MAJOR BATTLES

War in Europe & Africa

Battle of the Atlantic

German U-Boats sank any supply ship in the Atlantic 1st seven month of ’42

= 681 ships lostAllied Solution:

Convoy systemU boats were to cut

off aid before it got to Europe

Stalingrad

S-Grad: major manufacturing and communications center city of So. Russia.

Sept. – Oct ’42: Germans surrounded the city

Winter helped the Soviets Bring in reinforcements and

surround the Germans who were inside the city.

German surrender in Jan. ’43 marked the beginning of Germany’s retreat westward.

North Africa

Allies didn’t think they had the men/resources for a European invasion

Instead they launched Operation Torch – Nov. ’42 Commanded by American

General Dwight D Eisenhower

Landed in Casablanca, Oran and Algiers in North Africa

Chased the Afrika Corps led by General Rommel aka the Desert Fox

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, at Headquarters in Europe During WWII

Lessons learned

The Sahara presented many problems for US soldiers.

In hot dry weather , sandstorms choked and blinded troops. In wet weather, mud halted machinery

High visibility in desert Needed aggressive officers and better trained

troopsAppointed George S Patton to lead in AfricaMay 1943-US Troops advanced trapping Rommel's

Troops but the desert fox escaped.

George Patton Desert Fox -Rommel

Leaders

Decision time

Germany is now on the defensive.Jan 1943-Roosevelt and Churchill meet in

CasablancaThey decided on two important things:

Invade Italy and increase bombing of Germany Accept only unconditional surrender and nothing else!

Italian Campaign

Italy chosen before English Channel invasion

Patton’s Sixth ArmySicily fell to the Allies in 1943Allies now had complete control of the

Western MediterraneanSept 3, 1943-Ended the rule of

Mussolini and Italy surrendered.

Hitler Not Giving Up

Hitler rescues Mussolini, and installs him as the puppet leader of North Italy.

Battle of Anzio-lasted 4 months ending in May 1944

25000 Allied soldiers dead and 30000 Axis dead

Allies were aided the Italian resistance movement

D-Day

June 6, 1944-Operation Overlord

Largest land-sea-air operation in history

Planned for 2 years5 main beaches

Gold Sword Juno Omaha Utah

D-Day(Operation Overlord)

156,000 men (3 million total)

6,000 landing craft11,000 planes800 warships60 miles of coastline

to secureBreak down the

Atlantic Wall

Success at Normandy

Within one month: 1 million Allied troops occupied the beaches

Began the process of pushing the Germans back towards Belgium

On August 25, Paris was liberated after 4 years of Nazi Occupation.

Patton “Dear Ike, today I spat in in the Seine”

D-Day Memorial

9378 Americans buried w/crosses and Stars of David

209,000 total Allied casualties

200,000 estimated Germans

Saving Private Ryan

Inspired in part by the true story of Fritz Niland, one of four brothers from New York state who saw action during the war.  Two Niland brothers were killed on D-Day, while another was missing in action in Burma and was presumed dead,   Fritz was located in Normandy .