 Pearl Harbor attack brought the U.S. into WWII on the allied side  In 1942 the Allies began to stop the Axis powers  The most aggressive threat the world peace and democracy had been halted

 Axis powers had never coordinated a strategy to defeat the Allies Common enemies but individual dreams  Hitler- dominate Europe and eliminate “inferior” people  Mussolini- dreams of an Italian Empire stretching from the eastern Adriatic to East Africa  Tojo- Japanese control of the Western Pacific and Asia

 Allies had a common goal  All considered Germany the most dangerous enemy Resources to bomb Britain, fight U.S. and British navies, and invade the Soviet Union  Allies agreed to fight and win a two-front war and pursue a “Europe First” strategy

 Wolf Packs- of German U-Boats patrolled the Atlantic to cut the lines between the U.S. and Britain  As in WWI, convoys protected Allied shipping  Radar helped Allied vessels locate U- boats on the surface at night  U.S. was able to bomb U-boats faster than German could manufacture them

 Germany attacked Russia in June 1941 One army to Leningrad, one to Moscow  Soviet resistance and a brutal winter stopped the German Advance  1942 Hitler’s goal was the Caucasus oil fields He would have to capture Stalingrad

 Ferocious battle- Soviets counter attacked and trapped the Germans Hitler refused to let his army retreat  Starving, sick, and frostbitten, the surviving German troops surrendered January 31, 1943

 Stalingrad was the true turning point of the war  It ended any hopes of Hitler dominating Europe  Soviets were now on the offensive

 November Allied troops land in Morocco and Algeria and begin to move towards German positions  General Dwight Eisenhower led the Allied invasion of North Africa  German General Erwin Rommel led his Afrika Korps against the Americans Stopped by the Americans and forced to retreat due to lack of supplies  Commander George Patton advanced confidently and forced German and Italian troops to surrender

 Two important decisions Allies decide to continue bombing Germany and invade Italy FDR announced the allies would only accept an unconditional surrender  Giving up completely without any concessions

 Eisenhower commanded American- British forces  Axis forces escaped Sicily to the Italian mainland  Gave Allies complete control of western Mediterranean and ended the rule of Benito Mussolini Hitler helped him escape and put him in charge of a puppet state in northern Italy

 Early 1942, Allied bombers launched non stop attacks against Germany  Saturation bombing- British planes dropped massive amounts of bombs on German cities Done at night  Strategic bombing- American bombers targeted Germany’s key political and industrial centers During the day

 African American fighter squadron escorted bombers and protected them from enemy fighter pilots  In more than 1,500 missions over enemy territory, the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose a single bomber

 Admiral Yamamoto wanted to destroy American aircraft carriers before the U.S. could retaliate for Pearl Harbor Turned his attention to Midway Would force Americans back to the California Coast  Navy code breakers had intercepted Japanese plans Admiral Chester Nimitz sent aircraft carriers to Midway

 In the most important naval battle of WWII, the U.S. defeated the Japanese U.S. only lost 1 aircraft carrier  Battle of Midway became a TURNING POINT in the Pacific Japan still had powerful abilities, but would never again threaten Hawaii or Pacific domination

 August 1942 Americans take the offensive with an assault on Guadalcanal  U.S. drove Japanese off the island