WWII - EuropeIdentify the historical significance of key battles and

terms related to the conduct of WWII in Europe

Dwight D. Eisenhower• General of

the D-Day Invasion of Europe

• The code name for the event was Operation Overlord, and the assault on the Normandy region of France was a great success – with high casualties at Omaha.

Submarine Warfare• U-Boats were still a powerful machine in WWII for

both sides of the war, but especially the Germans.

Battle of Stalingrad - 1942• Fought between

Germans and Soviets in the Soviet Union

• One of the bloodiest battles in history

• Turning point for the war in Europe – Nazis were never able to fully recover

Normandy Invasion – June 6, 1944• D-Day: June 6,

1944• American, British,

and Canadian troops stormed the beaches at Omaha to get France back from the Germans.

• They met heavy fire from the German Army – despite a bombardment by naval vessels all morning.

FDR’s Death – April 12, 1945• When President

Roosevelt passes away in April of 1945 – of a stroke – he was confident that the US would prevail in Europe.

• The city of Berlin would fall in the next several weeks, and Germany would surrender within one month.

Truman takes Office – April 12, 1945• Truman ascended to

the Presidency in 1945, and took control of the war effort. He was so little informed of the situations in the war that many worried whether or not he was competent to manage the job as Commander in Chief – but he learned the ropes quickly.

Hitler’s Demise – April 20, 1945• Adolf Hitler and his

mistress Eva Braun committed suicide sometime in late April of 1945 – just as the Soviet Union’s Army was rolling into Berlin with punishing force. His body was discovered by Soviet soldiers, burned, and then taken back to the Soviet Union.

V-E Day – May 8, 1945• Germany

surrendered to the Allies, officially ending the war in Europe

• wild celebrations took place all over the world – but Americans still had another war to fight – in the Pacific Theatre, against Japan. Many predicted a long war.