World War II Begins!World War II Begins!

Nazi’s in Western Nazi’s in Western EuropeEurope

French RefugeesFrench Refugees

Taking only what they could carry, civilians flee Paris in 1940 in anticipation of the German invasion.

Evacuation - "miracle" of Dunkirk

The German army quickly pushed into France. However, they inexplicably waited around the

perimeter of Dunkirk. Maybe the Panzer tanks and armored divisions were short of fuel and supplies after their successful but frantic dash into France.

Whatever the reason, this gave the Allies a window of opportunity to save as many troops as possible-

though all their equipment and weapons had to be left behind.

Navy ships were hastily gathered and sent to the port of Dunkirk. Troops waited their turn to be evacuated

on the surrounding sandy beaches.At the port, ships and beaches came under increasing aerial attack, civilian small boats were sent across to

help take men directly off the beaches.

                                                                                                      

           

France Falls!France Falls!

In May 1940, the Germans attacked France. the French army was caught off guard. Although both armies were about equal in strength in terms of troops and

tanks, the Germans had superior numbers of aircraft and an invasion

plan.

The blitzkrieg sent French forces into a confused retreat, and as the Germans marched into Paris on June 14, the

French government collapsed.

German Blitzkreig German Blitzkreig DominatesDominates

The Bombing of BritainThe Bombing of Britain

In Summer of 1940, the German Luftwaffe hit London with the Blitz, with bombing raids on the capital and dog-fights in its sky

during the Battle of Britain.

Battle of BritainBattle of Britain

Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa

Hitler Invades Soviet Hitler Invades Soviet UnionUnion

Turning Point: Pearl Turning Point: Pearl HarborHarbor

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft initiated a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor. The Japanese hoped to cripple the American fleet, which they perceived as the principal threat to victory in a war against the United States. Within a few hours the Japanese had destroyed four battleships and

damaged four more, including the USS Arizona (pictured), destroyed other naval vessels and a large number of combat aircraft, and killed and wounded many American

naval and military personnel.

United States Declares United States Declares WarWar

On December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress and asked for a

declaration of war against Japan. Roosevelt called December 7th “a date which will live in infamy.”

Japanese Aggression in Japanese Aggression in PacificPacific

After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese took over the Philippines, Indochina, Taiwan, and many other Pacific islands.

Turning Points: Africa and Turning Points: Africa and ItalyItaly

Operation Torch, 1942-43 El Alamein,

1942-43

Invasion of Sicily and Italy, 1943

Operation Overlord (D-Day), 1944

Invasion of Invasion of AfricaAfrica

German Forces had been moving across the North African desert under the command of _____________________

(nicknamed the “Desert Fox”). North Africa was considered the gateway to Italy.

1. Allies launch “_____________________________” - a surprise attack on German troops. Led by American

_____________________________Results: ________________________Rommel’s troops defeated and

pushed out of Northern Africa

Operation Torch

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Erwin Rommel

Turning Point: StalingradTurning Point: StalingradDuring the fall and early winter of 1941, German armored divisions had advanced toward Moscow at a rapid pace, capturing hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops in

the process.

But by the first week of December, snow began falling, and temperatures plunged to -40° C (-40° F). The German soldiers, not dressed for winter weather, were freezing

and losing their will to fight. Their equipment also froze, becoming useless.

The Russian winter finally accomplished what its military had failed to do: It halted

the German offensive.

Results: 90% of the city was in ruins

90,000 German soldiers surrender – Germans push back for first time!

Invasion of ItalyInvasion of Italy

Patton (farthest left) comes ashore after the 1st Divison saved the beachead on

Sicily from a massive German

counterattack

At the Casablanca Conference held in January 1943, Winston

Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to launch an invasion of Sicily. It was hoped that if the island was taken Italy might withdraw from the war. It was also argued that a successful

invasion would force Adolf Hitler to send troops from the

Eastern Front and help to relieve pressure on the Red Army in the

Soviet Union .

PattonPatton"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.

He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for

his country."

Liberation of Sicily!Liberation of Sicily!

On 17th August 1943, General George Patton and his troops marched into Messina. The capture of the island made it possible to clear the way for Allied shipping in the Mediterranean. It also helped to undermine the power of Benito

Mussolini and Victor Emmanuel III forced him to resign.

Invasion of Italy!Invasion of Italy!

Results: By September 1943, Allied forces defeated Italian forces who withdrew from the war. In 1945, Mussolini attempted to escape to Switzerland, only to be captured and executed by Communist Italian partisans. His body was taken to

Milan where it was hung upside down at a petrol station for public viewing.

Allied soldiers at foot of Monte Cassino

Mussolini’s body hung upside down for public

viewing

The The “Big “Big

Three”Three”

A meeting in Tehrān, Iran, in 1943 was held to discuss the military strategy and post-World War II policy for Europe. The leaders decided to invade France in

1944, against Churchill’s recommendations. The meeting marked the apex of the East-West wartime alliance.

Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and

Winston Churchill

Operation OverlordOperation OverlordBy the spring of 1944 an By the spring of 1944 an elaborate plan--code-elaborate plan--code-named Operation named Operation Overlord --was secretly in Overlord --was secretly in place to launch the place to launch the attack. attack.

The Allies, led by The Allies, led by American General Dwight American General Dwight Eisenhower faced an Eisenhower faced an enemy determined to enemy determined to keep them from landing keep them from landing successfully anywhere successfully anywhere along the western along the western European coastline. European coastline.

To ensure against such a landing, Hitler ordered Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to complete the Atlantic Wall --2,400 miles of fortifications made up of concrete bunkers, barbed wire, tank ditches, landmines,

fixed gun emplacements, and beach and underwater obstacles.

These obstacles were specially designed to rip out the bottoms of landing craft or blow them up before they reached the shore.

More than 150,000 men, a fleet of 5,000 ships and landing craft, 50,000 vehicles, and 11,000 planes were ready to secretly cross the

English Channel. This force was the largest armada in history!

D-Day: D-Day: Operation Operation OverlordOverlord

On June 6, 1944, a force of about 152,000 Allied soldiers On June 6, 1944, a force of about 152,000 Allied soldiers from the United States, Britain, and Canada stormed the from the United States, Britain, and Canada stormed the

beaches of Normandy in northern France, where they were beaches of Normandy in northern France, where they were supported by about 23,000 paratroopers. supported by about 23,000 paratroopers.

"In wartime, truth is so precious that "In wartime, truth is so precious that she must always be attended by a she must always be attended by a

bodyguard of lies." Winston Churchill, bodyguard of lies." Winston Churchill, 19431943

The main objective of the Allied deception strategy was to convince the Germans that an invasion would indeed take place-but not at Normandy. The most obvious choice for an invasion site was Calais, located at the

narrowest part of the English Channel, only 22 miles from Britain. Hitler was almost certain that the Allies would attack here.

This 25-pound gun and its

carriage were made from plywood

Military Decoy

The Allies encouraged Hitler's belief by employing an ingenious

ruse. Throughout southeastern England they built phony armies,

complete with dummy planes, ships, tanks, and jeeps. With the

help of British and American motion picture crews, they created entire army bases that would look

authentic to German reconnaissance aircraft. These "bases" gave the impression of a massive Allied buildup in preparations for an invasion of France at Calais.

The ruse worked. Hitler ordered a heavy concentration of troops and artillery in the Pas de Calais region. In doing so he left Normandy less

heavily defended.

A Sherman tank made from

inflatable rubber

General General Eisenhower Eisenhower addresses addresses American American

paratroopers on paratroopers on D-Day.D-Day.

Result: The Allied forces were successful in gaining a foothold in Northern France. On August 25th, 1944 the Allied forces had liberated France and began pushing German

forces back.

What if it Failed?What if it Failed?The invasion at Normandy brought on the

beginning of the end for Hitler and his Nazis.

Had the invasion failed:

• Hitler would have been able to pull troops from France to strengthen his Eastern Front against the encroaching Soviet Union.

• A second Allied invasion into France would have taken more than a year to plan, supply, and assemble.

• Hitler, meanwhile, would have further strengthened his Atlantic Wall, his newly developed V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets would have continued to rain down on England from launching pads across the Channel,

•The Nazis' Final Solution against European Jews might well have succeeded completely.

Battle of the Battle of the BulgeBulge

The Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge which lasted from which lasted from

December 16, 1944 to December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945 was theJanuary 28, 1945 was the

largest landlargest land battle of battle of World War II in which theWorld War II in which the

United States participated. United States participated. More than a million men More than a million men

fought in this battle fought in this battle including some 600,000 including some 600,000

Germans, 500,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 Americans, and 55,000

British. British. At the conclusion of the At the conclusion of the

battle the casualties were battle the casualties were as follows: 81,000 U.S. with as follows: 81,000 U.S. with 19,000 killed, 1400 British 19,000 killed, 1400 British

with 200 killed, and with 200 killed, and 100,000 Germans killed, 100,000 Germans killed, wounded or captured. wounded or captured.

Battle of the BulgeBattle of the Bulge

The Yalta ConferenceThe Yalta Conference

In February 1945 the leaders of the Allied powers, known as the Big Three, met at Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula to discuss Allied military strategy in the final months

of World War II.

VE-DAY, May 8, 1945VE-DAY, May 8, 1945

Winston Churchill acknowledges crowd on VE-Day.

VE Day marks the day of the Allies’ victory in Europe during World War II. After 3½ years of war, Nazi Germany surrendered

unconditionally in 1945.

War in Europe Ends!War in Europe Ends!