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World War II in the European Theater. WWII before Pearl Harbor (this is 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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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
n
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?
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