1. The United States in World War II
24.1 The War in Europe and North Africa

2. The Battle of the Atlantic Defeating the Axis Powers depended largely on control of the seas
U-Boat Attacks
The Allied Response
WWI = US formed convoys to protect their ships
WII = US does not have enough ships for convoys
The ‘Wolf Pack’ Attacks
U-Boats began to hunt in groups at night
Germans sunk 360 ships in just one year and lost only eight of their own
Energized shipyards began producing ships at an amazing rate
Began to protect convoys from the air; use radar technology
Enigma
German code system
Broken by the U.S. in 1941
By the war’s end, 70% of Germans who’d served on submarines were dead

3. The War in the Soviet Union
In the summer of 1941 Hitler broke his ‘Nonaggression Pact’ with Stalin – surprise, surprise! – and sent troops into the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union joins the Allied Powers
Stalin was ill-equipped to combat the Blitzkrieg, but the Soviets were joined by a new ally . . .
Winter in Russia
This slowed, but did not defeat, German forces

4. The Battle of Stalingrad
When Spring returned, Germany resumed it’s assault of the SU
One major target of the German armies was the industrial city of Stalingrad
In August 1942, the Germans attacked Stalingrad
In some of the bloodiest fighting in the history of warfare, the Soviets refused to let Stalingrad fall
Not only did the Germans fail to take the city, they also exposed themselves to a counterattack costing them some two million soldiers; the SU lost twelve million soldiers and millions of civilians BUT . . .
In January 1944, the German army had been successfully pushed out of the SU and back into Germany; Stalingrad marked the beginning of the end for the Germans in the SU

5. The Battle of Stalingrad

6. American Forces in N. Africa and Italy
Soon after France fell, the British and Italians began a fight for North Africa; North Africa was vital to Allied success
Protect shipping on the Mediterranean Sea
Bring oil through the Suez Canal from the Middle East to fuel planes/ships/tanks
The Italians attempted an attack on British forces in Egypt but were beaten badly; Hitler had to send reinforcements
The Battle of El Alamein
The British finally handed the Germans a major defeat in N Africa as well

7. Operation Torch
U.S. Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower called for American forces to invade N. Africa in November 1942
Americans fought German forces in North Africa for roughly six months and lost some 20,000 troops; but by May of 1943, they’d defeated them
Stalin began to push the U.S. to invade Europe; however, such an operation was still years away
Instead, the Allied leaders prepared to cross the Mediterranean and knock the Italians out of the war

8. Invading Italy “Would you rather die for Mussolini and Hitler
Invading Italy “Would you rather die for Mussolini and Hitler or live for Italy and civilization?”
In July of 1943, the U.S. invaded the island of Sicily
By the end of the month, the Italians had chosen life they turned against Mussolini and forced him out of power
The Allied Powers took Sicily a few weeks later; much to Hitler’s outrage
Hitler responded by sending troops to Italy, but the Allies continued to make steady progress
Enter the Tuskegee Airmen

9. Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first unit of African Americans to receive training as pilots in the U.S. military

10. Taking Rome
After early successes in Italy, the Allies slowed their approach as they got close to Rome
Anzio
In late January, the first of some 100,000 Allied soldiers came ashore
Fighting raged for four months until Allied troops from the South came to the rescue of the soldiers trapped in Anzio; 25,000 – 30,000 Allied soldiers were lost
Despite the victory at Anzio, fighting in Italy continued for another year some 300,000 troops would die or suffer injury there

11. D-Day: The Invasion of France
Operation Overlord
To end the war a.s.a.p., the Allies wanted to launch a large scale attack on Europe
They settled on the beaches of Normandy, France
Careful planning and speed were going to be crucial . . .
The Germans had two new weapons
V1 Flying Bomb
V2 Rocket

12. The Landing at Normandy
June 6, 1944, 3.5 million Allied soldiers arrived
Success was absolutely necessary, but uncertain

13. The Attack
Began with soldiers parachuting behind German lines to try and secure key sites
Ships offshore rained shells on the coastline
Allied aircraft filled the sky to provide cover for the waves of troops to come
The Success of Operation Overlord would depend on the individual soldiers, whose job it was to wait for their landing-craft gate to open then move toward shore
By the thousands, they waded through the surf till they hit the sand and then raced through obstacles, wounded and dead comrades, and a hail of gunfire to find something to hide behind, and went forward again

14. D-Day

15. Saving Private Ryan

16. The German Response
Thanks in part to Allied deceptions, Hitler feared the assault on Normandy was just a trick and that another invasion would take place elsewhere; therefore, he was slow to respond
For DAYS, German leaders delayed in sending backup forces to the area
Though the cost was high – some 10,000 soldiers (more than half being Americans) - D-Day was a success
By July, the landing area was considered secure enough to send in our first women’s army corp., and the Allied troops marched onward to France

17. Women’s Army Corp.

18. The Battle of the Bulge
Hitler’s once mighty war machine now appeared on the verge of collapse and the Allied forces projected an early end to the war
This turned out to be premature . . .
December 16, 1944
The Germans launched a surprised offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge; which came down to control of the Belgian city of Bastogne
Hitler caught the American troops completely off guard but how would it end??

19. The Battle for Bastogne
Surrounded by Germans, shivering in below-zero temperatures and low on supplies, Americans clung to survival
December 26th, just as things were starting to look dire, reinforcements led by Lieutenant General George S. Patton arrived to provide relief
By the end of January 1945, the bulge created by the German offensive had been rolled back; the Allies set their sights on Germany and the defeat of Hitler