva (Cyanide poisoning)

Bodies were doused in petrol and burned

V.E. Day

May 8, 1945 - Victory in Europe Day Nazis surrendered unconditionally