description
In the end, the Allies were victorious. However, victory did not arrive so easily. Churchill and Roosevelt met on December 22, 1941, to discuss a plan to clarify their war policy following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Britain and the U.S.'s plan was to round up and strike North Arica and Southern Europe, although Stalin urged for them to send their forces to create a second front on the Soviet border to create two fronts for the Nazi's to fight on. In North Africa, German General Erwin Rommel, also known as "Dessert Fox" for his superb dessert battling skills, was able to capture the port city of Tobruk, but only to then be defeated by London sent General Bernard "Monty" Montgomery later on in the Battle of Alamein (El Elamein, the city which the Nazi's were able to advance on after the capture of Tobruk). Rommel continued to flee westward, which did nothing for him considering that the Allies launched "Operation Torch" led by future President Eisenhower, on November 8, 1942, where 107,000 troops docked in Morocco and Algeria, thusly cornering Rommel's army.
Following victory in Africa, the Allies saw victory on the European front. The Russian winter was a big help for the Soviets due to its brutality. August 23 was the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. At the start of the summer, Hitler sent his sixth army to capture to capture the rich oil fields along the Caucus Mountains, but in the process, they were able to capture Stalingrad as well. On this day, much of the city was bombed, and Stalin made sure his soldiers took "Not one step back-ward", and defended his city. By November that year 90% of what was led of the city was in Nazi control. However, the battle took a turn on the 19th, and Soviet troops were able to surround Stalingrad, trapping the soldiers and creating a border from which supplies were not allowed in. In may of 1944, under the command of General Dwight Eisenhower, an attack was launched against Normandy. To trick Hitler, the Allies created a fake army base on the French port of Calais, when really they were going to attack on the coast near Northwestern France. This day is now referred to as D-Day, and "Operation Overlord" and is known to be one of the greatest land-sea attacks ever carried out.
Hitler's last battle was the Battle of the Bulge, on December 16, 1944 . Here, Hitler was faced with a war on 2 fronts, Hitler decided to take Western front against the American and British forces, to attempt to break them apart and weaken them. Hitler managed to break throughout the weak American border, however the Allies were able to bounce back and win, leaving the Nazi's the only choice to retreat. This was the last offensive attack from the Nazi's. 3 million Allied soldiers cornered Berlin from the southwest while another 6 million soviet troops came in on the opposite side, leaving then Nazi's no where to go. Hitler killed himself on April 30, 1945, and on May 7th, the Third Reich surrendered to President Harry Truman (Roosevelt suddenly died on April 12th, and did not live to see this day). This day is also known as V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day). Sadly, war was still on in the pacific with Japan. It quickly ended though, after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on a civilian filled Hiroshima, and army base in Nagasaki. This automatically led to the Japanese surrender on September 2, also known as V-J (Victory in Japan) Day. Now that the war ended, talks of what was next were soon to come.
Following victory in Africa, the Allies saw victory on the European front. The Russian winter was a big help for the Soviets due to its brutality. August 23 was the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad. At the start of the summer, Hitler sent his sixth army to capture to capture the rich oil fields along the Caucus Mountains, but in the process, they were able to capture Stalingrad as well. On this day, much of the city was bombed, and Stalin made sure his soldiers took "Not one step back-ward", and defended his city. By November that year 90% of what was led of the city was in Nazi control. However, the battle took a turn on the 19th, and Soviet troops were able to surround Stalingrad, trapping the soldiers and creating a border from which supplies were not allowed in. In may of 1944, under the command of General Dwight Eisenhower, an attack was launched against Normandy. To trick Hitler, the Allies created a fake army base on the French port of Calais, when really they were going to attack on the coast near Northwestern France. This day is now referred to as D-Day, and "Operation Overlord" and is known to be one of the greatest land-sea attacks ever carried out.
