Chapter 26 Americans and a World in Crisis 1933-1945

1. Chapter 26Americans and a World in Crisis1933-1945 Mr. Hudenburg

2. BLITZ-BRAINSTORM-KREIG ON WWII • Germany broke Treaty of Versailles by building up army • Blitzkrieg= Lightning war • Japan switched sides from WWI, rise of Tojo and Emperor Hirohito • Kamikazes by Japanese (divine wind) • War officially starts when Germany invades Poland (1939) • Lebensraum • Russia made Non-Aggression pact with Germany, later Germany attacked Russia • FDR tries to extend lend-lease to Russia, soviets were very suspicious of U.S. • Arsenal of Democracy – ended Great Depression • Turning Points: Midway (Pacific), El Alamein (Africa), Stalingrad (Russian Front), D-Day/ Battle of the Bulge (Western Front) – last German offensive, A-bomb because Japan wouldn’t surrender- we only had 2 bombs: Hiroshima and Nagasaki • Holocaust - America thought the best way to end Holocaust was to defeat Germany • Lead to creation of Israel (sort of)

3. Hitler shot himself • New countries created after WWI invaded by Germany • Pearl Harbor • Battle Britain • Women in workforce - Rosie the Riveter • Zoot suit riots/ army uniform • 2nd Great migration of African Americans to North • Massive bombing raids • Battle of Coral Sea – first aircraft carrier battle • Soviets took Berlin • Native Americans- Navajo talkers • Tuskegee Airmen • D-Day June 6th, 1944 • VE (Victory Europe) • VJ (Victory Japan) • Soviets suffered the most • Children in England sent to countryside, Anna Freud made it goal to see psychological impact • Wizards war, sonar ability to find subs, radar, flamethrower, Manhattan Project, Jet Airplanes, V1, V2 rocket missiles (Von Braun) • Japanese internment camps

4. Zoot suit (before the riot)

5. Nationalism and the Good Neighbor • FDR announced a “Good Neighbor Policy,” and in 1933 signed a convention stating that no state has the right to intervene in the external affairs of another • Overturned Roosevelt Corollary of Monroe Doctrine • Withdrew troops from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and renounced the Platt Amendment that had given the US control over the Cuban government • While the policy failed to completely end US interference in Latin America, it did foster better relations that became important later on in World War II

6. The Rise of Aggressive States in Europe and Asia • Benito Mussolini and the Fascist party seized power in Italy in 1922, and invaded Ethiopia in 1935, hoping to recreate a Roman Empire • Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933 and began a program intent on purifying Germany of Jews (FDR and Hitler came into power in 1933 and both died in office in 1945) • In 1936 Germany reoccupied the Rhineland (industrial heart of Germany), and in 1938 took over Sudetenland (Northern & Western Czechoslovakia) • France, England and Germany signed the Munich Pact which gave the Germans control of the Sudetenland in hopes of avoiding an all-out war (appeasement) • In Japan militarists took control of the government and in 1937 after signing a mutual defense pact with Germany and Italy, Japan launched a full-scale war against China • China in the midst of a civil war on the eve of Japanese invasion Mao vs. Chek Axis Powers

7. The American Mood: No More War • In the mid-1930’s many Americans believed we shouldn’t have entered World War I and felt that we should never repeat the “mistake” of foreign intervention • As a result the Neutrality Acts were passed in 1935-1937, which outlawed arms sales and loans to nations at war, and barred Americans from traveling on the ships of belligerent powers • The sole confrontation with fascist Germany in the 1930’s, came through sports • In 1936 at the Berlin Olympics Jesse Owens won four gold medals and broke three world records, which shattered Nazi belief of white supremacy, and in 1938 American boxer Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling to win the world heavyweight championship • Despite American refusal, Germany dominated the Olympics Nazi Games Medal Count: 1st –Germany 2nd –USA

8. The Gathering Storm: 1938-1939 • On March 15, 1939 Germany invaded the remainder of Czechoslovakia, violating the Munich Pact • Five months later, Hitler and Stalin signed a German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact that their nations wouldn’t fight against one another and that they would divide Poland after it was conquered • A letter sent by FDR requesting that Hitler and Mussolini pledge not to invade thirty-one listed nations, was met with jeering laughter • FDR did take additional steps, and in 1939 he submitted a National Defense Budget of $1.3 Billion Signing of German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

