World War II

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World War II

• 14.2 The Early Battles (Appleby 494-499)
• 14.4 Pushing Back the Axis (Appleby 508-515)
• European War Focus

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Todays Agenda

• 14.2 slide show
• Homework
• Presentations or Paper due THIS Friday!!!
• Quality must be Excellent
• Must be ontime
• http//interactive.guim.co.uk/embed/2014/apr/image
  -opacity-slider-master/index.html?ww2-dday

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Normandy Beach, France June 6, 1944
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What events led these Americans to end up in
Normandy, France?
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Who were the Allies/the Axis Powers?

• Allies
• United States
• Great Britain
• Soviet Union
• And many others
• Axis Powers
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan

World Map with the participants in World War
II.The Allies depicted in green (those in light
green entered after the attack on Pearl Harbor),
the Axis Powers in orange, and neutral countries
in grey.
The Big Three
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What was the Allied strategy for fighting WWII?

• Second Front
• Stalin wanted US to invade Europe
• Help Russia fight Germans
• FDR
• agreed to defeat Germany 1st
• Defensive war in Pacific
• Unconditional surrender
• No separate truces will be accepted
• Closing the Ring
• Allied plan to encircle Germany

Mr. Reilly
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Barbarossa
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Axis Powers by September of 1942.
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Hitlers Plan Operation Barbarossa Capture the
wheat fields of Ukraine Advance East across
North Africa and South from Russia to capture
the oil fields of the Middle East.
Wheat Fields
Oil Fields
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Describe the importance of Stalingrad.

• Operation Barbarossa began June 1941 (Summer)
• Blitzkrieg extremely effective
• Control of Volga Rv. control of Russian
  resources
• oil of Caspian wheat of Ukraine
• Stalingrad key to Volga Rv.
• Battle of Stalingrad
• Brutal street fighting
• Germans unprepared for winter
• Soviets stopped Germans
• 300 thousand captured
• Turning point of the war

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In spite of these loses, Hitler was firmly
entrenched in western Europe.
Russian Advance After Stalingrad
Allied Invasion of Italy Summer 43
Allied Invasion of N. Africa 11/42
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To complete the encirclement of Hitler (Closing
the Ring) the Allies needed to land somewhere in
France.
Normandy 6/44 D Day
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Describe the preparations for the Allied invasion
of Europe.

• Pas-de-Calais
• Port city in France where Hitler believed Allies
  would invade
• Allies encouraged Hitlers belief
• Operation Mincemeat
• Spring 44
• 1.5 million US soldiers, thousands or airplanes,
  equipment gathered in S. England
• Chose northern coast of France as invasion site
  (Normandy Beach)
• Conditions for invasion only good from June 5-7
  (Tide, Moon would be OK)

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• Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied
  Expeditionary Force!
• You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade,
  toward which we have striven these many months.
  The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and
  prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march
  with you. I have full confidence in your courage
  and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will
  accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck!
  And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God
  upon this great and noble undertaking.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower

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What was Operation Overlord?

• Plan for Allied invasion of W. Europe (D-Day)
• D-Day (June 6, 1944)
• Involved transporting hundreds of thousands of
  troops, equipment across stormy English Channel
  to gain foothold in France
• Atlantic Wall
• Normandy Coast of France heavily fortified by
  Germans
• Omaha beach saw intense fighting
• Over 2, 500 casualties
• Built man-made harbor
• Huge success

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D-Day
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What was the Battle of the Bulge?

• Hitlers last major offensive (Dec. 1944)
• Caught Allies off guard
• Goal was to capture Antwerp
• Germans surrounded town of Bastogne
• Protected by 101st Airborne
• Germans demanded surrender
• Nuts was the reply
• Weather broke in January and supplies replenished

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Site of assassination attempt on Hitler by Claus
von Stauffenberg
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What was V-E Day?

• After Battle of the Bulge German spent
• By April 45, Soviets were in Berlin, US was
  closing in
• Hitler committed suicide April 30
• Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies
  May 8, 1945
• Victory in Europe VE Day
• FDR had died April 12

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VE Day