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Battle of the Atlantic
-Hitler sent U- Boats to sink U.S. ships carrying supplies to Great Britain in hopes of crippling Britain and forcing them to surrender.
-After the U- Boats have sunk hundreds of ships, the U.S. is finally able to retaliate by creating convoys escorted by destroyers equipped with sonar, and planes containing radar.
-The U.S. began sinking more U- boats than the Axis powers could produce, creating a safe passage for the much needed supplies to Great Britain. -
Germany & Italy Declare War on America
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"Germany First"
-Churchill and Roosevelt met in the White House to create war plans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
-They had to decide which front they wanted to attack first.
-They decided to go after Germany and Italy in Europe first, because they were the biggest threat. The majority of efforts would be directed to defeating Hitler. -
Stalingrad
-Hitler wanted the Soviet oil fields and the destruction of the major industrial city of Stalingrad.
-Luftwaffe bombed the city nightly, but Stalin refused to abandon the city.
-The Soviets and the Germans fought in hand-to-hand combat for weeks before German occupied 9/10 of Stalingrad. When winter came the Soviets took tanks and surrounded the Germans, completely cutting of their supply lines. The Germans surrendered and the Soviets gained the ability to move closer to Germany. -
Operation TORCH
-The Soviet Union wanted a second front opened up to lessen the German's focus on its territories. The allies knew they were not strong enough to go after Europe directly, so the went for Axis territory.
-It was an invasion of Axis controlled North Africa. General Eisenhower lead 107,000 troops into Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers and chased the Afrika Korps.
-After months of fighting the Korps surrendered to the Allies and the Axis powers lost control of many territories in North Africa. -
Operation OVERLORD
-The Allies wanted to liberate Western Europe through an invasion of France.
-Eisenhower lead nearly 3 million Allie troops into Normandy for a surprise attack. D-Day was the first day of the invasion. At midnight 3 divisions parachuted onto land, and in the morning thousands of soldiers arrived by sea.
-Germany retaliated violently, but the Allie managed to occupy the beaches of Normandy and continued to gain ground. The Allies liberated France, Belgium, and Luxembourg from the Axis powers. -
Battle of the Bulge
-After Americans take over Aachen, their first German city, Hitler orders troops to break through enemy lines and to take over a port in Antwerp to break up the Allie troops and to disrupt supply lines.
-8 tank divisions broke through the lines and managed to break up the Allied defense lines.
-Battle lasted for months until the Germans were pushed back. The Germans had lost 120,00 troops, and countless planes, tanks, and weapons were lost. The Germans were weak and had no choice but to retreat. -
Buchenwald
-As the Allies made it further into Germany they began liberating the concentration camps.
-The American troops liberated Buchenwald, one of the worst concentration camps in Germany. In Buchenwald many died of disease, malnutrition, exhaustion, abuse, and medical experimentation.
-The things revealed during the liberation of the concentration camps helped enforce the reason and need for fighting WWII and unveiled the secret atrocities Hitler and his men were doing in Germany. -
Harry S. Truman
-President Roosevelt dies after having a stroke.
-That night Vice President Harry Truman becomes the 33rd president.
-Truman is the president who oversees the end of World War II. -
V-E Day
-General Eisenhower accepts the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich a week after Hitler kills himself.
-The Allies celebrate the end of World War II. V-E Day stands for "Victory in Europe Day".
