Practices_1942-1945

The tide turns against the Axis Powers? Here is a list of Axis Failures and Allied Successes and how they effected the war? __Failure of Blitzkrieg__ / Operation Barbarossa / Battle of Moscow · Entering the second world war à  Hitler and his generals felt they had learnt an important lesson from WW1 à  They could not win a long, drawn out war of attrition. · In order to win the next war, they had to win it fast à  Blitzkrieg <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Blitzkrieg had initially been very successful <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">However Blitzkrieg depleted stockpiles that had been built up before the war <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Fortunately for Germany they could still indirectly import oil from the US and through the Hitler-Stalin Pact the Soviet Union also supplied Germany with oil <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">In return Germany had to supply the Soviet Union with high quality industrial products and state of the art military technology <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Failure of Blitzkrieg followed the implementation of Operation Barbarossa <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Code name for Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union in WW2 which was implemented on the 22 <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: smaller; vertical-align: super;">nd <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;"> of June 1941 and was the largest invasion in the history of warfare. <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">§ <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Three million German soldiers and almost 700,000 allies of Nazi Germany crossed the border <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Using Blitzkrieg tactics, armored units raced forward in pincer movements, pocketing and destroying entire Soviet armies in a number of Kesselschlachten (encirclement battles). <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">However it became clear that Blitzkrieg in the East would not be what Germany had experienced in the West. <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">The soviets had observed the Blitzkrieg successes of 39’ and 40’ and had noticed a crucial thing <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">The French in May of 1940 had massed their forces at the border thus allowing the Germans to encircle them in a quick Kesselschlachten <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">They acted on this observation and, although concentrating some troops at the border (these were the troops that suffered heavily at the beginning of the offensive) <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">The bulk of the Soviet army was held back at the rear, avoiding entrapment. <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">It was this depth in distance that frustrated German ambitions of a quick victory <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">It was from here on out that the war in the East started to lose its ‘Blitz-qualities’ <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">It was th this point that Hitler abandoned his belief in a quick victory <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">By the end of August (when Barbarossa should have been coming to an end) a memorandum of the Wehrmacht’s High Command acknowledged that it may no longer be possible to win the war in 1941. <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Major problem of Operation Barbarossa <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">à <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;"> available supplies were only good enough for a period of two months. <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">However flames of optimism flared again in September <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">German troops captured Kiev and made further progress North towards Moscow <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Troops were then ordered to launch ‘Operation Typhoon’ <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">The offensive aimed at taking Moscow <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">However German High Command (confident that their Blitzkrieg would be over by the end of summer) had failed to supply troops with equipment necessary to fight in the conditions of a Russian Winter <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Nevertheless the Wehrmacht continued to advance <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">à <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;"> by mid November some divisions found themselves 30km out of Moscow <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">However troops were totally exhausted and running out of supplies <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">And on the 5 <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: smaller; vertical-align: super;">th <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;"> of December the Red Army launched a major counter attack <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">Ø <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Wehrmacht’s lines were pierced in many places <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Wingdings,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">à <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Germans were thrown back between 100-300 km with heavy losses of men and equipment <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Consequently, on December the 8 <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: smaller; vertical-align: super;">th <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">, Hitler ordered his army to abandon the offensive and to move into defensive positions. <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-family: Symbol,Arial; font-size: 12pt;">· <span class="List_0020Paragraph__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Resulting in an end to Hitler’s Britzkrieg and consequently the tide began to turn against Germany <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">__The battle of Stalingrad:__ <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">[[image:https://webmail.wesleycollege.net/owa/ev.owa?ns=WebReady&ev=GetFile&canary=_afeGGKhpEKh5KnAiZdVLpVxmFbyNdAI2uY48932c91lbuxAiVjaGG-BnZLstWtYN1S_gAGpS_8.&d=F9-2A-2E-CD-F4-D7-33-40-6F-5A-C8-F6-57-57-79-8B&fileName=1_0001.jpg width="300" height="196" caption="http://18886534.nhd.weebly.com/uploads/1/5/6/8/15685826/487290.jpg

http://18886534.nhd.weebly.com/uploads/1/5/6/8/15685826/487290.jpg"]] <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Who: German Army (Wehrmacht) and Russian Red Army

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Where: City of Stalingrad

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">When: During the winter of 1942 to 1943 – advance began in September 1942

