AIM: What was the Allied Plan of Attack?

FDR & Churchill Dec. 22, 1941- White House Conference Create Plan of Attack Defeat Germany first – Why? Unconditional surrender – Why? WWII EUROPE GEORGE MARSHALL- U.S ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF DWIGHT EISENHOWER- EUROPEAN ALLIED LEADER OBJ 1. DEFEAT HITLER FIRST 2. UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER (?) -‘POLAR ROUTE’- OVER ICELAND MURMANSK ( RUSSIAN PORT) I. RUSSIA JUNE 1941- HITLER ( 3 MILLION TROOPS ) INTO RUSSIA - SCORCHED EARTH POLICY- - SPRING 1942 MOSCOW, LENINGRAD - MOVED SOUTH TOWARDS STALINGRAD ( CAUCASUS MTS. ) ___)OIL CONTROLLED STALINGRAD - RUSSIAN COUNTER OFFENSIVE(STALINGRAD) - RUSSIAN WINTER (- 40) DEGREES - 500,000 ( 400,000 DIED ) 1 1/2 MILLION RUSSIANS - FEB 1943 RUSSIANS BEGIN TO PUSH BACK II NORTH AFRICA- NOV. 8, 1942- MAY 12,1943 - CASABLANCA, ALGIERS,- EL ALAMEIN - ERWIN ROMMEL- AFRIKA CORPS(DESERT FOX) - EISENHOWER - OPERATION TORCH. III ITALY SEPT 1943- MARCH 1945 - SALERNO - ANZIO - MUSSOLINI ARRESTED- ITALY READY TO SURRENDER ( GERMANS INVADE ) (MUSSOLINI ESCAPES)-RECAPTURED APRIL, 1945 SHOT & HUNG - SOVIETS PUSHING WEST INTO POLAND HEADING TOWARDS GERMANY - ALLIES BOMBING GERMANY NIGHT ___JAND DAY

North African Front – Operation Torch Nov. 1942 – May 1943 General Eisenhower in command of US forces in Europe. Erwin Rommel aka. Desert Fox: Afrika Korps The Americans would push east – The British would push west – Squeeze Rommel. Battle of Kasserine Pass – first US battle aginst the Germans – The Americans are defeated. General George S. Patton takes command on the ground in N. Africa. Battle of el Alamein: Allied victory - led to defeat of Afrika Korps "Before Alamein we never had a victory, after Alamein we never had a defeat.“ – W.Churchill http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/launch_ani_campaign_maps.shtml

Casablanca Conference (1943) FDR and Churchill meet to discuss their next move after the African campaign. Stalin wants the British and Americans to open up a Second Front in France. Churchill wants to attack the “Soft Underbelly” of Europe- Italy. The invasion of France is postponed.

Tehran Conference (1943) First meeting of the “Big Three.” Britain and U.S. promised Stalin that they would open up a Second Front in France- take pressure off the Soviets. It was agreed that Operation Overlord (D-Day) would take place in spring of 1944.