EVENTS LEADING TO THE END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE
Dec 24, 2015
EVENTS LEADING TO THE
END OF THE WAR IN EUROPE
RECAP – HITLER’S FATAL MISTAKES Dunkirk; The “Blitz” of London; The invasion of Russia.
It was the invasion of Russia that would inevitably lead to Hitler’s fall from power.
SETTING THE STAGE - THE RUSSIAN FRONT
On August 23rd, 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a “Non-Aggression Pact” which vowed not to interfere in each other’s business
On June 22nd, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union
Having purged his military of many of its best officers, Stalin and the Soviets were not ready for war
THE EASTERN FRONT
Operation “Barbarossa” – began on June 22nd, 1941
The early days saw the Germans drive into the Soviet Union almost reaching Moscow by October
The German army besieged Leningrad for what was to become a two year struggle ending in the death of more than one million civilians
When the severe Russian winter arrived the Nazi offensive broke down and the German attack was halted
MEANWHILE, JAPAN BRINGS THE UNITED STATES INTO THE
WAR WITH THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR (ONE OF THE
WAR'S GREAT BLUNDERS!)
THE ALLIES FAIL: THE DIEPPE
INVASION
August 1942
Ever since the “Miracle at Dunkirk”, the allies were anxious to return to the mainland of western Europe and fight the Germans.
The Soviets were also looking for assistance in their fight against the Germans, so they urged the allies to launch an attack in Western Europe.
THE ALLIES PRACTICE ON THE COAST OF FRANCE…. THE DIEPPE INVASION
Summer of 1942, the Soviets are urging the Allies to attack Nazi-occupied Europe from the west
Allies were not ready to launch an all-out attack but wanted to test German defenses, test out new equipment, gather intelligence, and provide a theatre of action for restless Canadian troops In Aug. 1942, 5000 Canadian troops stationed in
England were picked for the raid on the French port of Dieppe.
August 19, 1942 - ‘Operation Jubilee’ Dieppe, France (seaport on English Channel) Allies: Canada, United States Axis: Germany
THE DIEPPE RAID – WHAT HAPPENED?
The raid on Dieppe was launched to find out what was needed to make a full-scale Allied invasion across the English Channel a success.
It was also intended to draw German forces out of Russia.
PURPOSE OF THE RAID:
DIEPPE – BAD FOR CANADIANS
The raid failed:• Before the force reached the
beaches, it was spotted by a German naval patrol, and a sharp exchange of fire began.
• the element of suprise was lost as the invasion had to launch in daylight.
Few units from the landing force moved far beyond the beachhead as German resistance proved to be far stronger than anticipated.
The landing sites were poorly planned and the Germans were able to fire shells at the Allied landing craft when they were still 10 minutes from shore
• By early afternoon, August 19, 1942, after 6 hours of slaughter, Operation Jubilee, the invasion of Dieppe, was over.
• Canadians bore the brunt of the casualties at Dieppe:• 913 killed, • 2,460 wounded, • 1,946 taken prisoner
by the Germans.• Of the 2,210 who
returned to Britain, only 236 were unhurt - and 200 of these were men who had not been landed.
Significance? Rehearsal for D-Day: test Germany’s
defences along French coast and gain intelligence
Costly learning experience:Next time: must be well-prepared and
executeChanged military strategy by deciding to
launch a massive aerial strike ahead of the invasion to weaken German defences
Change landing location to less secure areas along the French coast
DIEPPE - SIGNIFICANCE
http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=231174
MEANWHILE, THE BATTLE IN THE ATLANTIC
CONTINUED
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
Ongoing 1939 - 1945
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTICWhen? Longest battle of the WWII; on-going throughout
the war (1939-1945)
Where? In the Atlantic Ocean
Who? Allies: Britain, Canada and the United States Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) played a vital role
by transporting troops, food and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean to Britain
Axis: Germany (Kriegsmarine)
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTICWhy? Britain relied on Canada for supplies and
reinforcements, so it was important for Hitler to destroy Allied supply ships.
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC To protect the cargo ships, the allies
organized convoys – the first ½ of the trip the convoys were protected by Canadian ships; the latter half, British
In the beginning, the German U-boats (submarines) travelled in “wolf packs” and had the upper hand, sinking many ships (143 in July 1942)
More than 1600 Canadian and Newfoundland merchant marines were killed.
This map shows the convoy system and the Battle of the Atlantic. The battle built Canada’s naval power. When the war began, the Canadian navy consisted of just 11 ships and 20,000 sailors. When it ended, Canada had the third-largest navy in the world, with close to 400 ships and 113,000 personnel, including 7000 women.
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC The RCN grew to become the world’s 3rd
largest navy Helped 25,000+ ships cross the Atlantic
Ocean Delivered 165 metric tons of supplies to
Europe (needed for D-Day invasion)
http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=227045
ON TO STALINGRAD
THE TIDE TURNS The Nazis needed supplies and
resources to continue the war so victory in the Soviet Union was essential
From Sept. 14th, 1942 – Feb. 2nd, 1943 – the Germans and Russians fought for the strategic city of Stalingrad on the Volga River
Hitler and the Nazis lost the battle – 500 000 German and other troops were killed or taken prisoner
By the Autumn of 1943 the Germany army of 2.5 million soldiers faced an army of 5.5 million Soviet soldiers
TURNING POINT EUROPE - STALINGRAD
July 1942 – Feb. 1943
WHY WAS STALINGRAD SO IMPORTANT? It was a strategic
transportation and communication hub;
It was the largest city near the Caspian Sea – its capture would cut off the land route carrying British and American supplies to the Soviet troops
Provided access to Caucasus, which was rich in oil.
Was Stalin's namesake – defeat would lead to lowering the morale of the Soviet troops.
What went wrong? Over-reliance on the
Luftwaffe, who were unable to bring in the necessary supplies in the cold winter months;
Nazi soldiers had very low morale;
Stalin was willing to do whatever necessary to defend the city which held his name.
On February 22, 1943, German troops surrendered at Stalingrad. The tides were turning.
THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD July 1942 – February 1943 Amongst the bloodiest battles in the
history of warfare Heavy casualties on both sides:
147,000 Germans killed and 91,000 taken prisoner
500,000 Soviets killed The Red Army showed the world that
the German war machine was vulnerable
http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=138516
German troops were surrounded by the Russians at Stalingrad.
Unable to break out, the Germans also had to face the winter. Temperatures dropped to well below zero and food, ammunition and heat were in short supply.
"My hands are done for, and have been ever since the beginning of December. The little finger of my left hand is missing and - what's even worse - the three middle fingers of my right one are frozen. I can only hold my mug with my thumb and little finger. I'm pretty helpless; only when a man has lost any fingers does he see how much he needs then for the smallest jobs. The best thing I can do with the little finger is to shoot with it. My hands are finished." Anonymous German soldier
WHY WAS THIS BATTLE SO IMPORTANT? The failure of the German Army was nothing short of
a disaster. A complete army group was lost at Stalingrad and 91,000
Germans were taken prisoner. With such a massive loss of manpower and equipment,
the Germans simply did not have enough manpower to cope with the Russian advance to Germany when it came.
Despite resistance in parts – such as a Kursk – they were in retreat on the Eastern Front from February 1943 on.
In his fury, Hitler ordered a day’s national mourning in Germany, not for the men lost at the battle, but for the shame the German Commander, General von Paulus ,had brought on the Wehrmacht and Germany. Paulus was also stripped of his rank to emphasize Hitler’s
anger with him.