Hitler's last battle was the Battle of the Bulge, on December 16, 1944 . Here, Hitler was faced with a war on 2 fronts, Hitler decided to take Western front against the American and British forces, to attempt to break them apart and weaken them. Hitler managed to break throughout the weak American border, however the Allies were able to bounce back and win, leaving the Nazi's the only choice to retreat. This was the last offensive attack from the Nazi's. 3 million Allied soldiers cornered Berlin from the southwest while another 6 million soviet troops came in on the opposite side, leaving then Nazi's no where to go. Hitler killed himself on April 30, 1945, and on May 7th, the Third Reich surrendered to President Harry Truman (Roosevelt suddenly died on April 12th, and did not live to see this day). This day is also known as V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day). Sadly, war was still on in the pacific with Japan. It quickly ended though, after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on a civilian filled Hiroshima, and army base in Nagasaki. This automatically led to the Japanese surrender on September 2, also known as V-J (Victory in Japan) Day. Now that the war ended, talks of what was next were soon to come.
the ten best articles
1. World War II: How the Allies Won (By Richard Overy)- There were many turns which the outcome of the war could have made, and most of that, based off of the military tactical strategies, as well as technological advances of each side. The other factor being political strategies betweens the leaders. And with food being the main sustaining force of the war, many of these factors are those which would determined the victor of the war. The Axis powers could have one if it had not been for the strong come backs by the Allies. "British forces were close to defeat everywhere in 1942. The American economy was a peacetime economy, apparently unprepared for the colossal demands of total war. The Soviet system was all but shattered in 1941, two-thirds of its heavy industrial capacity captured and its vast air and tank armies destroyed. This was a war, Ribbentrop ruefully concluded, that 'Germany could have won'."
2. V E Day (By Helen Cleary)- V-E day came as one that will be celebrated for many years to come. The Allies were finally able to claim some victory in Europe, while people slowly started to rebuild their lives. Victory was not complete though, as still war was present in the Pacific. This day, however, brought much happiness to the people. "All across the nation the people tuned in to the wireless to find out more. They were told that Allied victory in Europe was to be celebrated officially the following day, but many people had already begun their celebrations. People were out on the streets, hanging bunting and banners and dancing."
3. Timeline of World War II (1945)- This is an extremely descriptive timeline of the last year of the war, when the Axis powers were surrendering, and the war was finally coming to an end. It goes into detail with battle strategies as well as events that are not so big and important, but definitely interesting and give you a closer look to what little fighting was going on amidst the bigger battles. "Firebombing comes to the cities of Japan. Three hundred and thirty four American B-29s roared in low over Tokyo and dropped hundreds of thousands of 70-pound napalm bombs. Sixteen square miles of the city — built largely of pine and paper and bamboo — burst into flame. More than a million were left without homes. In the next ten days, the Americans hit Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya again. Some 50,000 more people were killed."
4. D-Day (Jun 6, 1944)- D-Day was not just a simple invasion of Normandy. There were many tactical plans, as well as natural delays to the mission (weather). D-Day was one of the most successful military missions, which is why it got its own name. "Eisenhower selected June 5, 1944, as the date for the invasion; however, bad weather on the days leading up to the operation caused it to be delayed for 24 hours. On the morning of June 5, after his meteorologist predicted improved conditions for the following day, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord. He told the troops: 'You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.'"
5. D-Day Landings- An interactive map to allow you to see each of the strikes and attacks made on the day of Normandy's invasion. It gives you step by step attacks, as well as which countries did what, when and how. "During the months leading up to June 1944, the allied forces drop a staggering 200,000 tons of bombs on targets in France, damaging German'y ability to reinforce beaches."
6. Operation Overlord (By Phil Edwards)- Operation Overlord required much planning in advance. It was because they were so planned that Germany was not able to drive them out. After World War I, solutions for peace were something to think about. "British planners were acutely aware of the human cost of battles of attrition. Britain therefore focused on bringing about German surrender through other means: economic warfare, enforced through a naval blockade; aerial bombing, attacking civilian morale as well as economic targets; and 'setting Europe ablaze' through assistance to resistance groups.
7. The Battle of the Bulge (By Robin Cross)- This was one of the very last battles of World War II. With General Eisenhower extremely relaxed and confident, Hitler was busy planning away his last defense. The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler's last offensive attack, with a force that was hidden as it was built up. The Germans were able to catch the U.S. troops by surprise, because the U.S. was scattered and Germany came in like a mist. "Autumn Mist had inflicted 19,000 casualties on US 12th Army, and had taken 15,000 American prisoners. But the cost to the German Army had been 100,000 men killed or wounded and 800 tanks destroyed - losses which could not be made up.In contrast, Autumn Mist had merely caused a hiccup in the Allied preparations to break into Germany, while denying desperately needed reinforcements to the German Army on the Eastern Front."
