Europe: Europe: Beginnings Beginnings

and Liberation and Liberation

Foothill Technology High School Tuesday, May 2, 2023

THE EUROPEAN THE EUROPEAN THEATERTHEATER

Allies wage Industry WarfareRAF: Night and USAF: Day

• Destroy Factories• Create Terror• Break Morale

1942: FDR and Churchill commit to Europe first!

1943: Casablanca Conference Un-Conditional Surrender•Defeat, then Victory

ALLIED STRATEGYEurope first!

Dresden

Hamburg

Normandy

The Bulge

D-Day: 6 June 1944 OPERATION OVERLORD

Allied offensive: the North coast of France.

General Eisenhower (Ike) is Supreme Allied Commander– Under Ike are

• Montgomery (G.B.) • Bradley (U.S.)

“I am very uneasy about the WHOLE OPERATION.

At the very best it will fall so very very FAR

SHORT of the EXPECTATIONS of the bulk of the people, namely those who know nothing of its difficulties. At the worst it may well

be the MOST GHASTLY DISASTER of the whole war.

I WISH TO GOD it were safely over.”

Field Marshall Sir Alan Brooke. 5 June 1944

Sir BernardMontgomery General Omar Bradley

General Eisenhower

Supreme Allied

Commander

The Plan Amphibious assault by 5 divisions Drops by 3 airborne divisions Troops would mass in G.B. for invasion D-Day, day of invasion, 6 June 1944

– U.S. troops land at Omaha and Utah beaches

– G.B. at Gold, Juno (w/ Canadians) and Sword

Deception and Intelligence

Misinformation Fake U.S. Army camps and fictitious

attack points French Resistance produced info on

German troop movements Airborne reconnaissance of landing zones Sand samples from beaches

Airborne Assault/Paratrooper Phase Drops behind Utah beach evening before

D-Day 13,000 men Poor visibility and ground fire scattered the

parachutists- some fell into the sea- others drowned in flooded rivers- or, hit trees and roofs

* Those who did land were lost. Ironically, this served to only further confuse the Germans

Ike talks to 101st airborne 5 June 1944

A “cricket” used by the paratroopers to communicate in the dark to distinguish friend from foe. One click was to be answered by two.

The Day of DaysThe Day of Days

“…“…we’re not lost, we’re in Normandy.”we’re not lost, we’re in Normandy.”

Beach Phase: • Terrible weather and ocean conditions• Bombing of German defenses had been

largely ineffective

UTAH BEACHGood luck and Bad luck•Invasion force landed approx. 2,000 yards away and the tanks arrived late •Area ended up being less heavily defended•Causalities mercifully lightMEN LANDED: 23,250CASUALTIES: 200

OMAHA BEACHOMAHA BEACH Landing was gently rising slope to high sandy

bluffs Best German troops waited behind concrete

bunkers 5:40 a.m. only 5 of 32 tanks reached shore (after

troops) All but one of the main artillery guns was lost Men came ashore soaking wet, overloaded, and

sea-sick MEN LANDED: 34,250 CASUALITIES: c. 3,000

FDR SpeechFDR Speech6 June 19446 June 1944

A "A "Mighty EndeavorMighty Endeavor"" 

Saving Private Ryan

“'Cos you know when you pick up a body that's been in the water for a while, the flesh

just comes away. Terrible business.”

THE LIBERATION OF PARIS 19 August 1945 Allied forces gain a hold on

Paris Hitler still hoped to hold Paris, but very little

fighting By 25 August 1945 Paris is liberated

Legacy: The storming of Normandy (D-Day) as a mighty coalition had struck a telling blow at its occupiers and “turning point” is indeed appropriate.

BATTLE OF THE BULGEDecember 1944–January 1945

Hitler Commits SuicideApril 30, 1945

VE DAY-VE DAY-Victory over EuropeVictory over EuropeMay 8, 1945May 8, 1945

Liberation of the Death Liberation of the Death CampsCamps