Chris+Brown

= World War II Project =

Chris Brown

Time Line
1938, September 30th - Munich Agreement 1939, September 1st - Invasion of Poland 1940, May 10th - Nazis invade France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; Winston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister. 1940, June 22nd - France signs an armistice with the Nazis. 1941, December 6th - Soviet Army launches a major counter-offensive around Moscow 1941, December 7th - Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor Hitler issues the Night and Fog decree. 1942 January 26th - First American forces arrive in Great Britain. 1942, November 19th - Soviet counter-offensive at Stalingrad begins. 1943, January 14-24 - Casablanca conference between Churchill and Roosevelt. During the conference, Roosevelt announces the war can end only with an unconditional German surrender. 1943 February 2nd - Germans surrender at Stalingrad in the first big defeat of Hitler's armies. 1943, March 16-20 - Battle of Atlantic climaxes with 27 merchant ships sunk by German U-boats. 1943, July 9/10 - Allies land in Sicily. 1943, July 25/26 - Mussolini arrested and the Italian Fascist government falls; Marshal Pietro Badoglio takes over and negotiates with Allies. 1944, May 15th - Germans withdraw to the Adolf Hitler Line. 1944 August 25th - Liberation of Paris. 1944 October 14th - Allies liberate Athens; Rommel commits suicide. 1944, October 30th - Last use of gas chambers at Auschwitz. 1944, Dec 16-27 - Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes. 1945, March 6 - Last German offensive of the war begins to defend oil fields in Hungary. 1945, April 16th - Soviet troops begin their final attack on Berlin; Americans enter Nuremberg. 1945, April 30th - Adolf Hitler commits suicide. 1945, May 7th - Unconditional surrender of all German forces to Allies. 1945, August 6th - First atomic bomb dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan. 1945,August 8th - Soviets declares war on Japan and invade Manchuria. 1945, August 9th - Second atomic bomb dropped, on Nagasaki, Japan. 1945, August 14th - Japanese agree to unconditional surrender
 * 1941, June 22nd** **-** Germany attacks Soviet Union as [|Operation Barbarossa] begins.
 * 1942, November 1st** **-** [|Operation Supercharge] (Allies break Axis lines at El Alamein).
 * 1944, June 6th** **-** [|D-Day landings].

Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the name given to Nazi Germany’s invasion of Russia on June 22nd 1941. Barbarossa the largest military attack of World War Two and was to have appalling consequences for the Russian people. Like many other of Hitler’s attacks the attack on the USSR used the new blitzkrieg tactics. Hitler’s plan was constructed in December 1940 with the primary military objectives in the north. The major industrial centers in the area are Leningrad and Moscow. He also decides to occupy Ukraine and the land west of Kiev. For the most part, the German forces were able to move quickly eastward towards Moscow, but when the Russian winter struck and the supply lines were slowed and the advance was stalled. This allowed the Soviets time to regroup and drive the Germans back retaking much of the land.

Operation Barbarossa was a major turning point for both the Germans and that Soviets. First off, it was a major event for the German's because they were finally attacking one of the remaining major European Powers. They assumed they would succeed and this would put them one step closer to completing Hitler's goal of lebensraum or expanded living space for the Aryan race. However, once winter stuck the tides of battle began to turn. The Soviets were used to the harsh winter and were prepared with blankets and fur coats. The German's were not, and due to the incredibly long supply lines they weren't able to get the needed supplies to the troops. This allowed the Soviet's to mount a counteroffensive and they defeated the German's in a few major battles. These were some of the heaviest losses the Germans had suffered during the entire war and marked the turning point of the war, with the Germans losing ground and being forced to retreat.

Operation Supercharge
Operation Supercharge marked a major turning point in the battle for North Africa. Before Operation Supercharge the Axis forces had been steadily pushing back the allied line towards Egypt with the eventual goal of taking over the Suez Canal and gaining access to the oil fields of the middle east. Before Operation Supercharge the allies were forced to rely on air superiority to try to stem the flow of Axis materials into the arid north African desert. This picture shows an Axis airfield before being bombed by the Royal Air Force. Operation Supercharge ended the Allied reliance on solely air power. Operation Supercharge was the first successful penetration of the Axis lines in the North African Theater. The Allied Forces not only broke the Axis lines, but they were also able to send, Rommel, the Axis General into retreat. When the battle was just starting Rommel revived this telegram from Hitler. "Your enemy, despite his superiority, must also be at the end of his strength. It would not be the first time in history that a strong will has triumphed over the bigger battalions. As to your troops, you can show them no other road than that to victory or death. Adolf Hitler". However, Rommel soon realized that it would be impossible to hold his ground for much longer and he was forced to order his forces to retreat. This battle marked the end of Axis dominance in North Africa and eventually the end of the Desert War all together with a decisive Allied Victory. The assault was only stopped once the Allied tank columns ran out of fuel. However, by this point the the Axis forces were too weak and separated to counterattack. This picture shows a British tank column waiting to be refueled so they can continue the case of Rommel. This battle,like the counter attacks by the Russians, were some of the Early

D-Day
The amphibious invasion of occupied France by the Allies became known to the world as D-Day. This single invasion is considered the most important troop landing of WWII. D-Day was the culmination of man years of fighting and many long days of preparation. There were two main parts to the D-Day assault;first the dropping of airborne troops behind enemy lines to prevent renforcements and to surprise to enemy from behind and the main assault force landing off the coast of Normandy, France. About 13,000 ships were used to transport men and materials from Brittan to France. Approximately 175,000 troops landed on the beach and their were about 195,700 naval personnel manning the different ships and firing the naval guns used to bombard the coast prior to the invasions. Due to the massive number of troops and materials that needed to be transported many different ships were used some even merchant ships, or civilian ships used "drafted" during the war". On the eve of the attack General Eisenhower sent a telegram to General Marshall. This telegram - http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/Research/Digital_Documents/DDay/New%20PDFs/1944_06_06_DDE_to_Marshall.pdf- shows how confident General Eisenhower is in his troops and that the troops are ready and eager for the attack. This was a major turning point on the Western Front because it was the first major Allied landing on occupied soil. Once the allies had established a foothold on the beaches they were able to move inland to the real targets and eventually they were able to liberate Paris. The liberation of Paris and the general extermination of Axis forces from France eventually led to the end of WWII on the Eastern front. This map shows the landing zone for Omaha Beach in more detail and the objectives for troops after they had landed. --