Download Nazi Invasion of Poland

Nazi and Soviet Invasion of Poland
The plan to invade Poland was finalized in 1939 when Germany and Russia signed the
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The plan called for Germany to invade Poland from the west, south,
and north, and overwhelm the Polish army. A secret protocol built into the Pact called for Russia
to invade Poland from the east with the ultimate goal of dividing the country in two.
Germany began their invasion on September 1, 1939 with a massive bombing campaign.
They would not officially declare war until September 3. The German air force (Luftwaffe)
began attacking Polish military locations in preparation for ground forces. They also began a
campaign of terror by bombing Poland’s major metropolitan locations. The German Luftwaffe
showed the might of their air force by committing well over 4,000 aircraft to the battle with
Poland. The German forces included 290 Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers, 1,100 He 111 conventional
bombers, and 350 reconnaissance aircraft.
In addition to the massive air force the Germans debuted their new fighting style
nicknamed blitzkrieg (lightning war). The driving force of this new style of fighting was the
German Panzer tank division. The tank divisions were designed to punch holes in the Polish
front and then encircle the enemy. This would also clear the way for other slower moving
military machinery and foot soldiers.
The German western attack was to originate from the Silesia region of Germany and push
toward the Polish cities of Lodz and Krakow. From the south they were to push northeast
through the heart of the country, crippling the Polish war effort. A third attack was to come from
the north originating in East Prussia. All three divisions were to converge on the Polish capital
of Warsaw.
From the beginning of the conflict the German’s were extremely successful, the Polish
army was unable to defend against the fast moving, well-trained, German army. Within the first
few days the Germans had scored decisive victories, pushing well into Poland and destroying
much of their air force. By September 8 Germany’s southern forces were already on the
outskirts of Warsaw, having covered 140 miles in a week. By September 10 Poland’s
commander-in-chief, Edward Rydz-Śmigły, was forced to declare a general retreat and fall back
into the southeast region of the country.
Things went from bad to worse for the Polish when Russia invaded on September 17.
Russia claimed they were only entering Poland to protect the Ukrainian minority living in the
country, but soon after entering Poland the Russians began occupying key eastern cities such as
Lwow, Stanislowow, Brest, and Bialystok as well as capturing Polish soldiers. The Russians
would also begin rounding up officers of the Polish army and killing them. By September 22
nearly all of eastern Poland was under control of the Russians. On October 2 the leaders of the
Polish army retreated to France to reorganize, refusing to surrender. On October 6 the last of the
Polish army was defeated near the city of Lublin. Poland was officially under control of
Germany and Russia.
Fall of France
Following the Invasion of Poland, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany.
The period following would become known as the Phony War. From September 1939 to May
1940 Great Britain and France were officially at war with Germany, but there were no conflicts
between the two sides. For eight months both sides began preparing for battle, waiting for the
other side to make a move. It would be Germany who made the first move, gaining a strategic
advantage the French would never be able to counter.
In preparation of the war with Germany, France reworked their military strategy. After
fighting WWI the French decided that an open conflict with the Germans was too risky. They
began planning with the assumption that the war with Germany would become a stagnant
drawn-out campaign where soldiers would be fighting tooth and nail for territory. With this in
mind the French constructed the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line was a series of bunkers, tank
obstacles, machinegun defensives, and artillery fortresses along the German-French border.
They believed the Maginot Line would hold back the Germans and allow them to spare France
from the devastating losses it suffered in WWI.
The Germany’s plan was the opposite of France’s. They wanted a quick, open conflict
with the French. With that in mind the Germans issued “Deployment Instruction No 4”. This
plan was designed to catch the French off guard by going around the Maginot Line. DI No 4
called for Germany to invade the Low Countries (Luxembourg, Holland, and Belgium)
simultaneously. These invasions were designed as a trick. Germany wanted Great Britain and
France to rush in to help those countries, leaving France vulnerable. Once the French troops had
been drawn into the Low Countries the Germans would send the bulk of their army directly into
France toward Paris.
Late in the evening on May 9, 1940 the German Army Group B launched their attack on
the Low Countries. The German Luftwaffe (air force) quickly gained air superiority by
committing well over 1,000 planes to the offensive. This air superiority limited France and
Britain’s ability to conduct reconnaissance flights, keeping the German plan in tact. The
German’s pushed deep into the Low Countries at an alarming pace demonstrating the superiority
of the blitzkrieg (lightning war) style of combat. The Netherlands capitulated (surrendered) on
May 14, and Belgium was largely under the control of the Germans by the 12th.
On May 13th the Germans began a direct assault on France originating from eastern
Belgium and Luxembourg. The German Army, with support of the Luftwaffe, was able to make
significant gains against the unaware French. By May 16 they had moved over 50 miles inside
the French borders to the city of Montcornet, and by the 20th they were less than 100 miles from
Paris. German Panzer tanks swept through the French countryside nearly unchecked. Repeated
counter attacks by the French were unsuccessful, weakening the resistance even further. By the
26th of May Britain had removed all of its troops from mainland Europe, preparing for the
inevitable invasion of Great Britain.
