1 / 28

Strategic Preparations and Key Victories of the Grand Alliance, 1942-1943

In 1942, nations united in the Grand Alliance vowed to defeat the Axis Powers, pooling resources under a Combined Chiefs of Staff. Early on, they strategized to defeat Germany first, leading to significant battles in the Pacific and the Atlantic. The turning points in North Africa and Stalingrad showcased monumental efforts, including Allied operations that marked a shift in momentum. By 1943, the Allies had launched a series of offensives, increasing pressure on Axis forces and paving the way for future victories in Europe and the Pacific.

hetal
Télécharger la présentation

Strategic Preparations and Key Victories of the Grand Alliance, 1942-1943

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Western-Soviet Victory Section 21.107

  2. Plans and Preparations, 1942-1943

  3. Plans and Preparations, 1942-1943 • Jan.’42: 26 nations (GB, US, USSR) formed Grand Alliance to face the Axis Powers • Pledged to use all its resourced and never make a separate peace • US and GB pooled resources under a Combined Chiefs of Staff • Formed overall strategy early (unlike WWI) • Decided that Germany must be defeated 1st • Pacific theater would be defensive until Germany fell • U.S. efforts in the Pacific halted Japanese expansion and pressure on Australia • Coral Sea and Midway were important U.S. victories • Guadalcanal, Solomon, and other island campaigns would follow; i.e., island hopping

  4. War Preparations • Began with air bombardment of Germany • Soviets wanted a “second front” immediately with ground forces to relieve pressure in East • US began mobilizing, converting factories over, controlling economy • US and GB utilized women in labor force unlike Germany • I.E. U.S. presence in Europe was slowed by mobilization and German control of the Atlantic by submarines • Submarine menace was curtailed by ’43 and US troops began arriving in Britain • 1943 U.S. and Britain launched the opening of a second front • Used total war via aerial bombardment of cities • Civilians and factories targeted • Hamburg and Dresden destroyed • Land advances hold off until 1944

  5. The Turning of the Tide, 1942-1943: Stalingrad, North Africa, Sicily • North Africa • Eisenhower led invasion of north Africa (Algeria and Morocco) from the west • French, unable to get French cooperation, asked Vichy president Admiral Darlan • He helped but was assassinated • Charles De Gaulle emerged as leader of the French liberation committee in Algiers • Montgomery launched final counter offensive from the east • Germany was crushed by 5/1943 in Tunisia • By May ’43 Africa was cleared of Axis • Mediterranean and Suez reopened François Darlan

  6. Stalingrad (Volgograd)

  7. Stalingrad (Volgograd) • Aug. ’42 ¼ million German forces began all out assault on Stalingrad • Key transport city of lower Volga • 9/1942 German forces were in the city • Stalin ordered the city to be held at all costs • Red Army under General Zhukov organized a counteroffensive and enveloped the German army • Only 100,000 German soldiers were left to surrender in Feb 43 • Number of Russians killed is unknown • Soviet Union was taking staggering number of casualties • Estimates run as high as 25 million • Turning point of the war • Red Army was now an offensive army

  8. New Hope for the Allies

  9. New Hope for the Allies • US began to win in Solomon Islands and absorb German subs by ’43 • Sicily (July-Aug. ’43) •  7/1943 Combined Allied forces invaded Sicily • Mussolini set up “Italian Social Republic” in northern Italy but only existed with German soldiers • Mussolini fell 4/1945 Duce was captured trying to flee the country and shot • Marshal Badoglio made peace overtures to the Allies but German army occupied Italy • Bodoglio gov declared war on Germany and Italy was labeled as a “cobelligerent” • Italian campaign turned into long stalemate due to lack of troops

  10. Allied Offensive, 1944-1945: Europe and the Pacific

  11. Allied Offensive, 1944-1945: Europe and the Pacific • Festung Europa (Atlantic Wall) was heavily fortified in France, Holland • Amphibious attack posed exceptional challenges • RR allowed for quick troop transports of Germans • Allies utilized feinting tactics, air superiority, 4, 000 transport ships, 10 thousand aircraft, engineering materials (artificial harbors, pontoon ramp system) • June 6 gave a break in the weather