9. America and the Jewish Refugees • Hitler’s Nuremberg Laws of 1935 outlawed marriage and sexual intercourse between Jews and non-Jews, stripped Jews of their German citizenship, and increased restrictions on Jews in German educational, social, and economic life • On November 9-10, 1938, the Nazis enacted Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) during which arson, destruction, and looting against Jews occurred throughout Germany • The United States, however refused to amend their immigration laws to admit a larger number of Jewish immigrants • Some Jews (St. Louis) who were turned away were forced to return to Germany where they were killed by the Nazis

10. The European War • German troops invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 and two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany • The US Congress amended the Neutrality Acts to allow Allies to purchase weapons from the US if they paid in cash and took the weapons away in their own ships (cash-and-carry) (Nye Committee) • In the spring of 1940, after defeating Poland, Hitler’s armies used the blitzkrieg (lightning war) to conquer Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and France and pinned down the British army at Dunkirk before they escaped across the English Channel • US = Arsenal of Democracy • On June 22, 1940 France surrendered • The Luftwaffe (German air force) bombed Britain relentlessly but new Prime Minister Winston Churchill refused to surrender

11. From Isolation to Intervention • In 1940, Roosevelt elected to run for an unprecedented third term against Wilkie, and won • Signed Selective Service and Training Act which was the first peacetime draft in US history • FDR enacted a lend-lease act that allowed the President to lend or lease supplies to any nation deemed “vital to the defense of the United States” • In 1941 FDR and Churchill met to issue the Atlantic Charter, which condemned international aggression, affirmed the right of national self-determination, and endorsed the principles of free trade, disarmament and collective security. • After a U-Boat sank the Reuben James, killing 115 American sailors. Congress allowed the arming of merchant ships, virtually eliminating the Neutrality Acts Reuben James

12. Pearl Harbor and the Coming of War • Japan viewed the US’ Open Door Policy with China as an attempt to block a Japanese rise to world power • In 1940, the US ended a trade treaty with Japan and banned the sale of aviation fuel and scrap metal to it • Japan responded by signing the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, creating a Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis • After FDR placed a total ban on trade with Japan, General Tojo ordered the bombing of Pearl Harbor in an attempt to destroy America’s Pacific Fleet • The attack missed Aircraft carriers • On December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor was bombed, and on December 8, the US declared war against Japan Draft of Pearl Harbor address

13. Organizing for Victory • Germany first- greater threat • FDR formed the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made up of army, and navy representatives and also created the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to the CIA, in order to help direct the military and do strategic planning • Est. new government agencies such as the War Production Board (WPB) - allocated materials, limited production of civilian goods, distributed contracts among manufacturers; • War Manpower Commission (WMC) supervised the mobilization of men and women for the military, agriculture and industry • National War Labor Board (NWLB) mediated disputes between management and labor; • Office of War Mobilization (OWM) coordinated the production, procurement, transportation and distribution of civilian and military supplies; • Office of Price Administration (OPA) rationed scarce products and imposed controls to check inflation • America also became the world’s greatest weapons producer, manufacturing twice as much war material as all of its Axis enemies Dr. Win the War

14. The War Economy • The US spent over $320 billion to defeat the Axis (10 times the cost of World War I), this ended the depression and stimulated an industrial boom • More than $40 billion was poured into the West, making it an economic powerhouse (Rise of the Sunbelt), air conditioning • The South’s economic capacity increased by 40% and its per capita income tripled • Full employment, longer workweeks, larger paychecks, and the hiring of minorities, women, and teenagers made the US a middle-class nation • Leads to suburbanization • As a result of growth in the workforce, labor union membership skyrocketed from 9 million in 1940 to 14.8 million in 1945 • Hey Day of unions • Purchasing of war bonds helped to curb inflation while also giving civilians a sense of involvement in the war

15. “A Wizard War” and Propaganda • Churchill labeled WWII the wizard war due to the importance of scientific and technological developments • The newly founded Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) spent over $1 billion to create radar and sonar devices, rocket weapons, and bomb fuses • Improvements in blood-transfusion, blood-banking, heart and lung surgery, the use of synthetic drugs as a tetanus vaccine, and the copious use of antibiotics (“miracle drugs”) also occurred • The Manhattan Project – development of atomic bomb • physicist Albert Einstein • directed by Robert Oppenheimer

