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D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy
On June 5 the invasion fleet—consisting of some 700 warships, 2,500 landing craft (carrying more than 150,000 combat troops from US, Britain, and Canada), and 2,700 support ships—set sail across the English Channel. Landings took places in Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The operation had been preceded by an intensive bombing campaign of northern France, which slowed German movement. By the end of the day 155,000 Allied troops were on French soil; the liberation of Western Europe had begun. -
Liberation of Paris
The breakout of Allied forces from Normandy and further landings in southern France made the German position in France impossible to maintain. On August 19 the underground French resistance movement in Paris staged an uprising against the German occupiers, leading Hitler to issue an order to the German governor to burn the city to the ground. Von Choltitz instead concluded a truce, and when U.S. and French forces reached the city, he quietly surrendered. After more than 4 years, France was free. -
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Allied Offensive in the Saar Velley
The U.S. 3rd Army under General Patton was charged with assaulting the West Wall, a line of defenses along the border between France & Germany. The attack was to take place in conjunction with an American push toward Cologne farther north. On Nov 8 his troops crossed the Moselle River, capturing city of Metz and pushing into the Saar Valley. By December they had reached the West Wall. Nevertheless, the defenses were pierced at several points. For the first time, Allied troops were on German soil -
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The Battle of the Bulge
In Oct Hitler decided to launch an offensive through the Ardennes. The Germans created a massive bulge in the American lines. The attack was a complete surprise, as the Allies had been convinced that the Germans were no longer capable of offensive. Patton’s 3rd Army rushed north from the Saar Valley, and by Dec 22 the skies had cleared for Allied aircraft to take to the skies again. By the end of Jan the Americans had retaken all the territory they had lost, and the drive toward the Rhine resume -
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Closing of the Ruhr Pocket
In Mar 1945, as Allied forces swarmed across the Rhine at Remagen in the south and Wesel in the north, most of the German forces in the region fell back upon Ruhr Valley. A portion of the German army in the west was trapped, and as a result the Allies were able to sweep rapidly across northern Germany in Apr. The German commander committed suicide, and those remaining within the “Ruhr Pocket” surrendered. The closing of the Ruhr Pocket destroyed the German Army as an effective force in the West. -
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The Battle of Berlin
In mid-Apr the Soviets began the final drive against the German capital. Hitler announced on Apr 23 that he would remain in Berlin until the end. A week later the Nazi leader committed suicide. The fighting continued until May 2; the city’s military commander surrendered the city. The final drive on Berlin cost the Russians 300,000 casualties. Zhukov’s troops captured over 450,000. 5 days after the fall of Berlin the German government surrendered to the Allies. The war in Europe was finally over
