Allied Response

Battles of WWIIAllied ResponseEuropean TheaterBattle of the AtlanticFight for control of the seasImportant for tradeGerman used U-Boats to sink hundreds of Allied shipsDefense: Allied Convoy system

Allied Convoy System

Battle of Britain England now led by Winston Churchill We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, in fields, in streets, and on the hills. We shall never surrenderBritish Royal Air Force (RAF) defeated German Luftwaffe (German air force) using new technology called radarGerman performed numerous air raids, killing thousands of civilians; also tried to terrorize them with fear*England stops a German invasion

http://www.history.com/interactives/inside-wwii-interactiveStalingrad, 1942Germany breaks non-aggression pactGermany invades Soviet Union; blitzkrieg (lightning war)Want Stalingrad, an industrial cityBloodiest battle of the warGermany cant beat the Russian winter; Soviets holdGermany surrenders and is pushed backTurning point!!!Stalingrad

North Africa: Operation TorchImportant for control of Mediterranean Sea (shipping)Germany led by Erwin Rommel- Desert FoxBack and forth fightingAmerica joins the war, and Dwight D. Eisenhower leads U.S troops in AfricaAllied Victory

Stalin wants a second front in Europe to help his army out, but such an invasion would take at least a year to planOperation Overlord (D-Day)Careful planning to choose invasion location : NormandyLed by EisenhowerJune 6, 1944- Allied troops invade FranceAirborne attack at midnight: men parachute behind German linesAmphibious attack in the morning ( largest in history)160,000 troops, 12,000 planes, 7,000 landing vesselsStrong German defenses: bunkers, mines, long-range artillery, walls, barbed wireHigh casualty rate, but an overall successTook Paris by August

Pacific TheaterIsland Hopping CampaignGo from island to island across the Pacific until Japan is reachedAmphibious landingsCut Japan off from supply routesIsland Hopping

The PhilippinesGeneral MacArthur led American and Filipino troopsDefense position on the Bataan peninsula, but running out of food and supplies. Not granted reinforcementsMacArthur order to leave; I shall return.The rest are forced to surrenderBataan Death MarchAllied troops forced to walk 80 miles to a POW campPhysical abuse, no food, no waterThose who dropped were beaten or killed10,000-20,000 of the 72,000 died A Japanese war crime

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bataandeathmarch.htm

Coral Sea, May 19421st battle done by carrier-based aircraft Both sides took heavy losses*First major Allied victory in Pacific

Battle at Midway, June 3-6, 1942U.S broke Japanese code and knew their plan to attack Midway on June 3Admiral Nimitz carefully placed aircraft carriers to await Japanese air attacksAllies could gauge each Japanese moveTurning Point: halted Japanese advance and greatly destroyed their fleetIwo Jima, Feb. 1945First time attacking a Japanese islandWell fortified with bunkers and underground tunnelsHeavy fighting; Japanese fought to the deathFamous for the flag-raising photoIwo Jima