Description:
During the years of 1939-1941 of World War II, the Germans primarily dominated the battlefields. They had seized control of their weaker enemies, including Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. In the far East, the threat of Japan loomed, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. However, Hitler’s enthusiasm for 1942 was short-lived. After the US declared war on Japan, the Allied forces were rejuvenated. Although the alliance between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin was precarious, they put some of their major differences aside to cooperate with one another. All three had the goal of liberating the continent of Nazism and Hitler's regime. Among their greatest accomplishments were the North African campaign (1942), the D-Day invasion (1944), and the Battle of the Bulge (1944-45). The Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), in particular, was a pivotal moment for Stalin, and a source of Soviet pride. The Russians managed to prevent the Germans from seizing Stalingrad, and forced them to retreat. The German army started to deteriorate, and Hitler failed to retain the prestige he possessed at the start of the war. In May 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies, followed by Japan in September after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in August.
During the years of 1939-1941 of World War II, the Germans primarily dominated the battlefields. They had seized control of their weaker enemies, including Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. In the far East, the threat of Japan loomed, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. However, Hitler’s enthusiasm for 1942 was short-lived. After the US declared war on Japan, the Allied forces were rejuvenated. Although the alliance between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin was precarious, they put some of their major differences aside to cooperate with one another. All three had the goal of liberating the continent of Nazism and Hitler's regime. Among their greatest accomplishments were the North African campaign (1942), the D-Day invasion (1944), and the Battle of the Bulge (1944-45). The Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), in particular, was a pivotal moment for Stalin, and a source of Soviet pride. The Russians managed to prevent the Germans from seizing Stalingrad, and forced them to retreat. The German army started to deteriorate, and Hitler failed to retain the prestige he possessed at the start of the war. In May 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies, followed by Japan in September after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in August.
Ten Best Articles:
1. Uneasy Allies: Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin forged a fairly contentious alliance during World War II. All three leaders had different political objectives, yet their successful cooperation with one another exemplified "their skillful military and political leadership," which "allowed the alliance to survive by temporarily muting their differences… the story of three exceptional men whose realistic assessments of the dangers to their respective countries from Hitler’s Nazi Germany assured the survival of their nations and systems of governance."
2. The American Home Front (Excerpt from Book): After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, American industries, in a frenzied state, increased their production rates. Citizens were forced to take part in supporting the war effort, including women and children, Employment rates soared. "During the war years, Americans manufactured 87,000 tanks, 2,434,000 trucks, 260,000 planes, 315,000 artillery pieces, and 17,400,000 rifles. No other nation came close to matching the United States in war production. America's frenzied world of buzzing factories and shipyards was called the Home Front."
3. The Battle of El Alamein: After witnessing the defeat in Tobruk and Gazala, the Allies needed to hold out against Rommel’s forces in North Africa. Prime Minister Churchill appointed General Montgomery to lead the battles in the region, replacing Auchinleck. "El Alamein had not simply secured Egypt and the Middle East, but it contributed to what was, by any standards, a major Axis defeat in North Africa. It did much to restore British self-confidence and prestige, which had been badly battered by defeat in France in 1940 and by the collapse in the Far East in 1941-2--which culminated in the loss of Singapore."
4. Operation Torch (Excerpt from Book): In 1942, the Allies launched a campaign to take over the French territories in the North Africa. Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt felt it better suited their forces' capabilities than launching an offensive attack in Europe. "Not only would Torch deny a large part of North African coast to the Axis, but successful landings and a rapid advance into Tunisia would trap Rommel in the Western Desert. Control of the Mediterranean sea lanes would be in Allied hands, and the entire southern flank of Europe—'the soft underbelly,' as Churchill liked to call it—would be uncovered."
5. The Battle of Stalingrad: The Battle of Stalingrad took place from July 17, 1942-Feb. 2, 1943, and was a major turning point in World War II. Stalin's forces, unwavering and patient, prevented the Nazis from invading Stalingrad. "The Soviet victory at Stalingrad was a great humiliation for Hitler, who had elevated the battle’s importance in German opinion. He now became more distrustful than ever of his generals. Stalin, on the other hand, gained confidence in his military, which followed up Stalingrad with a westward drive and remained largely on the offensive for the rest of the war."
