Download War in Africa and Europe

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Reading Study Guide
Chapter
27
Section 2 (pages 763–768)
War in Africa and Europe
Before You Read
TERMS & NAMES
In the last section, you read about the start of World War II and how
the United States became involved in the conflict.
In this section, you will learn how the United States and the rest of
the Allies defeated the Axis powers in Europe and Africa.
Dwight D. Eisenhower U.S.
general who led the Allied forces in
Europe
As You Read
Battle of the Bulge Germany’s last
major attack
Use this chart to take notes on the significant events surrounding the
war in Europe.
Event
Description
D-Day
D-Day Allied invasion of France in
June 1944 to liberate Europe
Yalta Conference Meeting of Allied
leaders to discuss the end of the war
Holocaust Systematic murder of
millions of Jews and other people in
Europe by the Nazis
Battle of the Bulge
Yalta Conference
Holocaust
Copyright © McDougal Littell Inc.
Mobilizing for War
(pages 763–764)
What groups served in the war?
Upon entering the war, the United States quickly had
to build up its armed forces. Millions of Americans
volunteered for duty. Millions more were drafted.
Those who served represented many of the
nation’s ethnic and racial groups. They included large
numbers of Mexican Americans and African
Americans. Native Americans and Asian Americans
served as well. More than 300,000 women also
served in the U.S. armed forces. Many women
worked as drivers, mechanics, clerks, and nurses.
1. What different groups of Americans
helped with the war effort?
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Battles in Africa and Italy
(pages 764–765)
Who led the Allied troops in northern Africa?
The Allies planned to invade Europe. But first, they
sought to defeat the Axis powers in North Africa and
Italy.
A wave of Allied troops landed in northern Africa
in November 1942. They were led by American
general Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Eisenhower’s army battled against German forces.
In May 1943, the Allies defeated the Axis powers in
northern Africa. The Allies began to establish bases
from which they could attack southern Europe.
That summer, the Allies invaded Italy. Soon, the
Italians turned on Mussolini. Officials imprisoned him.
However, he escaped. The new Italian government
surrendered to the Allies in September 1943.
2. Why did the Allies want to take control of
northern Africa?
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The Allied Advance and D-Day
(pages 765–766)
What was D-Day?
Meanwhile, Germany’s difficulties in the Soviet
Union had grown worse. The Germans had attacked
the Russian city of Stalingrad in September 1942. In
THE RISE OF DICTATORS AND WORLD WAR II
261
War in Africa and Europe continued
3. Where did the D-Day invasion take place?
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Victory in Europe
(page 767)
Who conquered Berlin?
By February 1945, the Germans were retreating
everywhere. That month, Allied leaders met in the
Soviet resort of Yalta. Attending the Yalta
Conference were Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin.
During the conference, these leaders made plans for
the end of the war and the future of Europe.
Shortly after the Yalta Conference, President
Roosevelt died. Roosevelt’s vice president, Harry S.
Truman, succeeded him. The new president
262 CHAPTER 27 SECTION 2
continued the war effort.
In April 1945, the Russians reached Berlin. On
April 30, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. On May 2,
the Soviet Army captured Berlin. Five days later,
Germany surrendered. The war in Europe was over.
4. What did the Allied leaders discuss at
Yalta?
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____________________________________________
The Horrors of the Holocaust
(pages 767–768)
What was the Holocaust?
As the Allies fought toward Berlin, they discovered a
shocking and horrible sight. Scattered throughout
German-occupied Europe were camps where Jews
and other groups had been murdered. In what became
known as the Holocaust, the Nazis killed about 6
million Jewish people. The Nazis also killed millions
of Gypsies, Russians, and Poles. An estimated 11
million people were killed in all.
The roots of the Holocaust lay in Adolf Hitler’s
intense racism. He preached that other groups,
particularly the Jews, were inferior to Germans.
Hitler also blamed the Jews for many of Germany’s
problems. Soon after the war broke out, Nazi leaders
set out to murder every Jew under German rule.
The Allies were angered by the sight of the camps
where the Nazis murdered people. The Allies planned
to bring German leaders to trial for the crimes
committed in the Holocaust.
5. Who were the victims of the Holocaust?
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Copyright © McDougal Littell Inc.
February 1943, German troops there surrendered to
Russian forces. Each side suffered huge losses. But
Germany’s defeat at Stalingrad ended its hopes of
conquering the Soviet Union.
In June 1944, the Allies’ plan to invade France got
underway. On the morning of June 6, more than
5,000 ships carrying more than 130,000 soldiers
invaded a region in northern France called
Normandy. The day of this historic attack became
known as D-Day.
By the end of June 1944, 850,000 Allied troops
had poured into France. They moved toward Paris,
battling German troops. On August 25, Allied forces
liberated the French capital. Meanwhile, Soviet
forces were beating back Hitler’s army in the East.
The German leader launched one final assault.
German forces attacked American troops in the
Ardennes region in Belgium and Luxembourg in
December 1944. The attack became known as the
Battle of the Bulge. The Germans gained some
territory. But the Allies soon pushed them back.
Casualties on both sides were high.