Germany Collapses

Germany Collapses

• German divisions are moved into Ardennes Forest.

• They launch an attack on the Americans and at first are successful.

• Called the Battle of the Bulge

Battle of the Bulge

• Began 5:00 a.m. December 16, 1944.• Green American troops fought Germans

battle hardened troops• Americans were surrounded at Bastogne but

refused to surrender• Battle of the Bulge ended about where it

began, but there were huge loses.

Effects of Battle of the Bulge

• Huge German loses in men and material

• Allowed the Russians to advance on the Eastern Front

Moving to the Rhine

• Allied troops in the west move towards the Rhine River

• Feb. 21- Allies reach the Rhine and Germans pull back across the river

• Americans find a bridge still in tact and cross the Rhine

Yalta Conference• Held Feb. 4-11,

1945• Was a secret

conference• Brought together the

“Big Three”• Discussed Europe’s

postwar reorganization

Yalta Conference

• Would divide Germany into zones– Great Britain, France, and U.S. combined their

zones into West Germany– Soviet Union controlled East Germany

• City of Berlin was split in half• Poland given it’s independence

– Free elections were to take place

Roosevelt Dies

• April 12, 1945- President Roosevelt dies

• Harry S. Truman takes over as Commander in Chief of the U.S.

Death of Mussolini

• Allies moving towards Milan– Mussolini and his lady friend flee

• Found by Colonel Valerio who executes both of them

• Their bodies are hung on display in a public square in Milan

Death of Mussolini

Allies Enter Germany

• As Allies moved in on Berlin, Hitler refused to admit defeat

• Goering and Himmler removed from the Nazi Party

• Admiral Doenitz is named as Hitler’s successor

• Hitler, Ava Braun, and Goebbels commit suicide in The Bunker

• May 5, 1945- Germany surrenders to the Allies

• May 7, 1945- Germans sign surrender agreement at Rheims, France

• May 8, 1945- ceremony was repeated in Berlin called V-E day

Allies Enter Germany