Section 4-Pushing the Axis Back

 Jan ‘43 – Casablanca Conference  Increase bombing of Germany  Attack Sicily  German oil, railroads, & aircraft destroyed  Sept ‘43 – Italy surrenders  Hitler tries to regain Italy – fails - retreats in May ’44  Tehran Conference  FDR, WC, Stalin meet  War plans

Code name for the invasion of France Gen Dwight Eisenhower in command D-Day June 6, ,000 men 284 major ships 5000 ships total 50,000 vehicles 11,000 planes

 Situation in doubt at first – evacuation considered  Jun 11 th – beaches secure – 326,000 men landed  10,000 casualties  Paris liberated on Aug index_map_sealand.htm

(pages 759–761)

 MacArthur returns Oct ‘44  Kamikaze attacks – 1 st organized use  Major Japanese defeat  Philippines liberated  Jan ‘45  POW rescue – Bataan  510 men rescued

 Sulfur Island – Feb 1945  100,000 men  6000 KIA  27 Medals of Honor (13 posthumously)  35 days of fighting  Airfields for future attacks & emergency landings Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue

 April 1, 1945  Largest amphibious assault in history  82 day battle  183,000 men  327 major ships  Last step before invasion of Japan – 1000 miles away  > 100,000 Okinawans died  Mass kamikaze attacks – 30+ ships sunk Loss of life weighs in decision to use atomic bombs 6 weeks later