16. Propaganda and Politics • FDR created the Office of War Information (OWI) to help depict the war as a mortal struggle between good and evil that depended on the necessity of completely obliterating the enemy (Good War) • Hollywood movies also highlighted the heroism and unity of American forces while portraying the enemy as evil (Casablanca) • During this time the Republicans made significant gains in both the House and Senate and abolished New Deal agencies such as the WPA and CCC while rebuffing liberal programs

17. Liberating Europe and War In the Pacific • The turning point of the European War (Russian front) occurred at the Battle of Stalingrad, where the Russians defeated the Germans • Turning point in Africa – El Alamein • In 1943, the Allies seized Sicily and the Italian military officials deposed Mussolini and surrendered to the Allies in September (Kasserine Pass- first time US army meets Nazis (Allies lose)) • In 1943-1944 the Allies instituted round-the-clock bombardment of Germany • In July 1943, the Soviets and Germans waged the largest tank battle in history at Kursk in the Ukraine and the victorious Russians began an offensive that swept the Germans from the Soviet Union

18. Liberating Europe and War In the Pacific • On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), Allied troops invaded the Normandy coast in the largest amphibious invasion in history. Next largest was Inchon landing (Korean War) • In mid-May 1942 the US and Japanese fleets battled in the Corral Sea in the first ever battle fought entirely by planes from aircraft carriers • A month later a Japanese armada targeted Midway Island, hoping to capture a crucial US outpost, however the US had broken Japanese naval code and won a decisive victory (like the English had to Europe, bombe, purple, Turing) • The US Navy and Marines under Admiral Chester Nimitz “island-hopped” across the Pacific to seize strategic bases and put Tokyo in range of bombers • The Germans had the Enigma Code which the allies broke in the war

19. The Grand Alliance and the GI’s War • FDR (the first President to travel by plane while in office) flew to Casablanca, Morocco in January 1943 to declare that the war would continue until the “unconditional surrender” of the Axis • Ten months later Roosevelt met with Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek in Cairo and promised the return of Manchuria and Taiwan to China as well as a free and independent Korea • An increase in conservative sentiment also led Roosevelt to accept Harry S. Truman as his new vice-presidential candidate

20. The Grand Alliance and the GI’s War Cont’d • Most Americans in the armed forces knew little of big strategies and fought because they were told to and that they wanted to stay alive • The war modified how GIs viewed the world and over a million overseas marriages led to the broadening of personal horizons along with the birth of a culture that now placed less emphasis on divisions of class, national origin, region and religion • However physical misery and intense combat took a heavy toll, leaving lasting physical and psychological wounds (we switched to a rotation system after 1 year in combat)

21. The Home Front • A vast internal migration of about 15 million people changed the social topography of the US • Overcrowding coupled with wartime separations strained family and community life • Wartime strengthened traditional convictions and gender discrimination flourished, so that while women played a larger role in the work place, they earned only 65% of what men earned • More than 300,000 women joined the armed forces- WACs and WAVEs • Divorce, marriage, and birth rates all soared • The war gave women a new sense of potential and widened their world • The loss of students to war forced colleges to admit larger numbers of women • An avid interest in wartime news also led to a media boom, spurring many new radio networks

22. Racism and New Opportunities • Civil rights spokesmen called for a “Double V” campaign, victory over racial discrimination as well as the Axis • NAACP membership multiplied nearly ten times • The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942 and sought to desegregate public facilities in northern cities • FDR’s Executive Order 8802 prohibited discriminatory practices by federal agencies and all unions, and established the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) (A. Phillip Randolph's threat of a march on D.C) to enforce the policy • About 1 million African-Americans served in the war • While the war brought growing racial tensions on the home front, it also brought significant changes, such as the migration of over 700,000 blacks from the South, that would eventually result in a successful drive for Civil Rights

23. War and Diversity • War brought new opportunities to minorities, for example over 25,000 Native Americans served in the armed forces, Navajo “code talkers” helped to confound the Japanese by using the Navajo language to relay messages • Another 50,000 left their reservations to go and work in defense industries • To relieve the labor shortage caused by the movement of rural workers to cities, the US government negotiated an agreement with Mexico in 1942 to import temporary workers (braceros) • Over 350,000 Mexican Americans served in the armed forces • Thousands of gay men and lesbians who served in the armed forces also found new wartime opportunities Flags of our Fathers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKuym66LIr4 Letters from Iwo Jima: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vFrTGH9-Ko Windtalkers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86QB_WXYcqE

