This is day in History: 1943: FDR & Winston Churchill meet for Casablanca

Conference

Learning Target:I can understand the experiences of American

soldiers on the Western Front.

OpenerBrainstorm: What do you know

about D-Day?

January 14th

Western FrontWestern Europe and

North Africa

Britain, Canada, Australia and United States vs. Germany and Italy

American/British commanded by General Dwight Eisenhower

Predict:Do you think the U.S. was more

concerned with fighting Germany or Japan first? Why?

Ten-Second Share

Allied PlanAllies focused on

Germany

But FDR and Churchill want Russia to do most of fighting Get experience for

troops in North Africa first

ItalySeptember 1943:

Allies landed in Italy

Successful against Italian troopsHitler sent German

troops to help Italians

Allied advance stalled

Predict:After stalling in Italy, what did the

Allies do?

Ten-Second Share

France1944: Germany

pushed out of Soviet UnionOn the ropes on

Eastern Front

Allies don’t want to be left out of peace settlementReady to invade

France

D-DayOperation Overlord:

Land on beaches of Normandy, France

June 6th, 1944

Germans caught off-guard

10,000 Allied killed or wounded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82RTzi5Vt7w

Liberation of FranceAllies used toehold

to land 1 million troops in one month

August 1944: Allies liberated Paris

PredictHow did Hitler respond to the

Allies success?

Ten-Second Share

Battle of the BulgeDecember 1944:

Hitler desperate

Germany launches counterattack to knock Allies out of France

American troops stand firm, save the day

End of War NearsJanuary 1945:

Soviets reach Berlin

Americans 50 miles away

ReviewWhat were the most important

points from the lecture?

Ten-Second Share

The United States did not enter the fight in Europe until late in the war.

United States helped liberate France starting with the D-day landings at Normandy.

Big Ideas

Connect:How was the fighting in WW2

similar or different than the fighting in WW1?

Closure