26-3
War in Europe and North Africa (p. 815-817)
I. The Allies Fight Back
• U.S. enters the war in Dec. 1941 on the side of the
Allies; Germany declares war on the U.S. in
response to U.S. declaration of war on Japan
• FDR & Churchill decide on a “Europe First” policy
• Buildup troops in Britain to plan for invasion of
France
• Assault German troops in North Africa
• Allied powers at the beginning of 1942: Britain, US,
USSR
• Stalin favored a European invasion (to take pressure
off of the Eastern Front), and was angry when US
& Britain decided to focus on North Africa first
(rather than a European invasion)
• One major obstacle faced by the Allies: U-boat
attacks in the North Atlantic: SOLUTIONS
1. Convoy system (multiple ships traveling at
once)
2. Sonar (uses sound waves to detect ships
underwater)
3. Long range planes could provide air support
to convoys; they also targeted factories,
railroads and cities inside Germany
https://google.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/bc922622-57b0-49c7-8a8c-1402af991964
(Achieving Victory: Segments 1 & 2)
II. Halting the German Advance
A. North Africa and Italy
• Germans and Allies (British
first, later joined by the US)
were fighting in North Africa
over the control of the Suez
Canal & access to oil reserves
in the Middle East
• Germany’s Afrika Korps was
led by Erwin Rommel: “The
Desert Fox”
• 1942: British stop the
German takeover of Egypt:
Battle of El Alamein
•
https://google.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/
ffc8c4fd-8097-4e4d-b037-55058a009ce3
• US troops, commanded by
General Dwight D.
Eisenhower, come ashore
in North Africa
• The Afrika Korps are
caught between the US
and British forces, and are
defeated in May, 1943
• With North Africa under
control, the Allies can prepare
to attack Europe through its
“soft underbelly”: Italy
• 1943: Allied invasion of Sicily;
Italian leaders overthrow
Mussolini (he’s eventually
executed)
• 1944: Allies take Rome
https://google.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/assetGuid/
bc922622-57b0-49c7-8a8c-1402af991964
N Africa & Italy Clips
Anzio: https://google.discoveryeducation.com/player/view/
assetGuid/e4dddde6-853f-4803-bae4-69c8cab1b169
But the Russian winter
was coming………..
B. The Battle of Stalingrad
• Deadliest battle in human
history
• Sept. 1942: German and USSR
forces battle in urban warfare
(house to house, including
civilians) for the city of
Stalingrad
• “Not One Step Back Directive”:
Stalin forced everyone to fight
or face execution
• As the harsh winter set in, Germans ran low on
supplies and did not have adequate winter clothing or
vehicles
• Hitler demanded that the fighting continue, but one
of Germany’s commanders defied Hitler and
surrendered.
• The Battle of Stalingrad was a major turning point:
Germany was now in retreat in the East, and would
never advance further
• Biggest Tank Battle Ever Fought: Battle of Kursk
https://youtu.be/bCQBSf1rb7o
https://youtu.be/Zi7fxqCrIUs