1943 allies seize the initiative. kursk after 1942 russian winter offensive spring and summer...
TRANSCRIPT
1943
• Allies seize the initiative
Kursk
• After 1942 Russian Winter offensive
• Spring and summer belonged to Germans
• Salient – Russians knew the Germans would go after it and fortified the salient
• Hitler delayed the attack so that production of Panther and Tiger tanks could be delivered
German Tiger Tank
Russian T-34 Tank
Note the sloped frontal armor.
German Panther Tank
American Sherman Tank
• The battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in history.
• The Germans had about 2,000 tanks and the Russians had about 3,000
• The Russians dug trenches and laid hundreds of thousands of land mines
• They also brought up thousands of pieces of artillery
• The Germans had about 900,000 troops in the area and the Russians had about 1.3 million.
• Germans attacked but made little headway.
• Once the Germans had worn themselves out in the attack, the Russians counter attacked and never stopped.
• Significance – this was the last major German offensive in the East. Germany had spent its best troops and equipment and been beaten – it was only a matter of time.
Soft Underbelly of Europe
• Churchill (Prime Minister of England) wanting to avoid the bloodshed England experienced in WWI didn’t want a head on attack of Germany through France.
• He convinced the US to attack the periphery of the Axis.
• Churchill called Italy the “Soft Underbelly of Europe” – by this he meant that it would be easier to attack the Italians because they were tired of fighting.
• Operation Husky – Invasion of Sicily
• July – August complete conquest of Sicily
• Invasion of Italy
• Sep Italy Surrenders
• Germans seize Rome and control of Italy
• Fighting in difficult/mountainous terrain
• Germans would withdraw to next defensive position
• The fighting in Italy would last to the end of the war in 1945.
• “Soft Underbelly?”
Bomber Offensive
• Since America couldn’t wasn’t prepared to invade Europe when it entered the war, it was looking for a way to have an impact.
• Strategic bombing seemed the answer.
• American Daylight Precision Bombing
• English Night Bombing
American B-17 Bomber
This one is actually in Mesa!
Maybe you saw it at the prom last year.
American B-24 Bomber
• Bombing was less accurate than hoped – 7% of the bombs dropped landed within 1,000 ft of the target point
• Bombers faced attacks from German fighters and anti-aircraft artillery commonly called flak.
• Hamburg Raid – 8 days and 7 nights, firestorms, killed 42,000 and wounded 37,000
• Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieOxfpWaCdQ
• The combination of high explosive bombs and incendiary bombs create something called fire storms.
• They were like fire tornadoes that roared through the city.
• Temperature 1,500 degrees• Winds of 150 mph• Reaching a height of over 1,000 ft
• Schweinfurt Raid – Ball bearing factory
• Black Thursday (Oct 43) - 291 B-17, 60 shot down, over 1/5
• End of unescorted missions
• The bombing missions would continue until the end of the war. They would only bomb targets within range of fighter cover.
• The human cost is surprising, the American 8th Air Force lost more men than all the Marines in WWII.
American P-51 Mustang – Long Range Fighter
Pacific
2 plans
• McArthur and SW Philippines route
• Nimitz and Central Pacific/China route
American General
Douglas McArthur
American Admiral Chester Nimitz
Nimitz – Central Pacific Drive
McArthur – South Pacific Drive
• Island Hopping – US strategy in the Pacific Theater
• US would capture islands that had airfields or harbors and bypass or “hop” over heavily defended islands.
• They could then isolate and ignore any Japanese on islands they didn’t take
Rabaul
Tarawa
• An invasion is one of the most complex of all military operations.
• It takes vast amounts of planning and coordination
• Invasions usually began with a preliminary bombardment.
• This involved airplanes bombing and battleships lobbing huge shells at the defenders.
• Next the troops would climb over the side of their transport ship and get into the landing craft
• This was a specialized boat called a Higgins Boat (named after the manufacturer)
• Finally, the troops would unload on the shore (hopefully)
• Often troops had to wade in waist deep water for 100’s of yards before they made it to the beach.
• They were under attack the whole time for enemy mortars and machine guns.
• Tarawa was heavily defended by an elite group of Japanese troops.
• The Marines suffered massive casualties
• Japanese fought almost to the last man• See video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=b3ce-hreP-w
Japanese Casualties
Strength of Japanese Garrison, 20 Nov. 1943
4,836
Prisoners of War (Japanese) taken
17
Prisoners of War (Korean laborers) taken
129
Escaped 0
Total Alive at end of battle 146
Total number enemy killed on Tarawa
4690
Marine Casualties
Officers Enlisted
Killed in action 47 790
Wounded-killed 2 32
Died of Wounds 8 82
Missing, presumed dead
0 27
Wounded, missing dead
0 2
Wounded in action 110 2,186
Combat fatigue 1 14
Subtotal 168 3,133