24. Internment of Japanese-Americans • Over 37,000 Japanese immigrants (Issei), and 75,000 native-born Japanese-American citizens (Nisei) were sent to “relocation centers” guarded by military police • In February 1942 FDR issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the removal of anyone deemed a threat from military areas • The military ordered the eviction of all Nisei and Issei from the West Coast • As they were forced to sell their possessions quickly, it is estimated Japanese Americans lost $2 Billion in property and possessions • Korematsu vs. US- said interment camps were legal • 1990s, interment camp survivors given compensation • Monument in D.C. dedicated to survivors

25. The Yalta Conference • Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in the Soviet city of Yalta in February 1945 • Stalin vowed to declare war on Japan “two or three months” after Germany’s surrender in return for Churchill and Roosevelt reneging on their promise to Chiang Kai-shek and promising the Soviets concessions in Manchurian • Eventually FDR allowed Russia to extend its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe • They also accepted a plan to found a new international organization and agreed to a founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco in April, 1945 • “sell-out”

26. Victory in Europe • In March 1945 US troops crossed the Rhine at Remagen and encircled the Ruhr Valley • On April 30, Hitler committed suicide; On May 2, Berlin fell to the Soviets; and On May 8, a new German government surrendered unconditionally • On April 12, FDR fell unconscious and later died of a cerebral hemorrhage • FDR’s successor, Harry S Truman, lashed out at the Soviets and as a result Soviet-American relations deteriorated • From July 16-August 2, Truman, Churchill, and Stalin met in Potsdam, Germany to complete the postwar agreements that began at Yalta Harry S Truman

27. The Holocaust • When news of the Holocaust first broke, most Americans considered the annihilation of 6 (possibly 7) million Jews beyond belief • 1.5 million Jewish children killed • 10 million killed in total, inc. political prisoners • The US government never seriously considered rescue schemes, nor did they attempt to find a way to impede the Nazis’ “final solution” • Anti-Semitism in the State Department lead to lack of response from US • Only after viewing photographs and newsreels did most Americans realize that the Holocaust wasn’t a myth

28. The Atomic Bombs • Early in 1945 an assault force of Marines invaded Iwo Jima, 700 miles from Japan, and in June, American troops waded ashore at Okinawa, 350 miles from Japan • On August 6, a B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay dropped a uranium bomb onto Hiroshima, killing over 60,000 people in the initial blast and almost 70,000 died from the after effects of radiation • August 9th a bomb also was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 35,000 and injuring over 60,000 • General MacArthur received Japan’s surrender on the battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945 – VJ (Victory Japan) Day Japanese signing of the surrender

29. Reshaping a Nation • The United States geographically remained the same although the country was transformed from a despairing nation battle the depths of economic depression to a victorious nation, unified by all of the citizens efforts to vanquish the enemy. • Built during WWII, the pentagon is the perfect symbol to display the transformation of the U.S. into a major military power. • High level of confidence • Rise of Washington, D.C. • Growth of suburbs • Growth of “big government”

30. Nuremburg War Trials • Established idea of crimes against humanity • Most convicted and sentenced to death • Tokyo Trials • Decimation of Korea • Tojo – shot himself (survived), then executed • Rape of Nanking • Had To Make up Term: “Genocide” • German defense: What written law did they break? • UN and human rights

31. From Nation to Super Power • From 1933-1945 the United States went from a country struggling in the Great Depression to a thriving economic power. • This economic reversal was due to the vast industrial revamping needed in order to support the machine of war. • The need for labor produced many opportunities for women and minorities in high paying jobs. • Because of the U.S. manufacturing might, the country emerged from WWII as a super power with military, economic, and political influence around the globe (While most of Asia and Europe were devastated). • Pearl Harbor Attack, the Great Air balloon Attack

