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D-Day: Invastion of Normandy
Invasion fleet consisting of700 warships, 2,500 landing craft and 2,700 support ships had set sail across the English Channel. Landings took places on five separate beaches Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Hitler had not expected an attack there so the Allies had an advatage. Small casualties besides the one with Omaha beach. Due to the Germans being entrenched where they could fire at the Americans. Important since 155000 Allied troops were on French soil thus liberation of Western Europe. -
Liberation of Paris
French resistant movement had an uprising against the Germans which caused a hard time for Germans. Gov. Von Choltitz concluded a truce with the rebels on the 23rd, and two days later, when U.S. and French forces reached the city, he quietly surrendered. Important since after more than four years of German occupation, France was free again. -
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Allied Offensive in the Saar Valley
Allied troops in the north concentrated on clearing out Germans. On November 8 his troops crossed the Moselle River, capturing the city of Metz and pushing on into the Saar Valley. Early December they had reached the West Wall, they encountered resistance from the entrenched Germans. The defenses were hit at several points, and bridgeheads established across the Saar River. Important because for the first time, Allied troops were on German soil. -
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The Battle of the Bulge
Germans launched the Ardennes offensive in mid-December, and managed to hit into Allied territory, creating a big bulge in center of the American lines. A sizeable U.S. force remained cut off&surrounded in the town of Bastogne. Patton’s Third Army rushed from the Saar Valley, so by December 22 the skies over Belgium had cleared for Allied aircraft. After suffering heavy casualties Germans pulled back from Ardennes. Important: End of January Americans took back all territory& proceeded to Rhine. -
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Closing of the Ruhr Pocket
U.S. 9th and 1st Armies moved around behind the enemy, by 1 April an entire army group was encircled. A sizeable portion of the German army in the west was trapped, and as a result the Allies were able to go across northern Germany then the German commander committed suicide, and those remaining within the “Ruhr Pocket” surrendered some 325,000 soldiers. Importantance: closing of the Ruhr Pocket effectively destroyed the German Army as an effective force in the West. -
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The Battle of Berlin
Under the command of Marshal Georgi Zhukov by the 21st Russian tanks hit the German capital. Two weeks of intensive street fighting and a week later, as the Soviets closed in on the city, Htler committed suicide. But fighting continued until May 2, when the city’s military commander surrendered the city. Importance: Five days after the fall of Berlin the German government surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. The war in Europe was finally over
