1. Planning Operation Overlord (D-Day) If you were going to attack, where do you think would be the best place to invade France? Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower – Overall Allied Commander of D- Day invasion Gen. Omar Bradley – Oversees American attack on Utah and Omaha beachheads Gen. George S. Patton – Oversees American push through France into Germany

2. Where Do The Allies Attack?

3. D-Day Invasion: June 6, 1944

4. D-Day—June 6, 1944 Why did the invasion of France take so long? Russians angry over lack of a 2 nd front Battle Details – Rematch: Rommel v. Eisenhower – U.S. Decoy: Pas de Calais – 1.6 million U.S. soldiers, 12,000 planes Need the right conditions

5. Eisenhower Gives the Orders—D-Day

6. D-Day Invasion: Normandy, France June 6, 1944 U.S. Targets: Utah & Omaha Beaches British/Canadian Targets: Gold, Sword, Juno Beaches Significance: – Invasion would determine fate of war in the west – Largest amphibious landing in history – By days end, Allies in control of beachheads – Provided base of operations to crack into Hitler’s “Western European Fortress”…opens door to France

7. Normandy Landing—June 6, 1944 Saving Private Ryan: Opening Scene

8. Pegasus Bridge: 1 st Place Liberated on Eve of D-Day (June 5, 1944)

9. St. Mere Eglise: 1 st French Town Liberated on D-Day by US Paratroopers

10. Taking the Cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc

11. Scaling at Pointe Du Hoc

12. The End of WWII—In Europe Victory in Europe Day: May 8, 1945

13. German Retreat D-Day: June 6, 1944

14. The Liberation of Paris: Aug. 25, 1944 “Charles De Gaulle Returns in Glory” – De Gaulle— leader of French Resistance

15. US Troops in Paris

16. Female French Collaborators

17. Question Prompts Many historians consider D-Day the most important battle on the Western front and possibly in all of WWII… Why do you think the Allies were able to push through France within a couple months after the D-Day invasion? – What major advantages did the Allied powers have over Germany by 1944?

18. Battle of the Bulge: Hitler’s Last Offensive (Dec. 16, 1944-Jan. 25 1945) Battle of the Bulge Vet Interview Go to WWII Maps

19. Dresden Firebombing: Feb. 13-15, 1945 RAF/USAF – Drop 3900 tons of heavy bombs and incendiary devices

20. Dresden Firebombing “Florence on the Elbe” – German Cultural Center

21. Dresden Firebombing 25,000 Civilian Casualties

22. U.S. & Russian Soldiers Meet at the Elbe River: April 25, 1945

23. Holocaust Exposed Allied troops liberate Buchenwald Nuremberg Trials: What were they?

24. Hitler Commits Suicide: April 30, 1945 The Fuhrer’s Bunker Hitler and Wife, Eva Braun Family Guy: Hitler and Eva Braun

25. Victory in Europe Day V-E Day: May 8, 1945 Go to WWII Maps

26. SUMMARY QUESTION Why might the Dresden Firebombing be symbolic of World War II as a whole? Do you believe the use of firebombing is justified in war? Predict: What’s going to happen next in Europe, following the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of WWII on the continent?