dunkirk; the “blitz” of london; the invasion of russia. it was the invasion of russia that...

EVENTS LEADING TO THE

END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE

RECAP – HITLER’S FATAL MISTAKES Dunkirk; The “Blitz” of London; The invasion of Russia.

It was the invasion of Russia that would inevitably lead to Hitler’s fall from power.

SETTING THE STAGE - THE RUSSIAN FRONT

On August 23rd, 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a “Non-Aggression Pact” which vowed not to interfere in each other’s business

On June 22nd, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union

Having purged his military of many of its best officers, Stalin and the Soviets were not ready for war

THE EASTERN FRONT

Operation “Barbarossa” – began on June 22nd, 1941

The early days saw the Germans drive into the Soviet Union almost reaching Moscow by October

The German army besieged Leningrad for what was to become a two year struggle ending in the death of more than one million civilians

When the severe Russian winter arrived the Nazi offensive broke down and the German attack was halted

MEANWHILE, JAPAN BRINGS THE UNITED STATES INTO THE

WAR WITH THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR (ONE OF THE

WAR'S GREAT BLUNDERS!)

THE ALLIES FAIL: THE DIEPPE

INVASION

August 1942

Ever since the “Miracle at Dunkirk”, the allies were anxious to return to the mainland of western Europe and fight the Germans.

The Soviets were also looking for assistance in their fight against the Germans, so they urged the allies to launch an attack in Western Europe.

THE ALLIES PRACTICE ON THE COAST OF FRANCE…. THE DIEPPE INVASION

Summer of 1942, the Soviets are urging the Allies to attack Nazi-occupied Europe from the west

Allies were not ready to launch an all-out attack but wanted to test German defenses, test out new equipment, gather intelligence, and provide a theatre of action for restless Canadian troops In Aug. 1942, 5000 Canadian troops stationed in

England were picked for the raid on the French port of Dieppe.

August 19, 1942 - ‘Operation Jubilee’ Dieppe, France (seaport on English Channel) Allies: Canada, United States Axis: Germany

THE DIEPPE RAID – WHAT HAPPENED?

The raid on Dieppe was launched to find out what was needed to make a full-scale Allied invasion across the English Channel a success.

It was also intended to draw German forces out of Russia.

PURPOSE OF THE RAID:

DIEPPE – BAD FOR CANADIANS

The raid failed:• Before the force reached the

beaches, it was spotted by a German naval patrol, and a sharp exchange of fire began.

• the element of suprise was lost as the invasion had to launch in daylight.

Few units from the landing force moved far beyond the beachhead as German resistance proved to be far stronger than anticipated.

The landing sites were poorly planned and the Germans were able to fire shells at the Allied landing craft when they were still 10 minutes from shore

• By early afternoon, August 19, 1942, after 6 hours of slaughter, Operation Jubilee, the invasion of Dieppe, was over.

• Canadians bore the brunt of the casualties at Dieppe:• 913 killed, • 2,460 wounded, • 1,946 taken prisoner

by the Germans.• Of the 2,210 who

returned to Britain, only 236 were unhurt - and 200 of these were men who had not been landed.

Significance? Rehearsal for D-Day: test Germany’s

defences along French coast and gain intelligence

Costly learning experience:Next time: must be well-prepared and

executeChanged military strategy by deciding to

launch a massive aerial strike ahead of the invasion to weaken German defences

Change landing location to less secure areas along the French coast

DIEPPE - SIGNIFICANCE

http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=231174

MEANWHILE, THE BATTLE IN THE ATLANTIC

CONTINUED

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

Ongoing 1939 - 1945

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTICWhen? Longest battle of the WWII; on-going throughout

the war (1939-1945)

Where? In the Atlantic Ocean

Who? Allies: Britain, Canada and the United States Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) played a vital role

by transporting troops, food and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain

Axis: Germany (Kriegsmarine)

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTICWhy? Britain relied on Canada for supplies and

reinforcements, so it was important for Hitler to destroy Allied supply ships.

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC To protect the cargo ships, the allies

organized convoys – the first ½ of the trip the convoys were protected by Canadian ships; the latter half, British

In the beginning, the German U-boats (submarines) travelled in “wolf packs” and had the upper hand, sinking many ships (143 in July 1942)

More than 1600 Canadian and Newfoundland merchant marines were killed.

This map shows the convoy system and the Battle of the Atlantic. The battle built Canada’s naval power. When the war began, the Canadian navy consisted of just 11 ships and 20,000 sailors. When it ended, Canada had the third-largest navy in the world, with close to 400 ships and 113,000 personnel, including 7000 women.

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC The RCN grew to become the world’s 3rd

largest navy Helped 25,000+ ships cross the Atlantic

Ocean Delivered 165 metric tons of supplies to

Europe (needed for D-Day invasion)

http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=227045

ON TO STALINGRAD

THE TIDE TURNS The Nazis needed supplies and

resources to continue the war so victory in the Soviet Union was essential

From Sept. 14th, 1942 – Feb. 2nd, 1943 – the Germans and Russians fought for the strategic city of Stalingrad on the Volga River

Hitler and the Nazis lost the battle – 500 000 German and other troops were killed or taken prisoner

By the Autumn of 1943 the Germany army of 2.5 million soldiers faced an army of 5.5 million Soviet soldiers

TURNING POINT EUROPE - STALINGRAD

July 1942 – Feb. 1943

WHY WAS STALINGRAD SO IMPORTANT? It was a strategic

transportation and communication hub;

It was the largest city near the Caspian Sea – its capture would cut off the land route carrying British and American supplies to the Soviet troops

Provided access to Caucasus, which was rich in oil.

Was Stalin's namesake – defeat would lead to lowering the morale of the Soviet troops.

What went wrong? Over-reliance on the

Luftwaffe, who were unable to bring in the necessary supplies in the cold winter months;

Nazi soldiers had very low morale;

Stalin was willing to do whatever necessary to defend the city which held his name.

On February 22, 1943, German troops surrendered at Stalingrad. The tides were turning.

THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD July 1942 – February 1943 Amongst the bloodiest battles in the

history of warfare Heavy casualties on both sides:

147,000 Germans killed and 91,000 taken prisoner

500,000 Soviets killed The Red Army showed the world that

the German war machine was vulnerable

http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=138516

German troops were surrounded by the Russians at Stalingrad.

Unable to break out, the Germans also had to face the winter. Temperatures dropped to well below zero and food, ammunition and heat were in short supply. 

"My hands are done for, and have been ever since the beginning of December. The little finger of my left hand is missing and - what's even  worse - the three middle fingers of my right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug with my thumb and little finger. I'm pretty helpless; only when a man has lost any fingers does he see how much he needs then for the smallest jobs. The best thing I can do with the little finger is to shoot with it. My hands are finished." Anonymous German soldier 

WHY WAS THIS BATTLE SO IMPORTANT? The failure of the German Army was nothing short of

a disaster. A complete army group was lost at Stalingrad and 91,000

Germans were taken prisoner. With such a massive loss of manpower and equipment,

the Germans simply did not have enough manpower to cope with the Russian advance to Germany when it came.

Despite resistance in parts – such as a Kursk – they were in retreat on the Eastern Front from February 1943 on.

In his fury, Hitler ordered a day’s national mourning in Germany, not for the men lost at the battle, but for the shame the German Commander, General von Paulus ,had brought on the Wehrmacht and Germany. Paulus was also stripped of his rank to emphasize Hitler’s

anger with him.