World War II“The European

Theater”

I.) War Plans

A. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and FDR meet Dec. 22, 1941 to discuss warOutcome:

- Germany and Italy bigger threat than Japan- Focus in “European Theater” first then “Pacific Theater”

II.) Battle of the AtlanticA. Britain and Soviet Union depend on supplies from seaB. Battle of the Atlantic begins

Goal: 1. U-Boat attacks to prevent food and war materials from getting to Allies2. Germans carry out U-Boat raids against American coast3. Germans succeed in 1942

C. Allies turn to convoy system1. airplane scouts w/radar

D. Mid-1943 Battle of Atlantic turns in Allies favor

III.) The Eastern FrontA. Germans begin fighting Soviet Union in June 1941B. Winter of 1941 prevent invasion of Moscow & Leningrad

C. The Battle of Stalingrad:1. Aug. 1942 to Jan. 1943 2. Germans conquer 9/10 of city until winter strikes3. Soviets mount offensive & defeat Germans4. 1,100 Soviets killed

Impact: Turning Point in Eastern FrontSoviet army begin advance towards

Germany

IV.) North African FrontA. Allies launch “Operation Torch” Nov. 1942

1. Allied invasion of North Africa (107,000 troops)- Allied Commander: General Dwight D. Eisenhower- Axis Commander: General Erwin Rommel (the Desert Fox)

B. German “Afrika Korps” surrender May 1943

V.) The Italian CampaignA. The Casablanca Conference:

1. FDR and Churchill meet Jan. 19432. Lay out a strategy for the period after the North African campaign

B. July 1943 Allies invade Sicily1. Mussolini stripped of power and arrested

C. Sept. 1943 Italian govt. signs armistice

D. Sept. 1943 Allies invade Italy near SalernoE. Germans stop Allied advance near RomeF. The Battle of Anzio (Jan. to June 1944)G. Fighting in Italy lasts till 1945

VI.) Allies Liberate EuropeA. Operation Overload: code name given to the Allied invasion

of France during WWII1. Allied Commander: General Dwight D. Eisenhower2. Destination: Normandy, France3. Target: 5 beaches (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword)4. Allied Forces: Americans, British, Canadians

5. Date: June 6, 1944 (D-Day)

B. First Day:1. paratroopers land behind enemy lines

C. Bombings begin by allied ships and planesD. Land-Sea invasion begins of beaches

E. Outcomes:1. After 7 days of fighting Allies gain 80 mile strip of France2. 200,000 Allied soldiers killed

VII.) The Allies in EuropeJuly 1944 = Allies led by General Omar Bradley attack Germans by land and air at St. Lo, France

August 1944 = General George Patton’s tank division (Third Army) reach the Seine River south of Paris

August 1944 = American forces & Free French forces (Charles de Gaulle) liberate Paris, France

September 1944 = General Bradley & General Montgomery lead Allied troops liberating France, Belgium, & Luxemburg

October 1944 = Americans capture Aachen, Germany

December 1944 = Battle of the Bulge Germans want to split Allied lines; create 50 mile “bulge” takes month to halt Germans; now Germans are in full retreat

February 1945 = Yalta Conference Stalin, Churchill, & FDR meet in Crimea, Russia to discuss post-war

Soviets agree to enter war vs. Japan for land

April 25, 1945 = Soviet Red Army enters Berlin, Germany

April 30, 1945 = Hitler commits suicide in underground bunker

May 8, 1945 = Germany surrenders!!

May 8, 1945May 8, 1945