World War II: Allied Breakout

• President Roosevelt believed that destroying the Nazi regime would end the concentration camps.
• Before the war ended Roosevelt and other Allied leaders knew the Nazi's were committing atrocities.
• Roosevelt believed the Allies should dedicate resources to breaking out of Normandy, liberating France and conquering Germany.

Hedgerows

• Hedgerows surrounded many fields in Normandy and were dirt walls, several feet thick, covered in shrubbery.
• Hedgerows enabled the Germans to take cover and fiercely defend their positions.
• D-Day was only the beginning.

French Resistance

• As the Allies broke out of Normandy, the French Resistance staged a rebellion in Paris.
• The French Resistance consisted of French civilians who secretly organized to resist the German occupation.
• American bombers managed to blow a hole in the German lines, enabling American tanks to race through the gap.
• Allied forces liberated Paris on August 25, and found the streets filled with celebrating French citizens.
• American troops were within 20 miles (32 km) of the German border three weeks later.

Battle of the Bulge

• Hitler staged one last desperate offensive as the Allies closed in on Germany.
• The goal was to cut off Allied supplies coming through the port of Antwerp, Belgium.
• The attack began just before dawn on December 16, 1944.
• Six inches (15 cm) of snow covered the ground, and the weather was bitterly cold.
• The Germans moved rapidly and caught the American defenders by surprise.
• The German troops raced west, their lines bulged outward, and the attack became known as The Battle of the Bulge.

Capture of Bastogne

• Part of the German plan called for the capture of the town of Bastogne, where several important roads converged.
• If the Allies held Bastogne, it would greatly delay the German advance.
• American reinforcements raced to the town, arriving just ahead of the Germans.
• The Germans surrounded the town and demanded that the Americans surrender.

Rescue

• Eisenhower ordered General Patton to rescue the Americans shortly after the Germans surrounded them.
• Three days later, faster than anyone expected amid a snowstorm, Patton's troops slammed into the German lines.
• Allied aircraft began hitting German fuel depots as the weather cleared.
• German troops driving toward Antwerp were forced to halt on Christmas Eve and were out of fuel and weakened by heavy losses.
• Patton's troops broke through to Bastogne two days later.

Victory

• Germans began to withdraw on January 8, suffering more than 100,000 casualties and losing many tanks and aircraft.
• Although fighting continued for three weeks, the United States won the Battle of the Bulge.
• Germany had very little left to prevent the Allies from entering their territory..

Driving the Germans out of Russia

• As American and British forces liberated France, the Soviet Union began a massive attack on German troops in Russia.
• By the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Soviets had driven Hitler's forces out of Russia and back across Poland.
• By February 1945, Soviet troops had reached the Oder River, only 35 miles (56 km) from Berlin.

Last Major Line of Defense

• American forces attacked Germany's western border while the Soviets crossed Germany's eastern border.
• By the first week of March 1945, American troops had fought their way to the Rhine River.
• The Rhine River was Germany's last major line of defense in the west.
• On March 7, American soldiers captured the heights above the town of Remagen.

Ludendorff Bridge

• The Ludendorff Bridge across the Rhine was still intact and the Germans had not blown it up.
• American troops raced across the bridge, driving back the German defenders.
• American tanks were across the Rhine by the end of the day.

Trigger

• Deep in his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler pulled the trigger on April 30, 1945.
• As German defenses crumbled, American troops raced east, closing to within 70 miles (113 km) of Berlin.
• Martin Bormann carried Hitler's body outside, doused it in gasoline, and set it on fire.
• Before killing himself, Hitler chose Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz to be his successor.
• Doenitz tried to surrender to the Americans and British while continuing to fight the Soviets, but Eisenhower insisted on unconditional surrender.

V-E Day

• Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7, 1945.
• May 8, 1945, was proclaimed V-E Day, for "Victory in Europe."