Turning the tide in WWII

Important Victories Important Victories changes the momentum changes the momentum

for the Alliesfor the Allies

1942-19451942-1945

Smart Start:

• Explain how the Axis powers dominated the first 3 years of WWII (1939-1942)

–What battles occurred?

–What was the plan of the Axis powers

–Why did they have all the “mo-jo”?

Up to this PointEuropean TheatreEuropean Theatre

*Hitler’s take over (Czech. & Poland)

Battle of Dunkirk

Battle of Britain

Dominance in North Africa

Usage of Blitzkreig

Appeasement

Invasion of Russia

Holocaust

Pacific TheatrePacific Theatre• Bombing of Pearl

Harbor• Take over of pacific

islands (Guam, Philippines, Wake Island, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, Burma, Indonesia)

• Take over of China and SE Asia

• Forgotten Holocaust

So what went wrong?• Greed and over confidence of power

• To vast of an area to control (Japan)

• Lack of proper leadership and ability (Mussolini)

• Losses in important battles (Midway-Pacific Theatre/Battle of Britain and Stalingrad-European Theatre)

• Entrance of the US after Pearl Harbor

• Loss control of North Africa “Soft underbelly of Europe”-Winston Churchill

Battle of Midway• Up to this battle in June of 1942: Japan

dominated the Pacific Theatre• Japanese plans were to take the Island of

Midway and wipe out US Pacific fleet located there

• Message was decoded (US outnumbered but aware of attack and are prepared)

• Air attacks/US Navy is a force to be recognize

• Japanese retreat • Payback for Pearl Harbor (Destroyed 4

Japanese Aircraft carriers)

US momentum• Mac Arthur – US

commander of Pacific land effort–Plan: “Island hopping”

• take islands close to Japan• try to cut off supply lines: starve troops

General MacArthur- US General

Aug 1942-Feb 1943• Guadalcanal Japanese building an air

base; US plans to strike before completion–6 months of fighting–Japanese abandon the island (23,000 of 36,000 die)

Russians defeat Germans• Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943• Hitler pushed back to same position where

he began his invasion campaign• Soldiers are suffering (Harsh winter, no

food, lack of proper clothing, loosing moral)

• Loss of life (Best German army section lost)

• Had to retreat (huge bubble buster for Germany)

1943-1944- It began to unravel for Axis Powers

• Tunisia in North Africa surrendered to the Allies

• Allies then move northward and take over the country of Sicily

• Fall of Sicily: Mussolini is removed from power and King Immanuel III takes over

• Germany tries to save Mussolini in a daring raid and put him in power North Italy

• Germany controls northern Italy• Bloody battles and heavy casualties for

Allies: Rome captured in June 1944

Italy falls- 1944• Italy is now controlled by the Allies

• Known as the “Second Front”

• Mussolini tries to escape, but fails and is captured and executed

• His body was hung in the town square for all Italians to see (Spit, kick, mutilate his body)

• Allies now devise a plan to take over rest of Europe

D-Day• To surround Hitler within Germany (Put

him in the middle- Cookie effect)

• Soviet Union would push from the East

• Britain, US, France, etc would push from the West

• Needed to invade France (Normandy)

• Dwight E Eisenhower-US General begins to plan the biggest and greatest Naval, Land, and Air assault in World History

D-Day- June 6, 1944–60 mile stretch of beach–3.5 million sent in, 3,000+ Americans die on the beach

–Allies had to pass underwater mines, barbed wire, machine gun fire

–Going up hill/on beaches

D Day Clip

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_qeCNg8fO0

• The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries.  Almost 133,000 troops from England, Canada and the United States landed on D-Day.  Casualties from the three countries during the landing numbered 10,300. 

• By June 30th, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores. Fighting by the brave soldiers, sailors and airmen of the allied forces western front and Russian forces on the eastern front led to the defeat of German Nazi forces. 

Result of D-Day

–One month later, 1 million more troops arrive

–August 25, 1944 Allies take Paris; liberate France, Belgium, Luxemburg

Assignment:• After receiving the handouts you will

need to complete the following:1.1. Letter:Letter: You will need to re-write the letter

the best you can by taking the “voice” out. Try to make it impersonal, report, any way that does not have voice

2.2. Brief History of D-DayBrief History of D-Day: You will need to add the voice to this excerpt in any fashion you see fit (Making sure it is appropriate and not to be funny)

*This will be do tomorrow. For the rewriting you can do this on the back of the handouts.