1. Chapter 25 Section 2
Retaking Europe

2. Atlantic Charter
An agreement signed by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941
Outlines the nation’s war aims
Sought no territory
No territorial changes without permission of the people
People have a right to choose their own government
Nazis must be destroyed

3. Why was the Atlantic Charter significant?
It contained terms agreed to by Great Britain and the U.S. to govern war behavior and define their aims

4. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in World War II
American
Future President

5. What obstacles did Allied forces face while fighting in Italy?
Mountainous terrain
Destroyed bridges
Blocked roads
Elaborate German Army defenses

6. In June of 1941, the Nazis invade the Soviet Union. How
In June of 1941, the Nazis invade the Soviet Union. How successful was the invasion of the Soviet Union in the first few months?
Very successful
German air forces gained near total control of the air
Germans took hundreds of thousands of Russian prisoners
Moved deep into Russian territory

7. Why did the German invasion of the Soviet Union succeed at first?
The intensity and speed of the attack took the Soviets by surprise

8. Describe the events of the Battle of Stalingrad?
Important rail and industrial center
Germans firebombed and shot artillery at the city for 2 months
House to house combat
Soviets make their stand
Winter sets in
90,000 Nazis eventually surrender

9. What factors helped the Soviet army defeat the Germans?
While the Soviets were retreating, they burned anything the Nazis could use
The cold and harsh weather
The size of the Soviet Union

10. How did the Allied decision to delay an invasion of Western Europe and fight instead in North Africa and Italy affect the Soviet Union?
The Soviet Union bore the heaviest cost of fighting Germany
26 million dead in the Soviet Union alone
This made the Soviets suspicious of the West

11. Carpet Bombing
Planes scattered large numbers of bombs over a wide area
German cities suffered heavy damage as a result

12. What advantage did carpet bombing have over a conventional attack on Germany?
Carpet bombing, along with more precise American bombing, enabled the Allies to strike all over Germany with lower risk for allied casualties

13. D-Day June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of France
Beginning of the invasion of Hitler’s Europe
130,000 Allies land on the first day
Largest invasion in history
In a little over 2 months, France is liberated

14. Explain the significance of the D-day invasion?
It represented the opening of the Allied invasion of Western Europe

15. Battle of the Bulge Americans were on the verge of entering Germany
December 1944-Germans attack American lines in Belgium
Created a bulge in the middle of American lines
Last ditch offensive for the Nazis

16. Explain why Stalingrad and the Battle of the Bulge market two different turning points for Germany during the War.
Stalingrad
Turning point of the war in the east
German surrender and loss showed that Germany’s seemingly unstoppable offensive was over
Battle of the Bulge
Resulted in great German losses
Nazis lose the last of their armored reserves
Nazi leaders recognize that the war is lost

17. Germany Surrenders The Soviets invade Berlin in April 1945
Hitler commits suicide April 30, 1945
May 8, Germany surrenders