On June 5th the Germans began an assault on the French defenses at the Somme. They
were able to break through after a few days. On June 10th the French government fled Paris. The
head of the French government Prime Minister Paul Reynaud was forced to resign and Marshal
Philippe Pétain took his place. Pétain quickly notified Germany of his desire to sign an
armistice. Germany and France signed an armistice on June 22, 1940. The terms of the armistice
divided France into two zones. The first zone consisted of the territories captured by the
German’s during their invasion. The other zone was called Vichy France, the name of its new
capital. Vichy France was led by Pétain and was required to aid Germany with soldiers and
supplies as well as to commit to oppose all enemies of Germany.
Battle of Britain
After the defeat of the French, Hitler was under the impression that his war in Western
Europe was nearly finished. Having defeated Great Britain’s main ally and driven the their army
from the mainland he figured it would only be a matter of time before Great Britain would
approach Germany seeking peace. In May of 1940 Winston Churchill was elected the new
Prime Minister of Great Britain. Soon after the defeat of France he spoke to the people of Great
Britain saying, “The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin.”
Churchill was able to convince the country that they were the last hope for Europe against the
Germans, and that it was their duty to defeat them.
Hitler and his advisors the knew that an invasion of Britain would be difficult because the
German Navy (Kriegsmarine) had suffered significant losses during their earlier campaign in
Norway. It was the estimation of the Germans that they would only be able to defeat Britain if
they had complete air superiority, therefore freeing the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) to bomb
the British Navy. It was then decided that before Hitler could carryout “Operation Sealion”
(invasion of Britain by sea) he had to destroy the British Royal Air Force (RAF).
Beginning in July of 1940 the head of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring began ordering
attacks on key British shipping towns and naval locations along Britains southeast coast. The
German’s initially anticipated defeating the RAF in four days, and then spending the remaining
three weeks destroying military locations in southeast Britain in preparation for the naval
assault. This overestimation of the German’s ability to control the British would prove to be the
fatal flaw in their invasion plans. Britain had an extremely well trained and organized military,
something the German’s had yet to face.
From July 10 to August 11 the Luftwaffe began attacking British battle ships and their
RAF escorts in the British Channel. The Luftwaffe, because of their superiority of numbers and
their advanced aircraft, usually won these early battles. The British were forced to end their
patrols of the English Channel do to the harassment of the Germans. On August 13 the Luftwaffe
began their main assault on British mainland. Code-named “Eagle Attack”, the first goal was to
destroy the British radar system. Unfortunately for the German’s they were unable to destroy the
radar towers and did not attack the power stations that ran them. The German’s then turned their
attention toward the RAF airfields. With their advanced organization and the advantage of
fighting over home soil, the RAF was able to defend against the better equipped Luftwaffe
despite a large numbers of casualties and a shortage of trained pilots.
In late August the British began a bombing campaign on Berlin, hoping to relieve some
of the pressure on their soil. Bombs fell through out the killing Germans civilians and causing
damage to the city. In response Hitler ordered bombing raids on London. The Luftwaffe began
bombing London day and night in September. However, the RAF continued to fight back the
Germans. Finally, on October 13, 1940 Hitler ordered the postponement of Operation Sealion
until “spring of 1941”. The invasion never occurred. During the Battle of Britain the RAF shot
down over 1,800 German aircraft while the Luftwaffe shot down over 1,500. It was by far the
largest aerial campaign up to that point in world history.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Beginning in the 1930’s the Japanese had begun a policy of expansion in the Pacific. In
1931 the Japanese seized control of the Manchuria region in China, in part because of its large
supply of coal and iron. Then in 1939 the Japanese invaded Mainland China, capturing the
capital city of Nanjing killing and torturing thousand of civilians. 1940 the Japanese signed the
Tripartite Pact, making Japan an official ally of Nazi Germany. The Japanese were determined
to become the dominant power in the Pacific and were showing they would take on any country
that opposed them.
Japan’s main rival for power in the Pacific was the United States. Japan was initially
dependent on the United States for fuel, but following the Japanese invasion of French
Indochina (Vietnam) in 1940 the US stopped exporting fuel to them. This caused even more
tension between the two countries. US president Franklin D Roosevelt moved the Pacific fleet of
the Navy to Hawaii and ordered more troops to the Philippines with the hopes of discouraging
the Japanese from further expansion. Seeing this the Japanese were convinced that the US was
on the verge of declaring war. They believed that the only way to ensure success was to plan and
execute a surprise attack on the US fleet.
