European Theater Striking Back at the Third Reich

1. European Theater • Striking Back at the Third Reich • Launching an invasion from sea is very risky as a beach offers no cover, no place to hide, and no way to retreat. The Allies had no choice; if they were going to win the war they would have to land troops in Europe and on islands in the Pacific. The attack on North Africa in November 1942 proved the Allies could mount a large-scale invasion from sea. The success of the landings convinced Roosevelt to meet with Churchill at Casablanca to plan the next phase of the war. At the Casablanca Conference it was decided to increase bombings on Germany to destroy the military, industry, economy and morale, and attack the Axis on Sicily (the soft underbelly)– believing the Italians would quit if the Allies invaded their homeland • Strategic Bombing • both the British Royal Air Force and the US Army Air Force had been dropping tons of bombs on Germany since each entered the war • the massive new joint campaign that began in January 1943 dropped approximately 53.000 tons of explosives on Germany every month until the end of the war • the bombing campaign caused a severe shortage of oil, wrecked the railroad system, and destroyed so many aircraft factories that Germany’s air force could not get replacements for combat losses • by the time the Allies landed in France they had total control of the air , ensuring that troops would not be bombed • Why do you think the Allies had to assault the beach heads? • Why was Italy considered the “soft underbelly”? • What was the goal of increasing bombings of Germany? • What was the effect of the bombing campaign? • By June of 1944 what did the Allies control and why was that important?

2. 5. Why do you think they destroyed the bridge? 6. What do you think was the long-term impact of fire-bombing Germany?

3. Striking at the Soft Underbelly • General Dwight D Eisenhower was placed in overall command of the Allied invasion of Sicily, with General Patton and British General Bernard Montgomery in charge of the actual ground forces • the invasion began at dawn on 10 July 1943 with the Allies making it ashore with few casualties and a new vehicle, DUKW, and amphibious truck proved effectively • eight days after landing, General Patton smashed through enemy lines and captured the western half of Sicily • Patton’s troops headed east while Montgomery attacked from the south and the Germans evacuated the island on 18 August • the attack on Sicily created a crisis in the Italian government, the soldiers did not want to fight anymore, and King Victor Emmanuel and his generals decided to get rid of Mussolini, the most hated man in Italy • Mussolini was arrested and the new Italian government began secretly negotiating with the Allies for Italy’s surrender • on 8 September the Italian government publicly announced Italy’s surrender and American troops landed in Salerno • Hitler was not about to lose Italy so German troops seized northern Italy including Rome, attacked the Americans at Salerno and put Mussolini back in charge • the Germans took up positions near the heavily fortified town of Cassino while the Allies landed at Anzio, and were then surrounded • it took five months to break the German lines at Cassino and Anzio, with the Germans finally retreating in May 1944 • Rome was captured by the Allies within two weeks but fighting continued in northern Italy until May 1945, costing the Allies more than 300.000 casualties • Mussolini was caught by the Italian resistance retreating with the Germans in April 1945, shot, and hung in the Milan town square • Where did the invasion of the European continent begin? • How did the Italian government respond to the Allied invasion? • Who resisted the Allies in Italy? • What happened to Mussolini?

4. 5. Why do you think, after shooting Mussolini and his companions, their bodies were hung upside down in the town square?

5. Roosevelt Meets Stalin at Tehran • Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met in Tehran, Iran late in 1943 • several agreements were reached • Stalin promised to launch a full-scale offensive against Germany when the Allies invaded France • Roosevelt and Stalin agreed to divide Germany after the war so it would never again threaten world peace • Stalin promised to help the US defeat Japan after Germany was beaten • Stalin accepted Roosevelt’s proposal for an international organization to help keep peace after the war To what did Stalin agree at Tehran? Why do you think the Tehran conference was important?

6. Landing in France • After Tehran, Roosevelt and Churchill met and planned the invasion of France. General Eisenhower was selected of command Operation Overlord. • Planning Operation Overlord • Hitler had fortified the French coast, but the Allies had the element of surprise on their side, being able to choose when and where to land • the target was Normandy and by Spring 1944, 1.5 million American soldiers, 12,000 airplanes and more than 5 million tons of equipment were assembled in England • the weather conditions needed to be perfect to ensure success • moonlit night before the assault so paratroopers could see to land behind enemy lines • night time invasion to hide the ships crossing the English Channel • low tide arrival so they could see beach obstacles • low tide at dawn so gunners could see their targets • good, clear weather that couldn’t ground airplanes or swamp landing craft with high waves • the first opportunity would be 5-7 June 1944 with the opening day designated with a D (every operation began on D day – the D doesn’t stand for anything except “day”) • bad weather – clouds, winds and waves – made it impossible to land on 5 June, the weather was forecasted to briefly clear on 6 June so Eisenhower approved the launch • What advantage did the Allies have? • What conditions were needed for success? • Why didn’t the landing happen on 5 June?

