European Theatre. Videos

Transcription

1 European Theatre Videos

2 What do you SEE? THINK? WONDER?

3 Now, what do you THINK? WONDER?

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6 'Fallen 9000' Project: Thousands Of Stenciled Bodies In The Sand Serve As Poignant D-Day Tribute An ambitious installation that was put together by hundreds of volunteers, the "Fallen 9000" project serves as a reminder of the staggering cost of lost peace. A tribute to the roughly 9,000 civilians, Allies and German soldiers alike who lost their lives on D-Day, the project involved the painstaking stenciling of 9,000 silhouettes on the Normandy beach at Arromanches where so much blood was once shed. "'The Fallen' is a sobering reminder of what happens when peace is not present," Wardley said in the release. "The idea is to create a visual representation of what is otherwise unimaginable -- the thousands of human lives lost during the hours of the tide during the WWII Normandy landings on 6 June, 1944." "There will be no distinction between nationalities," he continued. "They will be known only as 'The Fallen'. It does not propose to be a celebration or condemnation, simply a statement of fact and tribute to life and its premature loss." All of the sand silhouettes were eventually erased by the incoming tide.

7 Germans violated nonaggression pact with Soviet Union and attacked Hitler hoped to captured Soviet oil fields Germans nearly won (controlled 9/10 of the city) Allies: Britain, France, Soviet Union, USA Winter of 1943 hit ( General Winter ) Soviets used the weather to their advantage & Hitler retreated Soviets lost 1,100,000 people in this battle of Stalingrad Turning point in WWII Two Front War From that point on, Soviet army began to move westward towards Germany

8 D-Day June 6, 1944! Mission: Stop German reinforcements 2 years building the invasion of 3 million troops 1 ½ months of bombing French supply routes to make German reinforcements more difficult Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe led D-Day invasion Hope to surprise Germans Landed on the beaches of Normandy, France Originally attempted for June 5 th, bad weather 3 divisions of paratroopers dropped at 0100 hours

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21 "Two kinds of people are staying on this beach - the dead and those who are going to die. Now let s get the hell out of here!" Colonel George A Taylor Omaha Beach, (6 June 1944)

22 Largest Invasion in US History Over 150,000 troops; 4,000 landing crafts; 600 warships; 11,000 planes Total of all countries in Battle of Normandy-- 550,200 dead, wounded or missing from the battles Bloody Omaha Beach A descent into hell U.S. enters into the costliest assault in the military Full, frontal assault on a fixed, fortified, elevated enemy 100 meter cliffs on both sides of the beach Army Rangers-Lead the Way!

23 On D-Day, the Allies landed around 156,000 troops in Normandy. The American forces landed numbered 73,000: 23,250 on Utah Beach, 34,250 on Omaha Beach, and 15,500 airborne troops. In the British and Canadian sector, 83,115 troops were landed (61,715 of them British): 24,970 on Gold Beach, 21,400 on Juno Beach, 28,845 on Sword Beach, and 7900 airborne troops. 11,590 aircraft were available to support the landings. On D-Day, Allied aircraft flew 14,674 sorties, and 127 were lost. In the airborne landings on both flanks of the beaches, 2,395 aircraft and 867 gliders of the RAF and USAAF were used on D-Day. Operation Neptune involved huge naval forces, including 6,939 vessels: 1,213 naval combat ships, 4,126 landing ships and landing craft, 736 ancillary craft and 864 merchant vessels. Some 195,700 personnel were assigned to Operation Neptune: 52,889 US, 112,824 British, and 4,988 from other Allied countries. By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326,547 troops, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies had been landed on the beaches.

24 Saving Private Ryan

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26 D-Day was a huge turning point in the war & paved the way for Allied victory in WWII

27 Battle of the Bulge Bloodiest battle of WWII 76,000 U.S. soldiers die, wounded or missing Germans were out of France and Belgium, America was on its way to Berlin Hitler launches a massive counter-attack against U.S. forces on the Western Front (against his Generals recommendations) Wanted to split the Allies, send us back by neutralizing the Western front in the short term- the only way to successfully defend Germany in the long term. Hitler had taken full control of military decisions, not a good military strategy man Assassination attempt on Hitler fails

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30 Allies Fight On Cold & snowy in the Ardennes Forest where the fighting took place They were outnumbered, surrounded and low on ammo and food, General Patton and his tanks arrive and the Nazi s eventually surrender It was a huge gamble and an even bigger defeat for Hitler, taking his best troops from the Russian front to fight the Americans

31 Germany s Downfall 1. Location of Germany and its effect on fighting a two-front war 2. Hitler controlling ALL military decisions 3. U.S.A. productivity (2x as much as the entire Axis powers) 4. Allied bombing hindering German production, oil was so scarce it basically grounded the Luftwaffe (airforce)