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On January 1, 1942 the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union (Allies) joined to defeat the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) Even though Japan was conquering much of the Pacific the Allies agreed to concentrate on fighting Germany in Europe first. Europe and Africa were almost completely conquered by Hitler and the Allies felt if the Soviet Union were conquered, Germany might prove unstoppable. Although Stalin wanted an assault on Europe by the Allies to open a second Western Front, it was deemed to difficult at the start of the war and instead the Allies started by attacking German forces in North Africa Axis forces in Africa were under the command of General Erwin Rommel known as the Desert Fox because of his success in desert warfare. In November 1942, the British defeated Rommel at El Alamein, (on the boarder of Libya and Egypt) that prevented the Germans from capturing the Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
In November 1942, General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived with American forces Initially American forces were inexperienced and met defeat in Tunisia. The arrival of General George Patton however signaled a new direction for U.S. forces and by May of 1943 Rommel and the Germans were driven out of Africa by Allied forces. The Allies achieved the first step toward depriving German of natural resources they needed to fight the war.
Stalingrad
In 1942, the Germans attempted to capture Stalingrad, a city near rich oil fields. The Germans fought house to house to take the city. No sooner than the German victory and capture of Stalingrad, Soviet forces surrounded the city cutting off German supply lines and laying siege to the city. Cold and Starving and running out of ammunition German forces fought until February 1943, when the remains of their Army surrendered. The Soviets then launched an offensive that drove back the Germans hundreds of miles. Germany counterattacked but the loss of their Army at Stalingrad marked a turning point in the war as there forces were no longer able to dominate the field of battle as they had before. Hitler would suffer a major blow because of his attack on the Soviet Union. Even though his forces were initially superior, the vastness of the Soviet Union, its large supply of men, and its cold harsh winter (the coldest in a generation after Hitlers attack with temperatures dropping that winter to 60 degrees below zero) would be to much for Germany to overcome.
D-Day
June 6, 1944, the Allies waded ashore on the beaches of Normandy. The Germans had prepared the coasts with defenses that included land mines, barbed wire, and fierce artillery from fixed positions. Many soldiers were killed in the landing on the beaches as the Allies struggled in some areas to gain a strong foothold. Hitler refused to release the Panzer tanks he held in reserve to repel the attack believing the the real invasion would come at the Roux d Callis. The move proved to be an error as the Allies succeeded in securing a beachhead and began building docks to land troops and supplies. Within a few weeks the Allies had landed over 1 million men and the Germans were in retreat from what was now a two front war. On August 25, French and American soldiers marched through joyful crowds and liberated Paris. France was ruled by the French once more.
Victory in Europe
The Germans were now fighting the Soviets on the Eastern front and the British and Americans on the Western Front. General Patton was brought to France and his Army raced across France quickly. In late 1944, the cold winter and German resistance slowed the Allied forces at the Rhine River. In mid-December the Germans mounted a desperate winter offensive along a 50 mile front in Belgium, trying to split Allied forces and regain an advantage in the war. The Battle of the Bulge as it became known, created a deep bulge in Allied forces leaving Allied forces in the position of having their lines broken. After several weeks, and with a long winter drive by Pattons Army, the Germans were pushed back. German forces also suffered from a lack of gasoline for their tanks and trucks. The battle resulted in 75,000 casualties and marked the end of any real German resistance.
V-E Day
The final phase of the war in Europe began in the spring of 1945. The Soviets surrounded Berlin, the capital of Germany. Hitler refused to leave the capital and spent the final few months of the war in an underground bunker. On April 30, 1945, when he realized the situation was hopeless he committed suicide along with his companion Eva Braun. On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender ending the war in Europe. The Allies declared May 8, V-E DAY for Victory in Europe
The Holocaust
As Allied and Soviet troops liberated areas under German control they found horrifying evidence of Nazi brutality. Nazi leaders had carried out Hitlers plans to rid Europe of the Jews whom Hitler believed were in conflict with the Aryan race and prevented German domination of the world. In order to carry out Hitlers plans Nazi leaders created what they called the final solution of the Jewish question. Their solution was genocide (wiping out and entire group of people)