32. 9 3 14 12 4 2 1 6 13 14 11 8 10 7 5

33. Invasion of Poland: Hitler launches blitzkrieg invasion using dive bombers, tanks, and infantry in rapid thrusts, breaking through weak spots, bypassing strongpoints, and rushing into the rear echelons of the enemy. Polish horse mounted cavalry (true in a few cases) was no match for modern tanks. Battle Summaries Europe/Africa Theater Battle of El Alamein: British general Montgomery defeat final offensive by Rommel and counterattack, pushing Rommel back across North Africa to Tunisia. Operation Torch: American forces land in Northwest Africa against weak Vichy French resistance. Germans occupy all of France. Germans caught between US and British forces. Fall of France: Confronted with the Maginot Line along the French border, Germans launch a secondary effort in the Netherlands and Belgium to draw the French and British forces into Belgium, while launching a primary blitzkrieg attack through the Ardennes, a hilly forested region thought impenetrable by a large armor force, which was also the weak spot between the end of the Maginot Line and the majority of the Allied forces. Most French and British fall back and are evacuated from French port of Dunkirk and live to fight another day. Northern France is occupied, while southern France and her colonies become the puppet “Vichy” regime. DeGaulle leads Free French in exile. Rommel invades North Africa: Bailing out the Italians, Rommel, leading outnumbered Afrika Korps from the front, pushes the British back towards Cairo and the Suez Canal. However, Rommel’s supply lines get longer and more vulnerable as British are actually getting stronger the closer they are pushed back to Cairo. Battle of the Atlantic: After the sinking of the two major German surface ships, German submarines try to stop suppies from US reaching USSR and Britain. US responds with convoys escorted by small carries with airplanes. Invasion of Sicily: With the Allies not ready to invade France, logical choice after Germans flee North Africa is to invade Sicily. Italy pulls out of the war, and Germans take over all defenses in Italy. Invasion of Italy: Allies keep up a second front to help Soviets by invading Italy. Initial successes get bogged down by tough terrain and German defenses. Battle of Stalingrad: Major turning point on the Russian front. Hitler wants Stalin’s namesake city badly, Stalin wants just as much to hold it, and does. Hitler forbids any German retreat, dooming over 300,000 German troops. Soviets are on the offensive from this point on. Normandy Invasion: US General Eisehower orders Allied (US, UK, Canadian, and Free French troops, assault on Normandy coast in Operation Overlord. Omaha Beach (1 of 5) is toughest battle. German counterattack delayed by Hitler’s thinking that Normandy was just a diversion. Battle of Britain: Air battle over England to decide supremacy over the English Channel. Germans target airfields, then launch the “blitz” against British cities. While many German pilots were lost over Britain, many British pilots were rescued in Britain or the Channel. British victory forced Germans to scrap invasion plans across the English Channel. Allied breakout and race to Berlin: Stalled by tough terrain and German defenses, Allies “carpet bomb” a breakthrough at Lo and breakout across France. The failure of Allied airborne operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge German surprise attack slow the Allied race to Berlin. Operation Barbarossa: Despite Soviet German nonagression pact, Germans invade Soviet Union. After initial lopsides victories, Hitler diverts main effort south, then, too late, rediverts major effort against Moscow. Stalin orders scorched earth policy to deny anything useful to advancing Germans. With winter’s help, Soviet Army survives and holds Moscow. Soviet drive to Berlin: Soviets relentlessly push Germans back across USSR, Poland, into Germany, establishing control over most of Eastern and central Europe. Finally, they attack and take Berlin in a bitter battle. Hitler commits suicide. Germans surrender weeks later.

34. 8 6 5 6 2 7 1 6 6 3 7 6 7 6 4 5. Battle of Midway, June 42: Carrier Battle, First major Japanese defeat; US on the attack from then on. 1. Japan attacks US at Pearl Harbor, 7 Dec 41: US declares war on Japan, Germany declares war on US; Battleships destroyed, but not aircraft carriers. 6. Island Hopping, Aug 42-Apr 45: US Navy retakes island chains, Guadalcanal, Gilbertsl, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Kamikazes 2. Japan invades US Philippines, Dec 41-Jan 42: Batan Death March, Corregidor 7. Leapfrogging, Apr-42-Oct 44: MacArthur leads US Army advance to retake Philippines 3. Japan Take British Singapore, Feb 42: Back Door invasion 8. US drops atomic bombs on Japan, 6 Aug 45 on Hiroshima, 9 Aug 45 on Nagasaki: Japan surrenders 2 Sep 45 (VJ Day). 4. Battle of Coral Sea, May 42: US-Japanese draw, stops invasion of Australia.

