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United States History Topic 6: World War II (1931-1945) 6-4 – A War on Two Fronts Key Terms Allied Strategy Axis weakness – the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, & Japan) never had a coordinated strategy to defeat the Allies; they focused on their own independent political and military goals Allied mistrust – the Allies (US, UK, & USSR) shared more unified goals, although they did not completely trust one another; Roosevelt and Churchill feared that Stalin wanted to dominate Europe; Stalin believed that the West wanted to destroy communism “Europe First” – strategy by the Allies that focused on finishing the war in Europe before trying to end the war in Asia; the Big Three (Roosevelt, Churchill, & Stalin) considered Germany the most dangerous enemy; none felt Japan or Italy posed a serious long-term threat Q: Why do you think Churchill and Stalin favored a Europe First strategy? The European Front Battle of Stalingrad – (Aug 1942-Feb 1943) Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941; the Nazis attacked Stalingrad to control the rich Caucasus oil fields; incredibly ferocious fighting; the true turning point of the war in Europe; the Nazis were now on the defensive and the Soviets on the offensive War in North Africa – (1940-1943) even though Stalin wanted a second front opened in Western Europe, Roosevelt and Churchill felt they did not have the resources to prepare for an invasion of mainland Europe; also, forcing Germany out of North Africa would pave the way for an Allied invasion of Italy Dwight D. Eisenhower – (1890-1969) energetic American officer – known as Ike; his success as the commander of the Allied invasion of North Africa (1942) and Sicily (1943) led to him being named the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces George S. Patton, Jr. – (1885-1945) innovative, aggressive tank commander; known as “Blood and Guts”; in March 1943, Ike put him in charge of the Allied troops in North Africa Omar Bradley – (1893-1981) known as Brad; took command of Patton’s group in March 1943 when Patton moved on; in May 1943, the remaining German and Italian forces in North Africa - ~240,000 troops – surrendered Q: How did geographic factors affect the war on the North Atlantic, at Stalingrad, and in North Africa? Axis Powers on the Defensive unconditional surrender – giving up completely without any concessions; January, 1943 – FDR announced that the Allies would only accept unconditional surrender; Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo could not hope to stay in power through a peace agreement Italy surrenders – July 1943, British and American armies invaded Sicily; Italy surrendered on September 3, 1943; Hitler rescued Mussolini and installed him as head of a puppet state in northern Italy; the fighting in Italy continued until the end of the war in 1945 saturation bombing – tactic of dropping massive amounts of bombs in order to inflict maximum damage; done mainly by the British; usually done at night; included civilian targets strategic bombing – tactic of dropping bombs on key political and industrial targets; done mainly by the Americans; usually done during the day; meant to destroy Germany’s capacity to make war Tuskegee Airmen – African American squadron that escorted bombers and conducted bombing raids over Europe during WWII; in more than 1,500 missions over enemy territory, the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber Q: What was the situation in Italy after September 1943? Turning Points in the Pacific Chester Nimitz – (1885-1966) took command of the US Pacific Fleet shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; under his leadership, the US forces won victories at Midway, Tarawa, Marianas, and Iwo Jima, among other places American code breakers – Admiral Nimitz knew the Japanese plans because US Navy code breakers had intercepted Japanese messages; while the Japanese navy was stretched out over more than 1,000 miles, American forces were all concentrated near Midway Battle of Midway – (June 4-7, 1942) most important naval battle of WWII; Americans sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and all 250 aircraft on board – America lost only one aircraft carrier; turning point of WWII in the Pacific, halted the Japanese advance and put them on the defensive Guadalcanal Campaign – (Aug 1942-Feb 1943) first American offensive in the Pacific; part of the US strategy to create a two-front war and capture bases from which to attack Japan; strategic American victory Q: Why was the Battle of Midway the turning point in the Pacific?