7. 4. How do you think these men felt on the eve of battle? 5. Why was the location of the landing so critical to its success?

8. The Longest Day • nearly 7.000 ships with 100.000 soldiers sailed for the coast of Normandy on 6 June with 23.000 paratroopers dropped inland and Allied fighter-bombers racing up and down the coast targeting bridges, bunkers, and radar sites • at dawn, warships rained thousands of shells on the Normandy beaches code named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Sword and Juno • the American landing at Utah beach went well as the German defenses were weak, and in less than three hours with less than 200 casualties the beach was secured and they were moving inland • British and Canadian landings also went well and at the end of D-day they were several miles inland • Americans came under intense fire at Omaha beach. As General Omar Bradley made plans to evacuate the American landing forces which were disintegrating under heavy German fire, the American troops began to knock out German defenses • more landing craft arrived and rammed their way through the obstacles to get to the beaches • there were nearly 2.500 casualties at Omaha beach, but the Americans secured the beach head and pushed inland • the landing at Normandy succeeded in establishing an Allied army in France • What were the US landing sight code names? • Where did Americans face their toughest challenge and how did they overcome it? • Why was the successful landing at Normandy so important to the Allies?

9. 4. What do you think Eisenhower was saying to these paratroopers? 5. What challenges did the men face as they tried to land?

10. The Third Reich Collapses • Before the end of the war, the Allied leaders were aware of Nazi atrocities and had declared they would punish the Nazis for their crimes. Roosevelt was convinced the best way to end the concentration camps was to destroy the Nazi regime by breaking out of Normandy, liberating France and conquering Germany. Hedgerows, dirt walls covered in shrubbery built to fence in cattle and crops, enabled the Germans to fiercely defend their positions in the Normandy countryside. The battle of the hedgerows ended on 25 July 1944 when bombers blew a hole in German lines that American tanks raced through. As the Allies broke out of Normandy the French Resistance, civilians who resisted German occupation, staged a rebellion in Paris which was liberated on 25 August. Within three weeks American forces were within 20 miles of Germany. • What was Roosevelt’s plan for ending Nazi atrocities? • What geographic challenges did the Allies face Normandy? • Who aided the Allies in France? • When was Paris liberated?

11. 5. Who were the members of the French Resistance?

12. The Battle of the Bulge • Hitler decided to stage one last offensive move with the goal of cutting off Allied supplies from the port at Antwerp • 16 December 1944 the Germans caught the Americans by surprise • As the Germans raced west, the Allied line bulged outward • Germans pushed to capture the town of Bastogne where several roads converged • American reinforcements raced to the town which the Germans then surrounded • The Germans demanded the Americans surrender, and received a note reading “nuts” as a reply • Eisenhower ordered Patton to rescue the Americans in Bastogne and 3 days later he slammed into the German lines while Allied aircraft targeted German fuel depots. • Out of fuel and weakened by heavy losses, the German troops pushing to Antwerp were forced to halt and 2 days later Patton broke through to Bastogne • The US won the Battle of the Bulge, Germans began withdrawing having suffered more than 100.000 casualties, and lost many tanks and aircrafts • Why did Hitler want to cut Allied supply lines? • Why is it called the Battle of the Bulge? • Why was Bastogne critical? • How were the Americans at Bastogne rescued? • Why did the Germans stop their advance? • What were the German losses in the Battle of the Bulge?

14. VE Day: The War Ends in Europe • While the US and GREAT BRITAIN were invading Normandy, the USSR began a massive attack on German troops in Russia • By the Battle of the Bulge, the Soviets had driven the Germans out of Russia and Poland • By Feb 1945 the Soviets were 35 miles from Berlin, across the Oder River • As the Soviets crossed the eastern border, the Americans attacked the western border of Germany • The Americans reached the Rhine river, Germany’s last line of defense in early March • When the Americans captured the heights above the town of Remagen they discovered the Ludendorff Bridge across the Rhine was still intact – the Germans had not destroyed it – and the American raced across the bridge, pushing back the defenders and crossing the Rhine • On April 16 the Soviets crossed the Oder River and within five days were in the outskirts of Berlin • On 30 April 1945 Adolf Hitler chose Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz to be his successor then married his long-time girlfriend, killed her and the their dog, then shot himself • Hitler’s secretary Martin Bormann carried his body outside, doused it in gasoline and set it on fire • Doenitz tried to surrender to the British and American forces while continuing to fight the Soviets, but Eisenhower insisted on unconditional surrender • On 7 May 1945 Germany surrendered unconditionally and the next day was proclaimed V-E Day for Victory in Europe • Who was moving in on Germany from East and West? • What was significant about the Ludendorff Bridge? • What happened to Hitler? • How did Doenitz try to continue end the war? • On what did the Americans insist regarding Germany’s surrender?

15. 6. According to the photo who captured the bridge for the Allies? 7. Why do you think these Soviet and American lieutenants are happy?