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WORLD WAR II ALLIED INVASIONS War in Africa • Fighting begins in Africa in 1940 when Italian forces based in Libya attacked British-controlled Egypt • Italy wants an African empire • The British eliminate the Italian threat and even invade Libya – the Italians were now on the defensive • Feb. 1941 – 30,000 British soldiers capture 130,000 Italian prisoners, gain 500 miles • Only lost 500 men and Ethiopia is freed • Hitler steps in and sends the Desert Fox • The new German and Italian force was called the Afrika Korps and was led by General Erwin Rommel • He pushes the British out of Libya and back into Egypt • Rommel and the British go back and forth • The Afrika Korps lacks supplies – Rommel is outnumbered and has less fire power Allied Invasions • Allied Invasion of Africa – known as Operation Torch • Nov. 1942 – three amphibious landings in the French colonies of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco • Led by American general Dwight Eisenhower • Landed with 107,000 Allied troops and the Vichy-controlled colonies soon joined • As a result, Germany occupies all of France • Rommel is in trouble, has Allied forces to the east and west • Rommel goes to Berlin to plead for more troops and weapons • May 1943 the Afrika Korps surrenders and the war in Africa is over • 250,000 Axis soldiers taken prisoner and the Allies control all of North Africa • Allied Invasion of Italy - known as Operation Husky (June 1943) • The Italians remove Mussolini from power • Italy leaves the war in September • The Allies next invade mainland Italy • Germany sends Rommel to defend northern Italy • German resistance slows the Allies • They reach Rome by May 1944 • Don’t gain total control of Italy until five days before Germany surrenders Battle of the Atlantic and Berlin • Battle of the Atlantic • Germany relied once again on U-boats since they couldn’t match the battleships of Great Britain • The German U-boat fleet consisted of 400 subs • They fought in wolf packs for protection • Sank 2,452 merchant ships and 174 warships at a cost of thousands of lives and millions of dollars • Eventually the Allies won control of the Atlantic • Better-equipped convoys that hunted and destroyed the U-boats • Allies had broken the German code, knew the location of the U-boats • Battle of Berlin • November 1943 to spring 1944 • Allies bomb Berlin and other cities • Also bomb railways and infrastructure in France Tehran Conference • Nov. 1943 – meeting of the Allied Powers • Main issue was the plan to launch the cross-channel invasion • Decide to create the United Nations to replace the failed League of Nations • Would be dominated by Britain, U.S., the Soviet Union, and France Invasion of France • American generals Eisenhower and Marshall are put in charge • Assemble and train troops, also develop specialized equipment to transport troops and tanks across the channel • Hitler doesn’t know where the attack will happen, sends Rommel to defend the coast of several nations • Rommel builds the Atlantic Wall • D-Day June 6, 1944 • Allied forces invade France, known as Operation Overlord • 150,000 troops land on the beaches of Normandy and force their way through German defenses • High amount of casualties, but D-Day was a huge victory • With the beaches secured, more Allied troops sent in • 1 million soldiers in France by the end of June • The Allies quickly reconquered most of France and Paris is freed in August Battle of the Bulge • Dec. 1944 – the Germans launch a massive counterattack in Belgium • The Germans advance, creating a bulge in the Allied battle lines • By Jan. 1945 the Allies regain the land and crush the German offensive • Within two months the Allied forces had crossed the Rhine River into Germany and were racing towards Berlin War on the Eastern Front • Siege of Leningrad • Germans fail to capture the city, so Hitler orders a siege, or military blockade • Designed to force the city to surrender • Winter of 1941-1942 people starved to death at a rate of 3,000-4,000 a day • As many as one million will eventually die in the siege • The Soviets end the siege in early 1944 after 900 days • Spring of 1942 German forces renewed their attacks on the Soviet Union • Fought well at first and by August looked ready to capture the city of Stalingrad • One of the largest in the nation and its factories produced military equipment vital for the Soviet war effort • Battle of Stalingrad – Aug. 1942 • One of the most brutal battles of the war • The Luftwaffe and artillery bomb the city into rubble • German troops then go in to wipe out the remaining Soviet defenders • Vicious house-to-house fighting ensues • Tens of thousands die on each side • Soviets manage to hold off the German attack by the fall of 1942 and organize a counterattack • A Soviet force breaks through and surrounds the Germans, around 250,000 men • The Germans could escape the trap by retreating, but Hitler won’t allow it • By Jan. 1943 the Germans are out of ammunition, food, and medicine, but Hitler tells them that surrender is forbidden • 90,000 Germans that are left surrender shortly after, making Hitler mad • Most of them will die in Soviet camps • This was the first major defeat of Hitler’s armies • Turning point for the war on the Eastern Front • June 1944 – the massive Soviet offensive against the Germans • Pushes the Germans out of Russia and into central Europe • Leads to another 800,000 German casualties • July the Soviets capture Poland • Captures Romania and Bulgaria in Sept. 1944 • Captures Hungary at the end of 1944 • Vienna captured in April 1945 • By January 1945 the Germans were within 40 miles of Berlin Yalta Conference • Meeting of the Allied Powers • Purpose was to discuss the final strategy for defeating Germany and Japan • Division of Germany and Berlin into occupation zones • UN Security council featuring Britain, U.S., Soviet Union, France, and China • Would have more power than other member nations Victory in Europe • The race to Berlin is on between the Soviets and the other Allies (Americans, British, and French) • The Soviets win • Take 200,000 casualties to gain the last 39 miles • Half a million Soviets surround Berlin in late August 1945 • Hitler commits suicide on May 2 and Berlin surrenders the same day • On May 7th Germany surrenders • May 8th is proclaimed V-E Day = Victory in Europe Day World War II Conferences T = Tehran Conference Y = Yalta Conference ___1. ___2. ___3. ___4. ___5. ___6. Stalin promises to declare war on Japan Creates the United Nations Final strategy for defeating Germany and Japan Security Council that includes France and China Plan the cross-channel invasion Division of Germany into four zones