The Japanese began planning the attack on the US in early 1941. Under the leadership of
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto the Japanese began gathering intelligence information and training
fighters for the mission. At the same time Emperor Hirohito of Japan began meeting with his
advisors to make sure that an attack on the US was the best course of action. The US was not
blind to the fact that the Japanese were likely to attack. They were of the opinion that the most
likely location of an attack would be on the US forces in the Philippines. The Philippines islands
were considered the biggest threat because of their proximity to the Japanese activities and its
strategic location to shipping lanes. On November 5, 1941 Emperor Hirohito gave final approval
for the attack on the Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor.
On November 26, 6 Japanese aircraft carriers carrying 408 planes armed with aerial
torpedoes left northern Japan and headed toward the Hawaiian island of Oahu. On December 6th
the Japanese naval force settled north of the island and began preparing for the attack. At 7:48
AM on December 7th the first wave of Japanese fighter planes descended on the Island of Oahu.
Their mission was to attack and destroy any visible battleships and aircraft carriers. 183
Japanese planes began attacking the unsuspecting Pacific fleet docked in Pearl Harbor, many of
its soldiers were still asleep. As bombs began falling on the US fleet dive-bombers began
attacking the planes stored on the airfields surrounding the harbor. The second wave consisted
of 171 planes and was ordered to continue the attacks on airfields as well as attack cruisers and
aircraft carriers still operational. The second wave delivered the decisive blow to many of the
US carriers and battleships docked at Pearl Harbor. By the time of the second wave the US was
able to organize it’s anti-aircraft weapons and had begun to shoot down some of the Japanese
fighter planes. The attack on Pearl Harbor only lasted 90 minutes, but the effect of the Japanese
attack was devastating.
In all 188 of the 408 ships docked at Pearl Harbor were sunk while an additional 155
were damaged. Of the sunk were four battleships (large mounted guns for attacking), two
destroyers (fast ships meant for escorting larger craft), and three cruisers (used to protect larger
ships). The Japanese damaged an additional four battleships and one destroyer. Also destroyed
were 188 aircraft with another 155 being damaged. The military casualties for the US were
2,345 with and additional 1,247 being wounded. After receiving word of the quote the US
would declare war on Japan, thus entering World War II.
Battle of Bataan
Soon after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor they turner their attention to the
Philippines. The Philippines was the location of the United States second largest Pacific military
base. It was also a strategically important location because key Pacific shipping lanes
surrounded it, and it was near the Japanese regions of expansion such as French Indochina
(Vietnam) and China. Therefore, once they Japanese had crippled the US Navy fleet in Hawaii
they knew the Philippines were vulnerable.
On December 8, 1941 the Japanese began landing soldiers on the Philippines islands,
capturing airfields in the north and east part of the islands. These early actions allowed the
Japanese to begin their invasion with little worry of the US air force disrupting their plan. On
December 22nd the Japanese began their main assault at Lingayen Gulf and Lamon Bay. The US
was unable to keep the Japanese from landing, so on the 26th US General Douglas MacArthur
put War Plan Orange-3 (WPO-3) into effect. WPO-3 was designed to be a defensive retreat. The
plan called for the US and Filipino forces to begin a slow, fighting retreat to the Bataan
Peninsula where they would wait for reinforcement from the US Navy. After the surprise attack
at Pearl Harbor they knew it could be a long wait.
On January 2, 1942 the US set up a defense line just north of Manila Bay to give more
time for the army to retreat. This was a bloody conflict and the US suffered heavy losses. The
army fell back again, this time establishing the Abucay-Mauban Line on the Bataan Peninsula.
The Japanese began their assault of the Abucay-Mauban Line on January 9th. Fighting along the
line was intense and the US soldiers found themselves being over run. Over the next week the
Japanese would attack and push through the line, but the US army would reinforce the line and
push back the assaults. By the 22nd the Japanese attacks on the line were proving too much to
defend, and certain parts of the line were in danger of being encircled. With waves of Japanese
descending on them the US was forced to surrender the Abucay-Mauban Line.
From January 22nd to February 8th the US fought the Japanese army as they retreated to
their final defensive position on the peninsula. They Japanese attempted to land soldiers on the
beaches at Longoskawayan and Silalim, but were pushed back by the US. The US would hold this
position for over a month. On March 12th General MacArthur was taken from the island by boat and
would eventually arrive in Australia. From there he sent a radio broadcast to the Filipino people
famously saying, “I shall return”. His return would not come for some time. On April 3rd the Japanese
began bombing the US positions on Bataan, On the 9th US General King surrendered to the Japanese. In
all 75,000 soldiers (60,000 Filipino and 15,000 American) became prisoners of war (POW). For these
POW’s the hardship was just beginning.
Following the surrender of the US and Filipino forces the Japanese rounded up all the POW’s
and began a forced march from Mariveles to San Fernando (60 miles away). This march would become
known as the Bataan Death March. Prisoners were denied food, given minimal amounts of water, and
required to march around the clock. Anyone that was unable to march, complained, or was helping
someone who was falling behind was killed. The Japanese even killed Filipino civilians along the way.