  12. The Invasion of Europe: D Day

  13. The Invasion of Europe: D Day • 6/6/1944 D-Day • Germans expected main thrust of invasion at Calais • Allies chose Normandy beach to establish a second front • Under the command of Eisenhower 130 thousand Canadian, British, American forces landed 1st day • 1 million within a month and moving eastward • By August Paris was liberated and by Sept Allies were in Germania • French, Italian, and Belgian Resistance movements emerged • 7/20/44 attempted assassination of Hitler at Wolf’s Den failed • 8/1944 Battle of the Bulge • Hitler threw remaining armored forces against the Allies in the Ardennes • V1 and V2 rockets and new Messerschmitt jet terrorized London but Germany’s time was running out • 3/1945 Allied forces crossed the Rhine

  14. The Eastern Front • Soviet army was pushing west and reclaiming territory lost early in the war • Allowed youth of Warsaw Uprising (Aug. ’44) and democracy to be crushed by Nazis • Stalin had already destroyed Polish army leadership at Katyn forest in ‘43 • Feb ’45 General Zhukov reached the Oder River • Red army was 50 miles from Berlin

  15. The Final Drive on Germany • 4/1945 American troops reached the Elbe • 60 miles from Berlin • Soviets were permitted to take Berlin, Prague, and other central and eastern European capitals • Eisenhower • Directed troops south in case of guerilla attacks • Gesture of goodwill to Soviets for their sacrifice • 4/30/1945 Hitler died by his own hand • Admiral Doenitz, Hitler’s successor offered Germany’s unconditional surrender (5/8/1945)

  16. The Holocaust

  17. The Final Solution • Soon after the surrender atrocities of concentration camps, work camps, and death camps were revealed • Whole villages (Lidice in Czech, or Oradour-sur-Glane, France) razed and inhabitants murdered or deported • Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps • Minimal rations worked prisoners to death • Auschwitz • 12 thousand gassed per day • Nazi ideology to wipe out inferiors had evolved • Einsatzgruppen– killing squads • Mobile gas units • Eikman • Utilized rail system to bring whole minority populations (Jews, Gypsies) to work and death camps • 6 million Jews • 3 million Poles • Russians, Slavics, Romana murdered

  18. The Final Solution

  19. The Final Solution • Holocaust was decided by Nazi executives at Wannsee, Poland in Jan. ’43 • “Final Solution” to “Jewish Problem” was a planned genocide of European Jewry • Utilized modern scientific organization • Carried out by ordinary people and bureaucrats in the heart of European civilization • Who is responsible? • The individual or the collective society?

  20. Auschwitz-Birkenau

  21. Auschwitz-Birkenau

  22. Push towards Japan • From Guadalcanal Americans began to “Island Hop” northward toward Japan • March 1945 took 8 square mile strategic island of Iwo Jima after heavy loses • Took Okinawa after brutal 2.5 months in spring of ’45 • Only 300 miles from Japanese main islands • Japanese fought harder the closer Americans came to Japan • Began all-out air campaign from newly won territory to destroy Japanese industry • Plan for full-scale invasion of Japan were being drawn up

  23. The Atomic Bomb • 8/6/45 “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima • 78 thousand killed and thousands of others were wounded or suffered radiation exposure • 8/8 Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria • 8/9 Nagasaki was struck • 9/2/45 Japan signed unconditional surrender on the Missouri • Emperor Hirohito remained head of state but Japan under occupation of US army under MacArthur

  24. Epilogue • Greatest conflict in human history • 50-60 million total deaths • 25 million wounded • 15 million military deaths • USSR- 6 • German- 3.5 • Chinese- 2.2 • Japanese- 1.3 • Polish 700 thousand • GB- 400 • US 300 • French 200 • 30-40 million civilian deaths • 15-20 million Russian

More Related