Winning the War in Europe

WWII

I. Turning the Tide1. Fall of 1942 a. British and Americans -Victory in the South -Won North Africa b. Russians -Victorious in the East

2. Summer 1943a. U.S. General Patton -Won control of Italy & Sicily

3. Allied air bombingsa. Destroyed strategic targets -factories -oil refineries -military bases -airports -VERY SUCCESSFUL

II. The Final Offensives1. D-Day (June 6th 1944) a. Massive allied invasion -Normandy France b. Amphibious warfare c. Allies took Paris -Liberated France

At dawn on 6 June 1944 Operation Overlord began. The invasion forces landed on 5 beaches along the Normandy coast: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. On the first day, 2,700 vessels and 1,897 landing craft sailed. The cargo was 130,000 soldiers, 12,000 vehicles, 2,000 tanks and 10,000 tons of stores.

2. V-E Day (Victory in Europe)a. Allies destroyed German forcesb. Russians captured Berlin -May 7th 1945 -Unconditional German surrender -“V.E. Day”