8. Brute Force? The Simplistic Reason for Why the Allies Won- This article gives a general overview of some of the reasons why the Allies won the war, and it questions if some of the things that actually occurred, were necessary or not. "To be a necessary cause, numerical disadvantages when attacking must always result in defeat. In other words, as a necessity for victory, numerical advantages must be present for that victory. Anyone even casually acquainted with the Second World War knows that numerical advantages were not a necessary cause of victory on the battlefield. The Germans themselves demonstrated this repeatedly by scoring many operational victories over the Allies, even when attacking with a smaller force. The most obvious is the defeat of France and the Low Countries in 1940."
9. Battle of Stalingrad By Mike Yoder- A military account of the Battle of Stalingrad. It gives a descriptions of other country's defense and opinions. It also gives some background as to why the battle may have taken the path it did. "
Western military experts gave the Russians 6 weeks, perhaps 8 at the most, before suffering total military disaster at the hands of the Germans. Battered by one defeat after another, the poor performance of the Red Army gave no one reason to believe otherwise. With their officer corps decimated by Stalin's purges, the badly equipped , poorly trained and demoralized Red Army sustained losses and gave ground which would have defeated any other country in a matter of days."
10. World War II: North Africa Campaign: An extremely detailed article, providing military tactics, reasoning, problems, etc., about the North Africa campaign. "The loss was a stunning strategic setback for Germany. At first, North Africa had been a rather effective economy-of-force campaign. At the risk of only three German divisions and a number of Italian divisions of questionable quality, the Axis was able to tie down a proportionately larger force and at the same time pose a significant threat to one of Britain's strategic lines of communication. But after the defeat at El Alamein, Hitler's sense of pride once again overcame his meager grasp of strategy.. the forces Hitler threw away in May 1943 just might have made some difference for the Germans fighting in Russia or Sicily."
2. V E Day (By Helen Cleary)- V-E day came as one that will be celebrated for many years to come. The Allies were finally able to claim some victory in Europe, while people slowly started to rebuild their lives. Victory was not complete though, as still war was present in the Pacific. This day, however, brought much happiness to the people. "All across the nation the people tuned in to the wireless to find out more. They were told that Allied victory in Europe was to be celebrated officially the following day, but many people had already begun their celebrations. People were out on the streets, hanging bunting and banners and dancing."
3. Timeline of World War II (1945)- This is an extremely descriptive timeline of the last year of the war, when the Axis powers were surrendering, and the war was finally coming to an end. It goes into detail with battle strategies as well as events that are not so big and important, but definitely interesting and give you a closer look to what little fighting was going on amidst the bigger battles. "Firebombing comes to the cities of Japan. Three hundred and thirty four American B-29s roared in low over Tokyo and dropped hundreds of thousands of 70-pound napalm bombs. Sixteen square miles of the city — built largely of pine and paper and bamboo — burst into flame. More than a million were left without homes. In the next ten days, the Americans hit Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya again. Some 50,000 more people were killed."
4. D-Day (Jun 6, 1944)- D-Day was not just a simple invasion of Normandy. There were many tactical plans, as well as natural delays to the mission (weather). D-Day was one of the most successful military missions, which is why it got its own name. "Eisenhower selected June 5, 1944, as the date for the invasion; however, bad weather on the days leading up to the operation caused it to be delayed for 24 hours. On the morning of June 5, after his meteorologist predicted improved conditions for the following day, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord. He told the troops: 'You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.'"
5. D-Day Landings- An interactive map to allow you to see each of the strikes and attacks made on the day of Normandy's invasion. It gives you step by step attacks, as well as which countries did what, when and how. "During the months leading up to June 1944, the allied forces drop a staggering 200,000 tons of bombs on targets in France, damaging German'y ability to reinforce beaches."
6. Operation Overlord (By Phil Edwards)- Operation Overlord required much planning in advance. It was because they were so planned that Germany was not able to drive them out. After World War I, solutions for peace were something to think about. "British planners were acutely aware of the human cost of battles of attrition. Britain therefore focused on bringing about German surrender through other means: economic warfare, enforced through a naval blockade; aerial bombing, attacking civilian morale as well as economic targets; and 'setting Europe ablaze' through assistance to resistance groups.