35. Pearl Harbor: Japanese surprise air attack destroys US battle ships, but aircraft carriers were not there. US declraes war on Japan; Germany declares war on US. Battle Summaries Pacific Theater Leapfrogging: Under MacArthur, US Army and Australian troops move up North coast of New Guinea, bypassing, or leapfrogging, and cutting off any Japanese strongpoints. MacArthur eventually returns to the Philippines. Japanese take Philippines despite tough US resistance in Bataan and island fortress of Corregidor. MacArthur ordered to Australia: States “I will return!” US POWs suffer “Death March” to POW camps. Japanese did not expect so many POWs and detested the idea of surrender. Japanese take British fortress of Singapore from behind (Singapore’s guns faced the sea) after rapid advance down Malay Peninsula. Japanese troops used bicycles to speed up the advance. Atomic Bombs: In lieu of tremendous casuaties expected in an invasion of Japan, and pehaps to warn off the Soviets, the US drops two atomic bombs, the first on Hiroshima, then days later on Nagasaki. Japanese Emperor Hirohito finally orders his government to surrender. Japanese surrender onboard the US battleship Missouri in Tokyo Harbor. Coral Sea: First major aircraft carrier battle where neither side’s ships saw the others’. Planes did the attacking. Each side loses an aircraft carrier. Japanese advance on Australia stopped. First time they are stopped. Midway: Major turning point in the Pacific. Japanese plan surprise attack at Midway, not knowing US has broken Japanese code and is waiting. US planes get lucky (after initial attacks draw away Japanese aircover, and Japanese decide to change armaments from bombs to torpedoes) and hit three Japanese carriers at once. US loses one carrier (Yorktown). US on the offensive from this point on. Island Hopping: US Navy begins sequential attacks on major island chains (Gilberts, Marshall, Caroline, and Marianas Islands). US takes one island per chain and uses it as base, ignoring Japanese troops cut off on other islands. At Okinawa, Japanese introduce Kamikazes (a “divine wind” of suicide planes). Fanatical Japanese resistance foretells of difficult invasion of Japan.

36. 1. Germany invades Poland, Sep 1939, WWII starts, “blitzkrieg” warfare. Germans troops at border crossing German dive bomber German bomber over city Hitler reviews troops entering Poland German tanks

37. 2. German invasion of France, May-June 40: Bypass Maginot Line, Ardennes, Dunkirk evacuation, Vichy France, Free French German Panzer (tank) Division DeGaulle in London German troops crossing Meuse France after the fall Dunkirk Evacuation Vichy France

38. 3. Battle of Britain, Aug-Sep 40: Brits win air battle, no German cross-channel invasion, Blitz ( bombing of London) British Spitfire chases bomber over London Fires in London during the Blitz. Subway shelters Incoming German bombers met by British

39. 4. Germany invades USSR, June 41: Operation BARBAROSSA Hitler plans Barbarossa Soviet civilian watches village burn German infantry, armor, & airforces Surrendering Soviet soldiers

40. 5. Rommel’s Afrika Korps pushes Brits back, Mar-Aug 42 Rommel at the front Afrika Korps Panzers advancing

41. 6. Stalingrad, Aug-Dec 42, Huge German defeat, Soviets on the attack. German troops in Stalingrad German POWs Ruins of Stalingrad German commander (Von Paulus) surrenders Soviet troops counterattack

42. 7. El Alamein, Oct 42: Brits defeat Rommel, go on the offensive, Montgomery “Monty” in charge German tank surrenders Rommel Montgomery Allied tanks counterattack Brits beat back German tanks

43. 8. Operation Torch, Nov 42: US enters Africa, Vichy France falls US occupies Casablanca Royal Navy convoys US forces US troops land in Algiers US troops move inland

44. 9. Battle of the Atlantic, June 43: German U-boats fail to stop Allied convoys Sunk Allied ship Allied convoy under air escort Allied destroyer hunting U-boat German U-boat

45. 10. Allies invade Sicily, July 43: Italy withdraws from the war Allies loading up in Tunisia Allied rivals: Patton(US) & Montgomery(UK) Allies landing in Sicily

46. 11. Allies invade Italy, Sep 43: Second front in Europe to help Soviets US troops liberate Rome US troops move inland Bombed Monte Cassino Abbey

47. 12. Allies invade Normandy, June 44: Operation Overlord, Omaha Beach most difficult landing Eisenhower talks with paratroops Pinned down on Omaha Beach Allies pour men & material into the beachheads

48. 13. Allied breakout: July 44: Patton’s race for Berlin, Operation Market Garden and Battle of the Bulge slow Allies, Soviets take Eastern Europe

49. 14. Soviets advance & take Berlin, Jan 43 - Apr 45; VE Day May 8

50. WAR IN THE PACIFIC