Some acts perpetrated by the Japanese upon POW’s included beheadings, cutting of throats, stabbing by
bayonets, disembowelment (cutting out their guts), rape, and being beaten by the butt of their riffles.
Upon arriving in San Fernando the POW’s were loaded into boxcars and shipped to a prison camp in
Capas. It is estimated that as many as 11,000 people were killed do to Japanese actions and the
consequences associated with the Bataan Death March.
Battle of Midway
By May of 1942 the Japanese had been very successful in creating a Pacific empire. They had
successfully captured Malaya (Malaysia), Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), French Indochina (Vietnam),
Manchuria (Northern China), and the Philippines. They had also executed a surprise attack on the
United States Pacific fleet in December of 1941, which had crippled the US ability to resist their
expansion. Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was not satisfied with the gains he had made. The US
aircraft carrier fleet (ships that transport planes) had interfered with Japans plans in the Corral Sea and
were proving to be a major obstacle. Yamamoto knew that if the US carrier fleet was destroyed there
would be know one to oppose their further expansion in the Pacific.
Admiral Yamamoto devised a plan where he would lure the US carriers into a fight at the island
of Midway. Once there several small Japanese naval forces, stationed 100 miles from the island, would
surprise the US carriers. His plan was heavily dependent on the element of surprise. He was also
counting on the fact that several of the US ships, which had been destroyed during Pearl Harbor and the
Battle of Corral Sea, would still be out of operation. The Japanese would soon find out that all of the
assumptions they made about the US would be wrong.
The biggest assumption was that they could surprise the US fleet. What they did not know was
that a team of US code breakers had been able to decipher the Japanese communication code. By
cracking the code the US was able to learn of the planned ambush before it occurred. Secondly, the US
navy had worked overtime since Pearl Harbor to repair the damage done to it’s Pacific fleet. They had
been able to repair some of the damage done two it’s fleet at the Battle of Corral Sea. In only three days
the US was able to repair the carrier USS Yorktown and send it to support the other carriers USS
Enterprise and USS Hornet at Midway. At the airfields on the Island itself the US stationed 50 B-17
Flying Fortresses (designed to drop bombs from high altitudes) as well as several smaller bombers. They
also stationed a large force of fighter planes designed to combat Japanese aircraft in the air. The US plan
was to engage the Japanese force with their forces based at Midway, then allow the US carriers to come
in and catch the Japanese unaware. Because the Japanese were operating on poor assumptions of the US
force they US was able to deliver a crushing blow.
On June 3, 1942 the US began its first attacks against the Japanese fleet sent to take
Midway Island. The first wave of attacks of the US were unsuccessful, but it pushed the Japanese into
action sooner than they had anticipated. The next day the Japanese sent their first force of bombers
toward the bases on Midway. The US were prepared for the attack and were able to get all of their
aircraft into the air before the attack. Because of this the effectiveness of the Japanese attack was greatly
limited, with most of the main structures on the island still intact. As the Japanese were preparing
another wave of attacks on Midway their radars picked up the US carriers approaching from the east.
Soon after seeing the US carriers approach the Japanese fleet was struck by the first wave of US
bombers. Catching the Japanese by surprise the US bombers were able to cause significant amounts of
damage to the Japanese carriers. Of the four Japanese carriers sent to Midway, three were critically
damaged or sunk by the US bombers. The Japanese were quick to answer with a counter attack from
their one remaining carrier. The Japanese deployed two waves of bombers that were able to demobilize
the USS Yorktown. This would prove to be the final act of the Japanese carrier. A squad of US dive
bombers from the USS Enterprise would catch it unaware dropping several bombs on it’s deck leaving
the ship ablaze. Admiral Yamamoto would go down with his ship, robbing the Japanese navy of their
best carrier sailor and tactician.
The remaining Japanese forces withdrew from the battle once the last carrier was destroyed. The
US would sent a small number of destroyers and submarines to pursue the retreating forces, but
ultimately would be satisfied with chasing the Japanese back toward southeast Asia. The loss at Midway
was a devastating one for the Japanese. They lost four of their best aircraft carriers, 248 aircraft, and
over 2,000 soldiers. Also of importance the Japanese lost their aura of invisibility. The Battle of Midway
was the first military loss of the Japanese during WWII and would begin to turn the balance of power in
the Pacific toward the US.
Battle of El Alamein
The battle for North Africa was an important one for both the Allies and the Axis. The
main prize in this fight was Egypt. Not only was Egypt a wealthy North African country, it also
had access to the most important shipping lane in the Mediterranean: the Suez Canal. The Suez
Canal was a valuable holding because it gave the holder quick access to the Middle East’s oil
fields. These oil fields were the key source of British oil for their tanks, planes, and other war
vehicles. Loosing it would be a crushing blow to their war effort. The German’s on the other
hand did not have a readily available supply of oil at their disposal. By gaining access to the
Middle East’s oil fields they would cripple their biggest enemy and strengthen their position.