7. The Battle of the Bulge (By Robin Cross)- This was one of the very last battles of World War II. With General Eisenhower extremely relaxed and confident, Hitler was busy planning away his last defense. The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler's last offensive attack, with a force that was hidden as it was built up. The Germans were able to catch the U.S. troops by surprise, because the U.S. was scattered and Germany came in like a mist. "Autumn Mist had inflicted 19,000 casualties on US 12th Army, and had taken 15,000 American prisoners. But the cost to the German Army had been 100,000 men killed or wounded and 800 tanks destroyed - losses which could not be made up.In contrast, Autumn Mist had merely caused a hiccup in the Allied preparations to break into Germany, while denying desperately needed reinforcements to the German Army on the Eastern Front."
8. Brute Force? The Simplistic Reason for Why the Allies Won- This article gives a general overview of some of the reasons why the Allies won the war, and it questions if some of the things that actually occurred, were necessary or not. "To be a necessary cause, numerical disadvantages when attacking must always result in defeat. In other words, as a necessity for victory, numerical advantages must be present for that victory. Anyone even casually acquainted with the Second World War knows that numerical advantages were not a necessary cause of victory on the battlefield. The Germans themselves demonstrated this repeatedly by scoring many operational victories over the Allies, even when attacking with a smaller force. The most obvious is the defeat of France and the Low Countries in 1940."
9. Battle of Stalingrad By Mike Yoder- A military account of the Battle of Stalingrad. It gives a descriptions of other country's defense and opinions. It also gives some background as to why the battle may have taken the path it did. "
Western military experts gave the Russians 6 weeks, perhaps 8 at the most, before suffering total military disaster at the hands of the Germans. Battered by one defeat after another, the poor performance of the Red Army gave no one reason to believe otherwise. With their officer corps decimated by Stalin's purges, the badly equipped , poorly trained and demoralized Red Army sustained losses and gave ground which would have defeated any other country in a matter of days."
10. World War II: North Africa Campaign: An extremely detailed article, providing military tactics, reasoning, problems, etc., about the North Africa campaign. "The loss was a stunning strategic setback for Germany. At first, North Africa had been a rather effective economy-of-force campaign. At the risk of only three German divisions and a number of Italian divisions of questionable quality, the Axis was able to tie down a proportionately larger force and at the same time pose a significant threat to one of Britain's strategic lines of communication. But after the defeat at El Alamein, Hitler's sense of pride once again overcame his meager grasp of strategy.. the forces Hitler threw away in May 1943 just might have made some difference for the Germans fighting in Russia or Sicily."
Have a watch… Listen to the past
Churchill's announcement on V-E Day.
Original footage of President Truman's announcement of Germany's surrender to the UN.
Footage of celebration, when the war came to it's official end on August 14, 1945, the day Japan surrendered to the Allies.
The real thing...
Germany Surrenders (May 7, 1945):
On this day, Germany signed an unconditional surrender, which was put into affect the following day, that ended the War in Europe.
Letter from Albert Einstein to Truman (March 25, 1945):
A letter from Albert Einstein to President Truman, urging him to be open minded about Dr. Szilard's operation.
Japan Surrenders (August 14, 1945):
On this day, President Harry Truman also announces Japan's unconditional surrender from the war, marking the end of World War II.
On this day, Germany signed an unconditional surrender, which was put into affect the following day, that ended the War in Europe.
Letter from Albert Einstein to Truman (March 25, 1945):
A letter from Albert Einstein to President Truman, urging him to be open minded about Dr. Szilard's operation.
Japan Surrenders (August 14, 1945):
On this day, President Harry Truman also announces Japan's unconditional surrender from the war, marking the end of World War II.
maps
This map shows the Battle of the Bulge, which was Hitler's last major offensive attack, before the end of the war. It's called "bulge" because Hitler was faced with a war on two (From US and Soviet Union) fronts. He decided to take Western front first to break up the American and British forces. When that failed, he tried to attack Russia, only to be pushed back, making it look like a "bulge".