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America in World War II (Part Two) The Allied Halting of
Hitler The Battle of the Atlantic
lasted from 1939-1945. Hitler entered war with large fleet of modern U-Boats.
The Allied Halting of Hitler The Battle of the Atlantic lasted from 1939-1945.
Hitler entered war with large fleet of modern U-Boats.
Submarines would act alone or in concert as “wolf packs”. Their goal: Sink as many merchant ships as possible and make it impossible for the allies to maintain their chains of supply. Large surface ships such as the battleship Bismarck were also used as raiders but were generally less successful.
Opening a Second Front from North Africa to Rome 1942-1944
A Second Front from North Africa to Rome Many Americans wanted a diversionary invasion of France in
1942 or 1943. British having tried and failed with Canadians to make a landing
along the now heavily fortified coast argued for the Mediterranean.
Fighting and Diplomacy in Africa 1942-1943
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower leads an invasion of North Africa in November 1942.
Largest amphibious landing in human history to that point.
German-Italian army eventually defeated and trapped in Tunisia
January 1943 FDR meets Churchill at Casablanca in Morocco. Agreed to step war in the Pacific, insist on “Unconditional Surrender” & invade Sicily and Italy
The Allied Invasion of Italy and Sicily 1943-1944
Sicily invaded and after hard fighting, captured in August 1943
September 1943, Italy surrenders unconditionally, Mussolini is overthrown but Germans fight on.
Rome was liberated June 4,1944 Fighting in Italy would continue until
May 1945 diverting key German resources from both Western and Eastern Fronts
D-Day: June 6th, 1944 FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met in
Tehran, Iran late in 1943. Agreed to coordinate Allied attacks on the Eastern and Western Fronts
Eisenhower given command of D-Day’s Operation Overlord
Along with a great deal of subterfuge Normandy is selected as sight of the invasion.
June 6, 1944 British, Canadian, and American led forces crash ashore and after determined resistance fight their way inland.
The Liberation of France Control of the air over France was
vital for Allies. Allies fought to break out from
Normandy’s “Hedge Country” Once out of Normandy progress was
fast. US General George Patton made fast progress. Paris was liberated in August 1944.
Attack carried forward and began to press Germany itself although it was delayed due to difficulty crossing the Rhine River.
The Last Days of Hitler
Germany was faltering by December 1944.
Hitler had one more gamble: Attack the Western Allies and take Antwerp, the Allies’ chief supply depot.
Attack began in thinly guarded Ardennes Forest in Belgium. Americans driven back to village of Bastogne and surrounded. Winter weather prevented allied air forces from helping beleaguered ground forces.
Defiant American General A.C. McAuliffe refused to surrender. They were relieved by Patton’s 3rd Army and air power shortly after Christmas.
The Last Days of Hitler (Part Two)
Allied forces crossed the Rhine in March 1945 and the Elbe in April 1945
Soviets captured Berlin in April. Hitler committed suicide. US & Soviet soldiers meet a short distance from Berlin.
FDR dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at Warm Springs Georgia April 12, 1945. Harry Truman becomes president.
Holocaust Revealed Reports of death camps had
been circulating for years and Washington had failed to shelter Jews (St. Louis incident) or attempt liberation
Upon discovery, the world was sickened by the sight of mass graves and starving survivors at Auschwitz, Treblinka, & Dachau. Six Million Jews and millions of other “non-desirables” were killed.
Japan Dies Hard
Japan’s empire was shrinking fast. American submarines sank fifty percent of all Japanese merchant ships.
Tokyo and other cities were firebombed killing thousands
Battle of Leyte Gulf destroys Japanese Navy October 1944
MacArthur recaptures the Philippines October 1944-January 1945
The End is Near
Iwo Jima and Okinawa bloody American victories March-June 1945
Kamikaze pilots damage American ships. Would the Japanese ever surrender?
Potsdam Conference in July 1945 demanded unconditional surrender of Japan.
The Atomic Bombs
Manhattan Project headed by American & German exiles including Albert Einstein and J. Robert Openheimer
On July 16, 1945 test bomb is exploded at Alamagordo, New Mexico
August 6, 1945 Atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima ultimately killing 180,000 people. Nagasaki blast killed about eighty thousand three days later
Japan Surrenders, August 14,1945 World War II is over