The War in Europe

The Phony War (October-April, 1939-1940)

• Stalin and Hitler divided up Poland• Nazi death squads roamed Poland killing

Jews • Stalin’s buffer-zone• Invasion of Finland – 200,000 Soviet soldiers – Hitler’s response to the invasion of Finland…

Invasion of France (May 10-June 25, 1940)

• May 10, 1940 German forces invade Belgium & Netherlands. – tanks pushed through the Ardennes Forest.

• The fall of Belgium gave Germany air bases close to England. – Hermann Goering began planning the air assault

on Britain.

The French Surrender

• French forces unprepared for attack– Nearly 2 million French soldiers captured.

• German forces seized Paris on June 14– Full surrender on June 25

Nazi Occupied France & Vichy Regime • Nazi Occupied France: North• Vichy France: South• Vichy France claimed neutrality but…

Philippe Petain: became the leader of Vichy France. Charles De Gaulle - led the French resistance from England

The Battle of Britain July – November, 1940

• Battle is revolutionary– Why air bombardment?• WWI• Dunkirk

• Luftwaffe initially bombed airfields, airplane factories and radar installations.

• German pilots flew from France and Belgium to Britain • British response– 500 planes a month. – Dogfights to defend against the Luftwaffe

Battle of Britain: London Blitz

• September 1940: Tactic changes civilians• “London Blitz”: sustained bombing of Britain September

1940 and May 1941– London attacked for 57 consecutive nights.

• By May 1941 over 43,000 civilians, half of them in London– Did not break the will

• Operation Sea Lion –German invasion of Britain – was cancelled. – Hitler plans war against the Soviet Union

Operation Barbarossa:German Invasion of Russia

• Operation Barbarossa : Code name for Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union

• Planning began in December 1940– Why???

• Hitler, Russia, Great Britain…• GOAL: rapid conquest of the European USSR

Barbarossa• Invasion began in June of 1941– Problem?

• 4.5 million Axis troops invade – Largest military offensive in history

• By January 1942 – Barbarossa fails– Red Army halts the blitz– BUT USSR’s situation remained dire.

Barbarossa’s Failure

• Barbarossa’s failure led to – Hitler demands more fighting in USSR• All operations fail

• Barbarossa turning point for Third Reich– opens the Eastern Front • Some of largest battles• Highest casualties• Influences World War II & Cold War

Battle of Stalingrad

• July 1942-February 1943 – Vital battle on the Eastern Front. – Red Army held off the German assault – Turning point on the Eastern Front. – Casualties = approx 1.5 million.

• Germans invaded & seize the city in July of ‘42 – Difficulties…

• November Red Army counter attack – Brutal winter fighting– German leader surrenders despite Hitler’s orders.

When Allies Attack: Africa and Italy

• OPERATION TORCH- The North Africa Campaign November 1942-May 1943

• USSR pressure for a second front in Europe • After North Africa …what to do?

• Churchill invasion of Italy (“the underbelly of Europe”) • Churchill saw victory in Italy as vital.

– Opens the Mediterranean to supply USSR

When Allies Attack: France1943 • Air campaign against Germany

• Successful in doing what…?• The American army battle hardened• Hitler losing ground on the Eastern Front• Anglo-American generals plan the invasion of France• Hitler realized the vulnerability of France – Rommel took command of the Atlantic Wall in December

• Operation Overlord - code name for the invasion of Western Europe

When Allies Attack France: D-Day - June 6, 1944

• The Normandy Landings had two phases: – Air Assault landing of 24,000 (American, British,

Canadian, French) shortly after midnight– Amphibious landing: On the coast of France

commencing at 6:30 AM. • Five Beaches: Utah (US), Omaha (US), Juno,

Gold, Sword

D DAYJune 6th, 1944: D-Day• Americans suffered over 4,500 casualties on

D-Day. • Advantage to the Allies– Quick supply for Allies, slow for Axis

Disaster for the Germans:The East

• June, 1944– Red Army six weeks of relentless armored attack the

Soviets drove 300 miles west towards the German frontier.

• The Germans lost a further 350,000 men killed, wounded and captured.

The Battle of the Bulge (December, 1944 – January, 1945)

• By the end of ’44– Allies had taken back Paris by August.– The Red Army reached the suburbs of Warsaw by August.__________

• Battle of the Bulge :Germany’s last major counter offensive– Initially successful– But…end of January Germans pushed out of Ardennes

• The Allies suffered heavily– Heaviest losses for Americans of World War II.

• Germans had lost 100,000

Yalta, Yalta, Yalta• Yalta Conference: February

1945 – Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill– Discuss post-war plans for

Germany.

• Germany to be – demilitarizied, and de-Nazified. – divided into zones for control and

reconstruction.

• USSR agrees to enter war against Japan 90 days after the surrender of Germany.

The End in EuropeFebruary 1945:

– Western Allied forces entered Germany

– Soviets pushed furthern into Poland

March, 1945 – Western Allies crossed the

Rhine. – Soviets advanced to Vienna

April, 1945– Western Allies pushed up

through Italy and through Germany

– Soviet forces stromed Berlin.• Elbe River - April 25th

The End in Europe

• Roosevelt dies on April 12 – Replaced by Harry Truman

• Mussolini killed on April 28• April 30th Hitler committed suicide.

MAY 8th, 1945 - VE Day – Germany officially surrenders