wwii: d-day to ve-day
TRANSCRIPT
WORLD WAR IID-Day to VE-Day
Essential Question
How did Allied troops defeat the Axis powers in
Europe?
Vocabulary
Operation OverlordD-Day
Dwight EisenhowerBattle of The Bulge
V-E Day
ACTIVATOR
Last Class’s Answer the EQsHow did the war develop on the Mediterranean & Eastern fronts?
DISCUSS/REVIEW
Where has Stalin been requesting Great Britain
and the U.S. attack the Axis forces?
DISCUSS/REVIEW
Who was the American general that led the
successful Operation Torch in North Africa?
ATTACKING FRANCE• Supreme Allied Commander– Following the success of Operation
Torch, Eisenhower is placed in charge of all Allied forces in Europe
– He will lead the attack on France
• Tricking the Axis Forces– 3+ million troops and thousands of
planes, tanks, etc. are gathered in southern Great Britain
– Germans expected an attack in France and believed it would be in the northeastern seaport of Calais
– Real Allied target: Normandy
OPERATION OVERLORD• Operation Overlord– Codename given to the Allied assault on Normandy, France– Largest amphibious (land + sea) attack in history– American, British, & Canadian forces would land & take the beach
• D-Day– Military jargon/term referring to the day combat begins– D-Day for Operation Overlord was June 6, 1944
p. 510
IMPACT OF D-DAY• Heavy Casualties– Approximately 4,500+ Allies dead
• Allied Advances– June 6, 1944 – D-Day– July 1944 – 1 million Allied troops
have now landed in France– August 1944 – Vichy France falls;
Allied forces liberate Paris– September 1944 – France, Belgium,
and Luxembourg are liberated
• Charles de Gaulle Returns– De Gaulle triumphantly returns and
becomes President of France
DISCUSS
Now that the Axis Powers have been defeated in France, how should the Allies proceed
with the war?
IMPACT OF D-DAYp. 508
BATTLE OF THE BULGE• Battle of the Bulge – Desperate, Hitler orders a counterattack hoping
to split Allied forces and affect supply lines– Hitler sends a majority of their troops to one spot
to fight hoping to create a “bulge” in Allied line– Despite initially surprised, Allies push back Nazis– Signifies the end of the war, just a matter of time
MALMEDY MASSACRE• Malmedy Massacre– During the Battle of the Bulge,
a group of American troops were surprise attacked by a unit of Nazi soldiers
– Rather than take the soldiers as POWs, the Nazis began to execute/murder them
– Considered among the worst war crimes of World War II
• Harold Billow– Survivor of the massacre– Resident of Mount Joy, PA
DISCUSS
How did the Soviet victory at Stalingrad affect the war
on the Eastern Front?
p. 508
DISCUSS/REVIEW
How was Germany at a big disadvantage in
World War I?
How is Germany in a similar situation now in WWII?
p. 508
DISCUSS
Whatever happened to Mussolini?
DEATH OF IL DUCE• No Escape for Mussolini
– April 1945 – found by Italian citizens in a German truck dressed as a Nazi soldier
– Shot dead by Italian resistance fighters– Body was hung upside down in Milan and
spit upon by his own people
DISCUSS
How does it all end for Adolf Hitler?
DEATH OF DER FUHRER• Allies Invade Germany– 3+ million from the west
(USA/UK)– 6+ million from the east (USSR)
• Hitler Refuses to Surrender– Hid in an underground bunker as
Soviets invade Berlin– Marries girlfriend Eva Braun– Hitler does not want to be put on
trial for war crimes (Holocaust) or captured/tortured by the Soviets
– Hitler commits suicide only 2 days after Mussolini is killed by his own people in Milan, Italy
DISCUSS
How does it all end for Nazi Germany?
VE-DAY• Unconditional Surrender– April 1945 – Allies invade Berlin
and defeat German military– May 1945 – German leaders agree
to an unconditional surrender
• VE-Day– VE = “Victory in Europe”– Signifies the end of WWII in Europe– Celebrations are held throughout
Europe and in America– American and Soviet troops met in
Berlin and celebrated together
OPPOSING SIDES
GERMANY
ITALYJAPAN
Axis Powers
GREAT BRITAIN
USSRUSA
Allied Powers
FRANCE
SUMMARIZE
TOTD: Answer the EQ
How did Allied troops defeat the Axis powers in
Europe?