2. 1944: The Situation1944: The Situation  The Russians have defeated the Germans who were advancing in the East.  The Allies are victorious in Africa and launch an assault on mainland Italy through Sicily.

3. The Russian FrontThe Russian Front  On 23 Aug. 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a “Non- Aggression Pact” which vowed not to interfere in each other’s business.  On 22 June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union.  Having purged his military of many of its best officers, Stalin and the Soviets were not ready for war.

4. The Eastern Front: Operation Barbarossa 22 June 1941  The early days saw the Germans drive into the Soviet Union almost reaching Moscow by October.  The German army besieged Leningrad for what was to become a two year struggle ending in the death of more than one million civilians.  When the severe Russian winter arrived, the Nazi offensive broke down and the German attack was halted.

5. The Tide Turns…The Tide Turns…  The Nazis needed supplies and resources to continue the war so victory in the Soviet Union was essential.  From 14 Sept. 1942 – 2 Feb. 1943, the Germans and Russians fought for the strategic city of Stalingrad.  Hitler and the Nazis lost the battle, 500,000 German and other troops were killed or taken prisoner.  By the Autumn of 1943, the German army of 2.5 million soldiers faced an army of 5.5 million Soviet soldiers.

6. The Italian CampaignThe Italian Campaign  The campaign of Italy was designed to take the pressure off Russian allies and pull German troops out of north- western Europe readying the area for Operation Overlord.  9 Sept. 1943 – Attack began on Italy

7. The Italians SurrenderThe Italians Surrender  The Allied planners believed the Italian Campaign would be over in a matter of weeks.  Italy would represent frustration and death for thousands of Allied soldiers in a bitter, stagnated fight.  It would be a year before Allied troops entered Rome and the invasion of France would overshadow that victory.

8. The Battle for ItalyThe Battle for Italy  When Italy formally surrendered on 8 Sept., the Italians separated into two camps, pro-Allied and pro-German factions.  On 9 Sept. the Allies landed Americans at Salerno and the British landed at Taranto.  By 26 Sept., the Allies had built a force of 189,000 men and 30,000 vehicles.  Following the Italian surrender, the German Army took control of the defense of Italy.

9. The Liberation of RomeThe Liberation of Rome  Blizzards and drifting snow at the end of December brought ground forces to a halt.  The Allied focus then turned to the western front where it was considered to have the best chance of a breakthrough toward Rome.  It took 4 major offensives between Jan. & May 1944, before the Allies including British, U.S., French, Polish, & Canadian Corps broke through.  Rome was declared an open city by the German army and the Allies took possession on June 4 th.

10. The Move on to FranceThe Move on to France  Having the Germans occupied in Italy allowed the Allies to move forward with their plan to open up the long awaited western front in Europe.

11. The PlanThe Plan  Winston Churchill and FDR agreed it was time to open up a new front in the West through the beaches of France.  The obvious choice for a landing area was the Pas de Calais so the Allies decided to attack in Normandy instead but believed they had to deceive the Germans they intended to attack elsewhere.

12. Normandy!  Normandy is a peninsula on the French coast.  It was chosen because the Germans expected the attack on the Pas de Calais.

13. If D-Day failed… - Eisenhower "Our landings in the Cherbourg- Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone." ​ "

14. The CriteriaThe Criteria 1.The enemy must remain ignorant of the proposed landing site. 2.The enemy must be prevented from bringing up reinforcements quickly once the Allies landed. 3.Complete Allied air and naval superiority in the English Channel. 4.Local defenses must largely be destroyed by air and sea bombardment.

15. Operation OverlordOperation Overlord  There would be five sectors that would be attacked: 1.Utah (American) 2.Omaha (American) 3.Gold (British) 4.Juno (Canadian) 5.Sword (British)

16. The AttackThe Attack

17. The Atlantic WallThe Atlantic Wall  The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the Germans between 1942 and 1944.  Built along the western coast of Europe to defend against an anticipated Anglo-American led Allied invasion from Great Britain.  Fritz Todt, the designer of the Siegfried Line along the Franco- German border, was the chief engineer.  Thousands of forced laborers were forced to construct these permanent fortifications along the Dutch, Belgian, and French coasts.

18. The Atlantic WallThe Atlantic Wall  Early in 1944, Field Marshall Rommel was assigned to improve the defenses of the Wall.  Rommel believed the existing fortifications were entirely inadequate.  A string of reinforced concrete pillboxes were built along the beaches to house machine guns, antitank guns, and light artillery.  Minefields and antitank obstacles were planted on the beaches and underwater obstacles and mines were planted in the waters just off shore to destroy incoming crafts.  By the time of the invasion, the Germans had laid almost 6 million mines in Northern France.

19. The Atlantic WallThe Atlantic Wall

20. The Time Has ComeThe Time Has Come  On the evening of 5 June, paratroopers dropped in to secure bridges for the Allied advance.  Heavy bombers dropped their payloads on what was supposed to be the beach defenses.  In the early morning, the largest armada of ships left Britain for the French coast.

21. The Battle for NormandyThe Battle for Normandy  For the first month following D-Day landings, a stalemate developed during which the Allies built up their forces.  By August 21, the Germans either retreated or had been destroyed.  The ten-week Normandy Campaign resulted in over 550,000 casualties, including:  29,000 Americans killed  106,000 wounded/missing

22. The Liberation of Northwestern Europe  Sept. 1944, the British captured the Belgian port of Antwerp.  It was a key victory for the Allies because they desperately required its docking facilities to bring in supplies.  The problem was that the Germans occupied both banks of the 70-kilometer long Scheldt River estuary linking Antwerp to the sea.

23. Battle of the BulgeBattle of the Bulge  The Ardennes Offensive (known to the general public as the Battle of the Bulge ) began on 16 Dec. 1944  Three powerful German armies plunged into the semi- mountainous heavily forested Ardennes region of eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg.  Their goal was to reach the sea, trap four Allied armies, and impel a negotiated peace on the Western front.

25. Battle of the Bulge (cont.)Battle of the Bulge (cont.)  Thinking the Ardennes was the least likely spot for a German offensive, the line was thin with American manpower concentrated north and south of the Ardennes.  Even though the German Offensive achieved total surprise, the American troops did not give up ground without a fight.  Within 3 days, the Americans insured that the Germans would not achieve their goal.

26. Outcomes  Critical German losses  The last of the German reserves were now gone  The Luftwaffe (German air force) had been broken.  The German Army in the West was being pushed back  The Eastern Front was now ripe for the taking as the German Army was unable to halt the Soviets.  German forces were sent reeling on two fronts and never recovered.

27. The Final DaysThe Final Days  In April 1945, the battle was coming to a close.  On 30 April, Hitler committed suicide together with his mistress Eva Braun.  Hitler gave strict orders for his body to be burned, so that his enemies wouldn’t do what they had done to Mussolini. 

28. The Soviets Arrive: BerlinThe Soviets Arrive: Berlin  2 May, the Reichstag falls and Berlin surrenders.  The battle for Berlin cost the Soviets over 70,000 lives.  Many of whom died due to the haste with which the campaign was concluded.

29. VE-Day  The major Allied ground offensive from the west against German territory began on 8 Feb. 1945.  The Germans formally surrendered on 8 May 1945, known as Victory- in-Europe, or V-E Day.