The first conflict at the city of El Alamein, Egypt between the British and a force
consisting of both Germans and Italians was fought to a draw. Initially, the German’s were able
to push the British forces back nearly to the city limits. However, once the Germans began to
regroup do to exhaustion the British were able to dig in and create a strong defensive position.
This act allowed them to repel the advancing army and regain much of the territory they had
lost. Ultimately the conflict ended in July of 1942 with little being gained or lost on both sides.
Planning for the next Battle of El Alamein began shortly after the conclusion of the first
battle. Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill personally visited Egypt and replaced the
current Commander in Charge with Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery. Montgomery
created a plan called Operation Lightfoot. His plan involved two points of attack, on to the
North of the Axis position and one from the southwest. The head of these two attacks would be
responsible for clearing a path through the extensive antitank minefield that had been setup to
defend the Axis position. Once a path was clear the British tanks would assault and overrun the
German and Italian line.
At 9:40 PM on October 23, 1942 Operation Lightfoot began. The British began by firing
their heavy artillery on the Axis line. Then, the British attacked with their infantry (soldiers on
foot) because they were not heavy enough to trip the antitank mines. The goal of the infantry
attack was to occupy the German and Italian defenders while the British engineers came in and
disarmed the mines. Montgomery wanted to get his soldiers past the minefield as soon as
possible so that his tanks could engage and eliminate the German Panzer tank division. The Axis
armies, led by famed German general Erwin Rommel (also known as The Desert Fox) sent as
much support as they could muster to resist the British push through the fields, but was unable
to stop their progress. By dawn of the 25th the British’s southeast force had cleared half of their
path toward the German line, but the Northern force had met heavier resistance and were limited
to minimal gains. In the afternoon of the 25th German Panzer tanks attacked the British tanks
pushing toward their lines. Of the 100 tanks involved on both sides over half were destroyed. By
the evening of the 25th the British had cut a path through the German minefield, clearing the way
for a full-scale attack.
From October 27th to November 1st the British and Axis forces waged a brutal battle for
territory. With numerical superiority working in their favor the British were able to slowly push
the Germans and Italian forces west toward the Egyptian border. On November 2nd Rommel sent
word to Germany that the Axis forces were, “so exhausted after its ten days of battle that it was
not now capable of offering any effective opposition to the enemy's next break-through
attempt”. Hitler’s response was to keep fighting. Rommel came up with his own plan. On the
night of November 3rd the German forces began to retreat while the Italian forces slowed the
British advance. By November 6th the British forces had chased the Axis forces east of Sidi
Haneish (250 miles east of Cairo). By November 11th Montogomery and the British had pushed
the Axis forces out of Egypt.
Battle of Stalingrad
After the failure in the Battle of Britain Hitler turned his attention east. Despite having
signed a nonaggression pact with Stalin, Hitler and his generals began planning an invasion of
the Soviet Union called Operation Barbarossa. The goal of the operation was to capture the
Soviet territory west of the Ural Mountains as well as seize the valuable Caucasus oil fields.
When planning the operation Hitler said, “If I do not get the oil of Maikop and Grozny then I
must end this war.” On June 22, 1941 the Germans began their invasion of the Soviet Union by
attacking Soviet occupied Poland. By the 1st of July the Germans had swept past the Ukraine,
Latvia, Lithuania, and Belarussia and were heading into Russia. Once within Russia the bitter
cold winter brought the German attack to a stop. By December 1941 the German army was
camped outside the cities of Moscow and Leningrad, the latter being completely surrounded. In
spring of ’42 Hitler renewed the fight, this time looking to secure the southern part of the
country. This meant he would need to secure the city of Stalingrad.
Stalingrad was an important city for two reasons. The first was that it was located on the
shores of the Volga River, which flows into the Caspian Sea. This made Stalingrad a key port
city for supplying troops and artillery for the eastern front. It was also had symbolic importance
because it bared the name of the countries leader Joseph Stalin. By capturing the Stalingrad the
Germans would gain a key southern port and strike a psychological blow to the Soviets. It was
with this in mind that the German’s began their attack on the city of Stalingrad on July 17, 1942.
The attack began with a bombing campaign by the Luftwaffe (German air force). Over the
period of a month the Luftwaffe turned Stalingrad into a pile of rubble. They destroyed nearly all
of the cities factories, all of the bridges connecting the east and west bank of the Volga River, all
of the ships on the river, and entire residential sectors. The Luftwaffe was even able to destroy
barges shuttling soldiers across the river. During the bombing campaign Stalin moved much of
the cities food supplies across the Volga so that the Germans could not take it if they captured
the city. What he did not do is evacuate Stalingrad’s citizens. Stalin believed that if there were
still people living in the city the defenders would fight harder to protect it. During the German
bombing campaign the Soviets reported over two thousand civilian casualties and injuries.
