#3 25.2 D-Day to V-E Day Paris liberated August 25 Allies in Germany October 6 FDR wins 4th term November Victory by Christmas?

The Bulge December 1944 http://www.pbs.org/perilousfight/battlefield/the_battle_of_the_bulge/maps/

The Last Blitzkrieg Battle of the Bulge: German offensive: 500k men; Germany: 120k casualties, 1600 planes destroyed, 500 tanks destroyed Germany: can’t replace men/supplies; exhausted East is weak from Red Army

The Last Blitzkrieg Battle of the Bulge: USA: 80k casualties – Worst battle in US history most of the casualties were due to the weather USA: heroic stand at Bastogne by the 101st Airborne

Band of Brothers

YouTube - Battle at Bastogne

Yalta Conference February 1945 The Big Three meet to discuss plans for after the war.

Keys Provisions of the Yalta Agreement Agreed to the creation of the United Nations. Eastern Europe is Soviet Union’s “sphere of influence.” Soviets wanted it as a “buffer zone.” USSR will enter war against Japan 90 days after defeat of G. USSR would receive the southern part of Sakhalin and the Kurile islands (parts of Japan) after the defeat of Japan. USSR would be given the “honor” of capturing Berlin. Germany would be divided in 4 Zones of Occupation- Soviet, American, British, & French.

Yalta plan for postwar Germany

Yalta’s Legacy Leads to the rise of the “Iron Curtain.” >>> Cold War. Freedom of small nations sacrificed- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia become part of the Soviet Union. Opens the door to the Soviet occupation of North Korea. United Nations

US changes bombing policy 1941 – February 1945: only military targets February 3 – August 1945: cities too 2/3/45 bombers target Berlin: 25,000 die 2/14/45 Dresden: 40,000 die Creates firestorm

Final days of WWII in Europe Red Army storms in from East “Only the unborn are innocent” Stalin 20,000,000 flee approaching Red Army (Read the above point again. Wow!) March 25 US and Soviet troops meet April 12 US stops advance at Elbe River April 13 FDR dead

Germany surrenders May 7, 1945 4/28 Italian partisans capture and execute Mussolini April 30 Hitler commits suicide May 7, 1945 Germany surrenders Soviet soldiers rape German women.