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After a 12-day battle at the Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein the British secured the Suez Canal and forced Rommel to retreat. Even though this ended in a defeat German forces remained a serious threat in North Africa. -
German submarines had sunk about 360 American ships along the East Coast including many oil tankers. The loss of so many ships convinced the U.S. Navy to set up a convoy system in which cargo ships traveled in groups escorted by warships. -
Hitler ordered his army to capture strategic oil fields, factories, and farmlands in southern Russia and Ukraine. The city of Stalingrad, was key to the attack. If the German army captured Stalingrad, they would cut off the Soviets from the resources they needed to stay in the war.
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American troops commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower invaded North Africa. When the Americans advanced into the mountains of western Tunisia, they fought the German army for the first time.
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In the spring it marked the high point of the German submarine campaign. In May and June, more than 1.2 million tons of shipping were sunk. In those same two months, American and British shipyards built more than 1.1 million tons of new shipping. American airplanes and warships also began to use new technology, including radar, sonar, and depth charges, to locate and attack submarines. All of this ended up with the battle being in favor of the Allies.
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Stalin agreed that Roosevelt and Churchill meet him in Tehran, Iran. Stalin promised to launch a full-scale offensive against the Germans when the Allies invaded France in 1944. Roosevelt and Stalin then agreed to divide Germany after the war so that it would never again threaten world peace. Stalin promised that once Germany was defeated, the Soviet Union would help the United States against Japan. He also accepted Roosevelt’s proposal of an international peacekeeping organization after the war -
After Italy’s surrender the German troops seized control of northern Italy and returned Mussolini to power. The Germans then took up positions near the heavily fortified town of Cassino. Instead of attacking such difficult terrain, the Allies landed at Anzio, behind German lines. Instead of retreating the Allies had hoped the Germans surrounded the Allied troops near Anzio.
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On this date the last German troops of North Africa surrendered at The Battle of Kasserine Pass. In this battle Americans were outmaneuvered. They suffered roughly 7,000 casualties and lost nearly 200 tanks. President Eisenhower fired the general who led the attack and put General George Patton in command. Eventually the Germans stepped back. -
More than 1.5 million American soldiers, 12,000 airplanes, and 5 million tons of equipment had been sent to England. The invasion had to begin at night to hide the ships crossing the English Channel. The ships had to arrive at low tide so that they could see the beach obstacles. The low tide had to come at dawn so that gunners bombarding the coast could see their targets.
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The American troops began to knock out the German defenses. More landing craft arrived, ramming their way through the obstacles to get to the beach. Nearly 2,500 Americans were either killed or wounded on Omaha. By the end of the day, nearly 35,000 American troops had landed at Omaha, and another 23,000 had landed at Utah. More than 75,000 British and Canadian troops were on shore as well. The invasion had succeeded.