On September 5th the German’s engaged the cities defenders, some of them untrained
factory workers, on the northern outskirts of the city. The German Army Group South, led by a
unit of Panzer tanks, was able to push through into the city limits. Once in the city limits,
fighting was very fierce. Snipers from both sides hid in the hundreds of crumbling buildings.
Fiercely contested battles were fought one block at a time. The life expectancy for a Soviet
soldier during the Battle of Stalingrad was less than 24 hours. Despite the catastrophic loses
Stalin refused to surrender the city. He told his Generals, “Not a step back!” If a general ordered
a retreat he was court-martialed and shot.
By mid October the Soviets were backed up against the Volga River. However, they
would not give up. They received a reprieve when Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to quit the Battle
of Stalingrad and head to North Africa to assist in the fight against the British. The war effort
was also aided by the United States. As part of the Lend-Lease Act (law committing the US to
support the Allies) the US sent the Soviets trucks, boots, fuel, and weapons. In November the
Battle of Stalingrad began to turn in their favor. Suffering from fatigue and being unprepared for
the Russian winter (they did not have heavy coats or snow boots) the Soviets began to gain the
advantage over the Germans. From late November 1942 to January 1943 the Soviets fought
bloody conflicts with a tired, freezing, and starving German army that Hitler would not allow to
retreat. On February 2nd the German army was captured, ending the Battle of Stalingrad. In all
the Soviets had over 1 million casualties during the battle while the Germans had over 800,000.
Battle of Guadalcanal
After defeating the Japanese at the Battle of Midway in June 1942 the United States had
gained their first advantaged since entering World War II. The Japanese aircraft carrier fleet had
been greatly reduced in strength and now the Allies were planning their first offensive campaign
in the Pacific. They decided to focus their efforts on the Solomon Islands, a small cluster of
islands to the northeast of Australia. If the Allies were to defeat the Japanese, they would need
to first win control of the Solomon Islands.
Of the many islands that make up the Solomon Islands three were deemed to be the most
important. Tulagi, Florida (Nggela Sule), and Guadalcanal all contained Japanese forces. On
Tulagi and Guadalcanal the Japanese had begun constructing airfields that could be used to
launch attacks against planes heading to and from Australia, or could attack the Australian
mainland itself. With this in mind the United States began planning Operation Watchtower, the
capturing of Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands.
On August 7 1942, hidden by bad weather, the US forces were able to land on the
beaches of all three islands. Protected by a heavy bombardment (firing the large canons on the
ships) from the supporting fleet the US were able to secure Florida and Tulagi by early
afternoon on the 8th. On Guadalcanal the 11,000 Marines involved in the landing met almost no
resistance. The Marines met little resistance, taking control of the airfield at Lunga Point without
having to fire a shot. On the evening of the 8th the Japanese sent a force to destroy the US fleet
at Guadalcanal. They did inflict some damage, but the US forces were able to hold their
positions.
On August 19th nearly 1,000 Japanese reinforcements landed on Guadalcanal to begin the
effort to win back the airfield (named Henderson Field by the US). This first wave of
reinforcements landed at Taivu Point, east of the US position. Underestimating the strength of
the US forces the Japanese attempted a night raid of the field, hoping to surprise and over run
the defending force. The US forces had created a secure perimeter around the field and were
able too kill all but 100 of the Japanese. On August 24, the Japanese attempted to land an
additional 2,000 soldiers on the island. Before they could do that the transport ships and their
escorts were engaged by the US Navy east of Guadalcanal. One of the transports was destroyed
and the entire convoy was diverted to the Shortland Islands to regroup. From late August to
early September the US began to strengthen their defenses at Henderson field.
On September 4 the Japanese landed 5,000 soldiers at Taivu Point. Major General
Kiyotake Kawaguchi issued the order to "rout and annihilate the enemy in the vicinity of the
Guadalcanal Island airfield." The Japanese initiated their attack on September 12th. They
attacked the field from the south in the middle of the night. After three nights of attacks the
Japanese forces were almost completely destroyed while the US had met minimal loses. The
Japanese responded with a third force. This time they attacked with 20,000 soldiers, again from
the south, beginning on October 24. The Japanese again took heavy loses. By November 18th the
Japanese had begun to retreat while being pursued by the US forces.
Determined to regain Henderson Field the Japanese send a large naval fleet to destroy the
US fleet On the 14th of November. Prepared for the attack the US is able to fight off much of the
attack, sinking several destroyers and transport ships. Meanwhile the Japanese forces on
Guadalcanal continue to face heavy attacks against the US soldiers. Fighting is intense as both
sides battle in the islands thick tropical jungle. On January 14, 1943 the Japanese began to
retreat from Guadalcanal, realizing they could not win. By February 7 the Japanese had fully
evacuated their soldiers from the island. In all the Japanese had lost 31,000 soldiers to the 7,100
losses the United States had suffered.