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Why (defeat of Germany):

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· The Russian supply lines were stable – working from their home base. The German blitzkrieg of rapid advancement meant that they lacked the industry to deliver supplies – their supply lines were not as good. They also did not have reserves of manpower.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· German industry was suffering from allied bombing.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· Russian winter – harsh conditions.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">What:

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· Considered by many to be the turning point in WW2 in Europe

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· The battle bled the German army dry – they were then in full retreat.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· Ironically, there is the belief that the city did not have to be attacked. If not attacked, it could be seen detrimental to have left it standing and then advance forward, but many saw the attack as unnecessary.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· September 1942 the Germans advance on the city of Stalingrad. Primary objectives were to secure oil fields and to take the city. It was also an important target as it was Russia’s centre of communications as well as manufacturing.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· For simple reasons of Morale (Stalingrad = Joseph stalin) the Russians could not let the city fall.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· The battle was one of the most brutal in ww2. Germans took a great deal of the city but failed to assert complete dominance. A constant shift in control of the city occurred.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· There were some 250,000-300,000 men defending inside the city. Zhukov sent large divions around the city in the North and the South to surround the Germans.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· The German army could have broken out of this trap of encirclement, but Hitler forbid such action. “Surrender is forbidden… hold their positions to the last man and the last round and by their heroic endurance…”

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· Germans also had to face winter. Furthermore, food, ammunition and heat were in short supply. By the end of January 1943, the Germans had no choice but to surrender.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· Although many were captured prisoner, many were in retreat on the Eastern Front from February 1943.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Aftermath/significance:

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· The failure of the German Army was a complete disaster. With such a catastrophic loss of manpower and equipment, the Germans did not have enough manpower to cope with the oncoming Russian advance towards Germany.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">· Highlights Hitler’s deterioration judgement/capability for effective military strategy. <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">__The Battle Of Kursk:__ <span style="font-family: Calibri,Arial; font-size: 11pt;"><span class="Normal__Char" style="font-size: 12pt;">Against advice from general, Hitler sought to retrieve the situation by a breakthrough in the central part of the Russian front. The battle of Kursk of July 1943 was to be the biggest tank battle in history, with the use of 6600 tanks (3600 Red army tanks, 3000 German). The battle of Kursk ended the German advance permanently and initiated the long retreat for the German troops. What this battle demonstrated was that the army that was defending and closest to its resources is likely to win. =Pearl Harbour=

Background to Pearl Harbour:
The Attack on Pearl Harbour was a preventative tactic by the Imperial Japanese navy in order to stop US forces from intervening in its military plans to take over Allied territories in far-East Asia. The attack occurred on December 7th, 1941, at the US naval base, located at Pearl Harbour, in Hawaii. The attack was swift, coming as a huge surprise to the US, involving over 350 Japanese fighter planes released from six aircraft carriers in two separate waves. Pearl Harbour is seen by many as a major turning point in the momentum of WWII, as it forced the US to enter the war, and set what is known as the ‘turn of the tide’ in motion.

The “Turn of the Tide”:
The Pearl Harbour attacked changed the momentum of WWII as it ‘globalised’ the conflict, meaning that no longer was the war confined to Europe and the Pacific, but now the whole world was engaged in total war. The effect of the US’s subsequent entrance into the war in both the European and Pacific theatres, following Pearl Harbour, meant that the Axis powers became over-stretched and Hitler aligned with Japan, as well as Italy, although he was not obliged to do so under the conditions of Tripartite Pact, as Japan had made the first move. The result of this being, a unanimous declaration of war on the US by the axis powers, which was reciprocated by the US almost immediately. Many believe that this was prompted by US involvement in the Battle of the Atlantic, which predates the attack at Pearl Harbour. However for Japan, the motives were very different, as the attacked stemmed from the US introducing an oil embargo, freezing Japan’s assets, which they considered an act of war, as they depended very heavily on US oil. Despite the attack on the US navy base appearing a military success, it was in actuality the beginning of the end for Japan in WWII. The attack resulted in major issues for Japan’s sustained war effort:
 * Japan assumed that the US would declare war against them at any moment, this was a false assumption as US only intended to wage war on Germany and Italy
 * As a result of the attack being at the US navy base, the focus was on destroying US battleships, this turned out to be a major blunder as aircraft carriers and submarines were the most decisive, tactically, in the Pacific theatre
 * Consequential to fact that Japan struck first, and was seemingly unprovoked, meant that US support for war had been rallied, and the back of non-interventionism disappeared