6. The Invasion of Sicily: After the success in the North African campaign, the Allies hoped to continue their quest to invade German-occupied territories in Europe. They attacked Sicily, followed by the mainland of Italy, as their next target. Regaining control of the Mediterranean would put the Germans at a severe disadvantage. "The Allies decided to move next against Italy, hoping an Allied invasion would remove that fascist regime from the war, secure the central Mediterranean and divert German divisions from the northwest coast of France where the Allies planned to attack in the near future."
7. D-Day Invasion (Excerpt from Book): During Operation Overlord in 1944, the Allied forces stormed through Normandy, France, led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was perilous excursion into German-occupied territory. "The D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944 was, in the words of Winston Churchill, 'the most difficult and complex operation that has ever taken place.' The victories of the British and Americans in north Africa and the Mediterranean, on the Atlantic, and in the air, inevitably led to the major Anglo-American operation of the war: the cross-Channel invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe."
8. The Battle of the Bulge (Excerpt from Book): The Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944-January 25, 1945) was a decisive American victory, primarily responsible for the Germans’ retreat and the end of Nazi militarism. However, at the time, it seemed unlikely that the Allied forces could defeat German troops. "The wonder of the Battle of the Bulge was not what the Nazis achieved but the fact that they were contained and finally broken as soon as they were… The greatest mistake Adolf Hitler made was to underestimate the fighting quality of the U.S. soldier."
9. War in the Air (Attack on Dresden, Germany) (Excerpt from Book): On February 13, 1945, during the last legs of World War II, the Allied forces launched air raid attacks on the city of Dresden, Germany. (This book offers multiple accounts of the bombings.) "Nobody knows how many thousand civilians were burned, blasted or suffocated to death… This was terror bombing on a scale beyond ordinary imagination. What happened that night of February 13th and in the early hours of the 14th has come to symbolise the inanity of total war. How did such a monstrous error of judgement come about?"
10. The Atomic Bomb (Excerpt from Book): To end the war with Japan, President Truman allowed the US to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945). The cities were decimated, the people incinerated. "Certainly [the atomic bomb] was the most destructive weapon devised by man, and on that August morning in 1945 the world hurtled into the atomic age."
Audio/Video:
1. General Eisenhower's Broadcast of the D-Day Invasion Order: On June 5, 1944, General Eisenhower commanded his troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force to prepare for battle in France.
2. Battle of Stalingrad: In July of 1942, the Nazi troops bombed Stalingrad, Russia, initiating one of the bloodiest battles the world has ever seen.
3. Germany's Surrender in WWII: On May 7, 1945, a reporter from the WOR newsroom (in the US) proclaims Germany’s surrender.
Primary Source Documents:
1. Formal Surrender of the Japanese Forces in Korea: On September 9, 1945, the senior Japanese auxiliary forces in Korea signed an agreement stating their surrender to the Allied forces. The document called for a cease-fire and an unrelenting commitment to their terms. "We hereby command all Japanese forces wherever situated and the Japanese people to cease hostilities forthwith, to preserve and save from damage all ships, aircraft, and military and civil property and to comply with all requirements which may be imposed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers or by agencies of the Japanese Government at his direction."
2. General de Gaulle's Broadcast on French Policy in War and Peace: On February 2, 1945, Charles de Gaulle made a radio broadcast, stating France's policy on war and peace in Europe. He expressed his hopes to strengthen France after being occupied by the Nazis. "By achieving our aim we will create general conditions of dignity, power and security for our country. These conditions have been lacking for so long, since the misunderstanding of realities, deprived us of them after the exhausting victory of 1918, and consequently we have been living in an atmosphere of discontent, uncertainty and threats, all of which are contrary to a nation's rebirth."
3. Hitler's Political Testament (Excerpt from Book): On April 29, 1945, Adolf Hitler signed his final political testament. He praised the National Socialist movement and those who have supported his ambitions. He also blamed the Jews for the destruction of World War II, a war he claims he did not want. "I have left no one in doubt that if the people of Europe are once more treated as mere blocks of shares in the hands of these international money and finance conspirators, then the sole responsibility for the massacre must be borne by the true culprits: the Jews."
4. Winston Churchill's Speech to V-E Crowds: On May 8, 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a speech to the V-E crowds, commending their loyalty to fighting the Nazis. He expressed hope for rebuilding the nation. "My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It's a victory of the great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year."
Maps:
This map illustrates the Germans' plan of attack to invade Belgium and Luxembourg in what would become the Battle of the Bulge.
This map shows the European territory under Allied control from September-October 1944. The black lines along the borders of Germany, Luxembourg, and France, and Germany and Eastern Europe show the Allied fronts in October 1944.