Battle of Anzio
Toward the end of 1943 the military leaders in Britain and the United States began
planning for an invasion of mainland Europe. In September 1943 a force consisting of British
and US soldiers landed in southern Italy and began pushing north toward Rome. Waiting for the
Ally forces were several dug in German divisions. Fighting through the rocky terrain of southern
Italy the German’s were able to slow the joint army’s advance and allow for reinforcements
from Rome to come south. Ultimately the Germans would set up a line of defense 80 miles
south of Rome called the Gustav Line. This defensive line was set in the high mountains near
the city of Cassino. This terrain allowed the Germans to setup many favorable gun positions
looking down on the few routs north. With this superior position the Germans were ale to
successfully stop the British and American advance.
Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, would come up with the plan to
circumvent the Germans and Cassino. His plan, called Operation Shingle, was to land an attack
formation of soldiers north of the Gustav Line at the city of Anzio. Churchill believed that this
would create on of two favorable situations for the Allies. He felt that the attack would force
German General Albert Kesselring to take soldiers away from the Gustav Line to defend the
troops at Anzio. This would diminish the strength of the troops at the Gustav Line and allow the
army their to break through. If Kesselring did not take troops away from the Gustav Line than
the troops landing at Anzio could head north to assault Rome. Though several generals involved
in the European campaign did not agree with Churchill’s plan, preferring to focus on the planed
attack in northern France, Operation Shingle was scheduled for January1944.
On January 22nd a force led by US Major General Marcus Lucas landed on the beaches
along the point where containing the city of Anzio. On the first day the Allied force was able to
land 36,000 soldiers along with several thousand transport vehicles on the beaches with almost
not German resistance. Instead of pushing inland to engage the Germans, Lucas kept his troops
on the beach to wait for further reinforcement. This gave time for the Germans to rally to their
position, sending more soldiers from Rome, Germany, France, and the Gustav Line. They then
setup a defensive position on the high ground that surrounded the area where the landing had
been made. On the 28th Lucas prepared for an attack toward the interior of Italy with an invading
force that now numbered over 68,000, what Lucas did not know was his delay had allowed the
German’s to move over 71,000 soldiers to defend against their attack.
The attack on Anzio began on January 30th with a two point attack looking to expose
weaknesses in the German defenses. The attack was not successful with the Germans possessing
the high ground and being sufficiently prepared for the attack. By early February both sides had
received additional reinforcements, but the Germans still had a numerical advantage along with
the superior positioning. On the 3rd the Germans began a series of counter attacks, looking to
push the Allied troops back onto the beaches. By the 14th of February both sides had lost over
20,000 soldiers and little gains or losses of territory had occurred. On February 22nd Lucas was
replaced as commander of Operation Shingle Lucian Truscott.
Beginning in late February both sides regrouped until spring arrived and mare troops had
come arrived in support. On May 23, Truscott’s forces attacked the Germans lines. Loses were
heavy by the Allies, but they continued to push forward. On May 26th the Allied forces had
broken through the German defenses and were prepared to destroy the remaining German army
when the order was given to immediately head north to attack Rome. Joined by the troops which
had broke through the Gustav Line the US and British soldiers pushed north to capture Rome on
June 5, 1944. During the Battle of Anzio the Allies had 43,000 casualties and the Nazi’s
suffered 40,000.
D-Day
By late 1943 the United States and the British had been able to eliminate the threat of
German U-boats (submarines) in the Atlantic Ocean. With the shipping lanes between the US
east coast and Britain now open the preparation for an invasion of Europe was to begin. Initially,
it was thought that an attack through would provide the best route, but after seeing the delays
caused by the resistance at theGustav Line it became clear that that best course of action would
be an invasion of northern France. Beginning in late 1943 the Allies began gathering a large
invasion force in southern Britain in preparation of an amphibious (water) landing.
The location settled on was a large stretch of beach in northern France called Normandy.
The plan called for a two-part invasion. First, a large air assault team would parachute behind
the German defenses along the beach, then work from behind enemy lines to secure the beach
for the landing teams. The landing teams would focus on five beaches situated along the
Normandy coast. The landing areas were codenamed Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah. The
landing forces were to storm the beaches, attack the German forces, which had taken defensive
positions on the ridges above the beaches, and than clear any obstructions so that the following
waves can bring equipment and weapons on shore in preparation for their push to liberate
Europe. D-Day (short for designated day) was to be the first action in Operation Overlord.
After being delayed a day because of poor weather in the English Channel, on June 6,
1944 Planes leaving from airfields in southern England dropped 24,000 British and American
paratroopers (soldiers who parachute into combat) behind the German forces in Normandy.
Because of heavy antiaircraft artillery many planes were shot down, and many more were forced
of their designated course, this lead to companies being spread out and command structures
being disrupted. The advance troops were able to rally, forming into small groups and
systematically fighting the Germans from behind their line and preventing reinforcements from
reaching the beaches. A few hours after the air attack the amphibious assault on Normandy
began.
