US Enters WWII

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US Enters WWII
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• War Plans -
• Dec 22, 1941 - FDR and Churchill met at White
  House
• 2 decisions -

• Defeat of Germany is top priority
• Only accept unconditional surrender of Axis Powers

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• Reasons -
• FDR - considered Hitler enemy number 1 of US
• Stalin - desperate for help
• after defeat Germany - US could get help from GB
  and SU in defeating Japan
• must have a complete victory

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• Battle of the Atlantic -
• after Pearl Harbor - Hitler ordered sub raids
  against ships along US East Coast

• Allies formed convoys -
• escorted across Atlantic by destroyers with sonar
  and airplanes with radar to detect subs

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• Battle of Stalingrad -
• 1942 - German push stalled at Moscow and
  Leningrad (St. Petersburg)

• Hiter 2 objectives -
• seize rich oil fields in Caucasus Mts
• capture Stalingrad (industrial center)

• 3 months - attacked city
• Sept - controlled 9/10 of city

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• Nov - advisors told Hitler to pull back to
  protect army
• Hitler - ordered to stand in and fight to last
  man

• Winter - Stalingrad - became frozen wasteland
• Germans not prepared for war

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• Feb 2, 1943 - Germany surrendered
• Russia - lost 1,250,000 troops more than US for
  entire war

• North African Front -
• Stalin - wanted GB and US to open 2nd front in
  W. Europe

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• cause Hitler to take troops from SU
• GB and US believed not ready
• launched - Operation Torch - invasion of Axis
  controlled N. Africa - Eisenhower

• The Italian Campaign -
• Casablanca - US and GB met to decide where to
  attack before N Africa was won

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• US - assemble invasion fleet in GB, cross English
  Channel through FR and into GER
• GB - safer to first attack Italy
• compromise - work on invasion plans, as invading
  Italy

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• Summer 1943 - captured Sicily - gaining support
  of Italian people
• July 25, 1943 - King Victor Emmanuel II stripped
  Mussolini of his power
• Mussolini was arrested as he left the palace

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• Hitler - seized control of Italy, put Mussolini
  back in power and put German troops in place to
  stop invaders

• Bloody Anzio - 4 mths long
• 25,000 (Allied), 30,000 (Axis) died

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• April 28, 1945 - Italians ambushed Nazi convoy
• found Mussolini disguised as German soldier

• April 29, 1945 - shot and hung body in Milan
  Square

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Operation Overlord

• Ordered Eisenhower -
• planned invasion of Hitlers Empire

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D-Day

• 2 years - US and GB build invasion force of
  ships, land craft and 3 million troops
• Eisenhower - take Hitler by surprise and go
  through Normandy

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• Original date - June 5 bad weather pushed attack
  back one day to June 6

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• 3 divisions parachuted behind enemy lines during
  the night
• GB, US and CA troops - fought ashore at 5 points
  along 60-mile stretch
• 156,000 troops, 4,000 landing craft, 600 warships
  and 11,000 planes

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• German Retaliation - Omaha Beach
• People were yelling, screaming, dying, running
  on the beach, equipment was flying everywhere,
  firing was coming from all directions. We
  dropped down behind anything that was the size of
  a golf ball.

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• July 25 - Gen. Omar Bradly - began massive air
  and land attacks
• Aug 23 - reached Seine River south of Paris
• August 25 - Allies liberated Paris
• Sept - 1944 - FR, BEL, LUX and NETH were freed
• FDR - re-elected to 4th term, with Harry S.
  Truman

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V-E Day

• April 25 - US and SU troops met at Torgau 60
  miles south of Berlin
• Berlin - Hitler hiding in undergroud bunker as
  Allied air raids pounded the city
• April 30 - committed suicide because he was
  unwilling to surrender

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• May 7, 1945 - GER surrendered to Allies
• May 8, 1945 - Allies celebrated V-E Day

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