World War II Unit 7: The Great Depression and World War II Part 8: The Allies Advance
Objec>ves: 1. Explain why 1942 was a difficult year for the allies. 2. Explain what turned the war in favor of the allies. 3. Explain how the war in Europe came to an end.
I. 1942: A Time of Peril and Allied Defeats A. In 1942, German armies occupied most of Europe and much of North Africa. Japan was sweeping across Asia and the Pacific. German submarines were sinking ships faster than the Allies could replace them.
I. 1942: A Time of Peril and Allied Defeats B. German armies were closing in on Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad. 1. The Soviets resisted by burning their crops and destroying farm equipment so the Germans could not use them. 2. The German axack caused terrible hardships.
I. 1942: A Time of Peril and Allied Defeats C. Japanese forces were on the move in the Pacific. 1. Japan seized Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong, and Singapore. 2. General Douglas MacArthur directed American and Filipino troops in defense of the Philippines and the island of Bataan. In the end, MacArthur was forced to withdraw. 3. Japan captured Malaya, Burma, and the Dutch East Indies. 4. The Japanese advance was a threat to India, Australia, and New Zealand
II. Turning the Tide of the War A. The Allies had agreed that they must defeat Germany and Italy first. Then, they would send their combined forces to fight Japan. However, Americans won some victories in the war in the Pacific. 1. American forces met a Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea near Java in May 1942. A`er a three- day baxle, the Japanese fleet was turned back. It was the first naval baxle in history in which airplanes did all the damage. The planes were from the aircra` carriers.
II. Turning the Tide of the War B. One month later, the United States Navy won a stunning victory at the BaXle of Midway. The victory hampered the Japanese offensive and kept Japan from axacking Hawaii again.
II. Turning the Tide of the War C. Allied forces began to push back the Germans in North Africa. 1. In October 1942, the Bri>sh drove German forces under Erwin Rommel from El Alamein, Egypt, toward Tunisia. 2. In May 1943, Rommel s army had to surrender.
II. Turning the Tide of the War D. From North Africa, the Allies organized an invasion of Italy. 1. First, the Allies captured the island of Sicily, then crossed from Sicily into Italy. 2. By then, the Italian people had overthrown Mussolini. 3. However, the Germans s>ll occupied much of Italy. 4. In a series of bloody baxles, the Allies fought their way through Italy. On June 4, 1944, they freed Rome from Nazi control.
II. Turning the Tide of the War E. Meanwhile, the Soviet army had defeated the Germans at Leningrad and Stalingrad. Soviet troops were pushing the Germans back across Eastern Europe.
III. D- Day Invasion at Normandy A. For years, Stalin had urged Britain and the United States to send armies across the English Channel into France. Such an axack would create a second front in Western Europe and ease pressure in the East. 1. The allies were not prepared for such an invasion un>l 1944. 2. Years of planning went into Opera>on Overlord, the code name for the invasion of Europe. 3. General Dwight Eisenhower was appointed commander of Allied forces in Europe. 4. The Germans knew the axack was coming, but not when or where.
III. D- Day Invasion at Normandy B. On June 6, 1944 D- Day, as it was known a fleet of 4,000 Allied ships carried the invasion force to France. 1. The troops scrambled ashore at Normandy. 2. Despite intense German resistance, the Allies pushed on. 3. The Allies reached Paris on August 25, 1944. Within a month, France was free.
IV. Turning Points in the War
V. Ending the War in Europe A. By September, the Allies were advancing toward Germany. On December 16, 1944, German forces began a fierce counteraxack. 1. In one area, the Germans pushed the Allies back, crea>ng a bulge in the front lines. This BaXle of the Bulge, as it was later called, slowed the Allies down, but it did not stop them. 2. While troops were figh>ng on the ground, Bri>sh and American airmen were dropping bombs on German ci>es, factories, and oil refineries.
V. Ending the War in Europe (con t) B. In 1944, President Roosevelt ran for a fourth term. 1. The Republican opponent was Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York. 2. Roosevelt and his running mate, Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri, won more than 54 percent of the vote. 3. A short >me later, in April 1945, Roosevelt died and Truman became President.
V. Ending the War in Europe (con t) C. By April 1945, Germany was collapsing. American troops were closing in: 1. from the west. Soviet troops were advancing from the east. 2. On April 25, American and Soviet troops met at Torgau, 60 miles south of Berlin. 3. Soon a`er, Hitler commixed suicide. 4. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered. On May 8, the Allies celebrated V- E Day Victory in Europe.
V. Ending the War in Europe (con t)