The European Theatre Battles of WWII

1. The European Theatre Battles of WWII By: Elizabeth I.

2. Important Battles • Invasion of Poland • The Fall of France • North Africa Battles • Stalingrad • Battle of the Bulge • D-Day

3. The Invasion of Poland 1939 • Hitler demanded the Baltic Sea port which was in Polish control • Alleged allies such as Britain & France were going to back Poland’s refusal for the sea port Danzig • Germany turned to the USSR for support in invasion of Poland • Germany attacked from the west and the USSR from the east • The warfare became known as blitzkrieg – “lightening war” using tanks & aircraft • Poland Fell to German forces on October 5th 1939

5. The Fall of France • The Maginot line were bunkers built in protection against Germany • Hitler simply went around the Maginot line and invaded through the Netherlands,Belgium & Luxembourg • France was caught by surprise leaving the French & British forces trapped in Belgium • A miracle occurred at a port called Dunkirk when German forces halted giving time for evacuation & saved the country from complete defeat by Hitler • France surrendered in June 1940

7. Battling in North Africa 1942-1943 • US president Roosevelt invaded Morocco & Algeria for the experience and to aid Britain in the fight against Germany in Egypt. • During El Alamein General Erwin Rommel who lead the German forces planned to trap US and British forces in between Tunisia and Libya • US forces did not fare well up against German force causing 7,000 casualties and losing 200 tanks • Luckily Both American and British Forces forced Germany to surrender in North Africa

8. Stalingrad 1942 • With confidence and persistency Hitler wanted to cut off supplies to Stalingrad which would keep the Soviets in the war • Joseph Stalin ordered all troops to hold forcing German forces to the front lines • Soviets surrounded 250,000 German troops • 91,000 surrendered & only 5,000 survived

9. Battle of the Bulge 1944 • One last desperate attempt by Hitler involved blocking supplies coming through Belgium • Germany caught Americans surrounding them • General Patton and troops saved the Americans by attacking German forces • Germany lost the battle with 100,000 casualties

10. D-Day 1944 • President Roosevelt and Churchill planned the invasion of France which was lead by General Eisenhower • The US forces were going to surprise Germany using rubber tanks,and dummy landing craft. This completely fooled Germany while they attacked through Normandy • 100,000 soldiers by boat • 23,000 paratroopers

11. Victory in Europe V-E Day 1945 • Soviet troops began a massive attack on German Troops sending German forces back to Poland • The Soviets had Germany by the Eastern border and America had attacked German forces by the Western border • This crushed the German forces causing the suicide of Hitler • The Surrender of Germany was on May 8th 1945

12. The End

13. Works Cited • kline, John. "Battle of the Bulge Facts." Battle of the Bulge Facts. 03 Dev. 2004 <http://www.mm.com/user/jpk/battle.htm>. • "Blitzkrieg." Bliztkrieg. 03 dec 2004 <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/blitzkrieg.htm>. • Sheffield, Gary. "World War II." The Fall of France. 03 dec. 2004 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwtwo/fall_france_01.shtml>. • "Maps of WWII." Maps of WWII. 03 Dec. 2004 <http://www.onwar.com/maps/wwii/blitz/index.htm>. • "WWII Timelines, Maps, Statistics, Trivia, and Glossary." WWII Timelines, Maps, Statistics, Trivia, and Glossary. 03 Dec. 2004 <http://www.teacheroz.com/WWIImaps.htm>. • "Maps of WWII." Map of World War II. 09 Dec. 2004 <http://onwar.com/maps/wwii/index.htm>. • "Stalingrad." Stalingrad Battle Information. 09 Dec. 2004 <http://www.stalingrad-info.com/>. • "Battle of the Bulge." Battle of the Bulge --. 09 Dec. 2004 <http://helios.acomp.usf.edu/~dsargent/bestbulge2.htm>.