Class Notes: The War In Europe

North Africa

  • After the unsuccessful attempt to invade ______, Hitler turned his attention to ______and ______.
  • Hitler wanted to control Egypt in order to gain access to the Suez Canal and the ______of the Middle East (1941)
  • In charge of the German Afrika Korps (tank division = panzers) was General ______(the “Desert Fox”)
  • The Allies in North Africa were led by British General ______(“Monty”)

Battle of El Alemain (1942)

  • The ______in North Africa
  • Major Allied victory that signaled end of Nazi presence in North Africa
  • Pushed Rommel all the way back to Tunisia
  • Lots of German casualties

Attack on the Soviet Union

  • Hitler breaks the non-aggression pact with Stalin and ______Operation Barbarossa (June 1941)
  • As the Germans advanced, the Red Army practiced the “______policy”
  • All though the Soviets were far ______than the Germans, they stayed strong and refused to give in (Germans had surrounded Leningrad, yet the city did not fall)
  • Stalin wanted the other Allied nations to open up a second front against the Germans. He would have to wait.

Battle of Stalingrad(September 1942)

  • ______for Soviets
  • The first Nazi ______
  • Forced Germans to be in ______for the remainder of the war

Invasion of Italy

  • Commanded by General George C. Patton
  • July 10, 1943 Allied forces land at ______, and were victorious within 1 month
  • June 4, 1944 Allies marched into ______(1st Capital city freed from Nazi control)

D-Day Invasion (June 6, 1944)

  • Commanded by US General Dwight D. Eisenhower – codenamed ______
  • Possibly ______battle during the war
  • ______troops landed at 5 different beachheads on the ______coast of France
  • Gold, Juneau, Sword = ______forces and met light opposition
  • Utah and Omaha = ______forces, OmahaBeach met with most opposition

D-Day, cont.

  • 3 million troops total will land at Normandy(over time)
  • Casualties = 2,245 killed, 1,670 wounded
  • Significance  Opened up ______in Europe(finally!) and paved the way for liberation of European countries from Nazi control (turning point in European Theatre)

Battle of the Bulge (December 1944)

  • ______major ______(in Belgium and Luxembourg)
  • Approximately 600,000 American troops fought in the battle
  • The ______was definitely a factor
  • High US casualties (nearly 80,000)
  • The ______helped win the battle for the Allies
  • By January, Allies were advancing toward Germany

Firebombing of Dresden(February 13-14, 1945)

  • Britain and US dropped ______on the city = destroyed
  • No real purpose other than the continuation of the strategy to bring Germany to its’ knees