Sword beach, the eastern most landing area, was the point of attack for the British
infantry. The German’s had defenses in place, but were not fully armed and were overrun by
their forces in a few hours. This allowed British forces to push inland to link up with the
airborne troops. Juno beach was the designated landing zone for the Canadian troops involved in
the operation. Sword beach was heavily fortified with concrete bunkers, machine-guns nests,
and a large defensive force. Nearly half of the first wave of soldiers were killed, but the second
wave was more successful and within hours the Canadians had cleared the beach and were
assaulting inland targets. The British also assaulted Gold beach, facing much stiffer resistance
than at Sword. Utah beach, the western most landing zone, took the fewest casualties of any of
the five zones. Strong tides pushed the US soldiers west of their designated target, allowing
them to outflank the defending Germans and secure the beach.
The fiercest fighting and heaviest casualties came to the American soldiers storming
Omaha beach. Omaha was the best defended of the five landing zones. It was bordered by a high
sea wall which had heavy artillery, concrete bunkers, machine-gun nests, and a large defending
force waiting for the advancing soldiers. Nearly every officer was killed in the first wave,
stalling the attack on the beach. Attempts to bring tanks on shore were unsuccessful. Because
the troops were pinned down they were only able to clear two paths through the beach obstacles.
The Americans were eventually able to scale the high sea walls and slowly root out the
Germans. In all 5,000 Americans were killed on Omaha beach, many of them in the first few
hours. In all the Allies suffered 10,000 casualties to the 7,000 German. Despite the high price,
the D-Day invasion created the much needed first step toward the defeating Hitler and the Nazis.
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Beginning in 1942, under the supervision of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the United
States began working to create the first nuclear weapon. Codenamed the Manhattan Project,
Oppenheimer began working with scientists and military personnel from Canada, Britain, and
the US. After three years of intensive work the US government was able to successfully create a
nuclear weapon. The first test occurred on July 14, 1945 the bomb was detonated at a test site in
the middle of the New Mexico desert.
In February of 1945 the United States began a strategic bombing campaigns against
Japanese cities with the hopes of forcing them to surrender. Despite causing considerable
damage to cities such as Yokohama (58% of the city destroyed), Kure (41%), Fukui (86%),
Tokushima (85%), and Tokyo (51%) the Japanese refused to surrender. The US military was
looking for a way to avoid an invasion of the Japanese islands. The campaign in the Pacific
theater had been very bloody, and with Hitler and the Nazi’s already defeated the US wanted to
end the war as soon as possible with as few American deaths as possible.
On July 26, 1945 President Harry S. Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and
President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek issued the Potsdam Declaration to Japan.
The declaration said that if Japan did not immediately surrender to the Allies they would face,
"prompt and utter destruction." The Japanese army was against the idea of unconditional
surrender. Two days later the Japanese rejected the terms of the ultimatum, committing to
continue the fight against the Allies. With this the Americans began plans to drop a nuclear
weapon on one of three Japanese cities: Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Yokohama. It was decided that
Hiroshima would be the best location because of its large urban area. It was also a key
communication hub, storage point, and assembly area for the Japanese army.
On August 6, 1945 the B-29 Bomber named Enola Gay took off from an airfield on the
island of Tinian. The Enola Gay was equipped with a nuclear weapon nicknamed “Little Boy”.
The weapon was filled with uranium that was scientifically altered to make it very unstable. The
Enola Gay arrived over the city of Hiroshima at an altitude of 32,000 feet releasing the bomb at
8:15 AM (Hiroshima time). It took the bomb 57 seconds to fall to the detonation height (2,000
feet over the city). When Little Boy exploded it did so with the force of 15 kilotons of TNT. It
created a blast radius of almost one mile. It killed 75,000 people immediately and another
70,000 were injured. Following the bombing the Japanese filled a protest with the United States,
but the army refused to consider surrendering and instituted martial law in Tokyo. Following the
bombing President Truman announced to the world the US had used an atomic bomb. He also
said, “We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan's power to make war. Only
a Japanese surrender will stop us."
On August 9th another B-29 plan, Bockscar, left the Tinian airfield heading toward
Kokura. The Bockscar was equipped with the Nuclear weapon nicknamed “Fat Man”. Fat Man’s
design was different to that of “Little Boy” and had a core of plutonium, which had an explosive
capacity almost twice that of the first bomb. Heavy cloud cover over the city forced the plane to
go to its secondary target Nagasaki. The bomb was dropped at 11:01 AM and exploded 1,500
feet over the city. The bomb generated a fireball that reached 7,000 °F with a blast radius of over
a mile. Between 40,000 and 75,000 people were killed immediately. The US was in preparation
to drop another bomb on Japan when they received Japans surrender on August 12, 1945. World
War II was finally over. Under the terms of the surrender the Japanese were to disband their
military and allow the US to occupy the country, but Emperor Hirohito would be allowed to
remain the ruler of Japan. The formal surrender was signed September 2nd onboard the USS
Missouri docked in Tokyo Bay.