Destruction at Pearl Harbour:
Pearl Harbour was left in a state of destruction, especially for the US, as 2402 Americans were killed, and another 1282 casualties. Additionally, all 8 of the US battleships that resided at Pearl Harbour were damaged, half of which were sunk, the most significant being the battleship ‘Arizona’
 * __Battleships__**
 * //Arizona//: Exploded; total loss. 1,177 dead.
 * //Oklahoma//: Capsized, 429 dead. Refloated November 1943; capsized and lost while under tow to the mainland May 1947
 * //West Virginia//: two bombs, seven torpedoes, sunk; returned to service July 1944. 106 dead.
 * //California//: two bombs, two torpedoes, sunk; returned to service January 1944. 100 dead.
 * //Nevada//: six bombs, one torpedo, beached; returned to service October 1942. 60 dead.
 * //Tennessee//: two bombs; returned to service February 1942. 5 dead.
 * //Maryland//: two bombs; returned to service February 1942. 4 dead (including floatplane pilot shot down).
 * //Pennsylvania// (Kimmel's Flagship): in Drydock with //Cassin// and //Downes//, one bomb, debris from USS //Cassin//; remained in service. 9 dead.
 * Ex-battleship (target/AA training ship)
 * //Utah//: Capsized; total loss. 58 dead.


 * __Cruisers__**
 * //Helena//: One torpedo; returned to service January 1942. 20 dead.
 * //Raleigh//: One torpedo; remained in service.
 * //Honolulu//: Near miss, light damage; remained in service.


 * __Destroyers__**
 * //Cassin//: in drydock with //Downes// and //Pennsylvania//, one bomb, burned; returned to service February 1944.
 * //Downes//: in drydock with //Cassin// and //Pennsylvania//, caught fire from //Cassin//, burned; returned to service November 1943.
 * //Shaw//: Three bombs; returned to service June 1942.


 * __Auxiliaries__**
 * //Oglala// (minelayer): Damaged by torpedo hit on //Helena//, capsized; returned to service (as engine-repair ship) February 1944.
 * //Vestal// (repair ship): Two bombs, blast and fire from //Arizona//, beached; returned to service by August 1942.
 * //Curtiss// (seaplane tender): One bomb, one Japanese aircraft; returned to service January 1942. 19 dead

The turn of the war in Japan American entry

The Battle of Midway
One of the most decisive battles of the whole war, fought in June 1942, it destroyed Japanese military strength. After this, Japan was on the defensive as it had lost its main advantage. America destroyed four of Japan’s aircraft carriers.

‘Island Hopping’
To reoccupy all the islands taken by the Japanese, the Americans developed and adopted a strategy of ‘island hopping’. Instead of attempting to invade every island, they left some alone isolating Japanese troops. However, the Americans still suffered heavy losses due to the Japanese refusal to surrender. On the island of Leyte 80,000 Japanese soldiers fought to the last man. The first invasion of the Japanese islands saw 28000 US marines killed, the Japanese cemented themselves in bunkers and refused to surrender. By 1945, Japanese troops were retreating in South East Asia. In Japan, there was split leadership and political instability. Japan was practically defeated.

THE BOMBS
In 1945, Harry S. Truman, the newly appointed president of the USA (after Roosevelt’s death), decided to drop the first atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the week following the Japanese government surrendered. =Historical Debate: Should the USA have dropped the atomic bomb?= -America would suffer huge casualties if they decided to launch an invasion of Japan, Japanese soldiers would fight to the last man. Japan still had four million troops and 4800 kamikaze (suicide) pilots. If the war went on another year, there would be at least a million more casualties. -The USA and Britain feared Stalin would invade eastern Europe, the longer the war went on the more chance he had. They needed a quick end to the war. -Normal bombing of Japanese cities would have brought more casualties. The American firebombing of Japan had already destroyed a quarter of Japanese houses. -The project had already cost America millions of dollars in development. || -Dropping the bomb on civilian inhabited cities was not necessary. Attacking a military target or a wasteland would have been enough to scare the Japanese into surrender. -Japan had already been defeated using conventional weapons, the atomic bomb made little difference -It was a horrible weapon to use. It caused many casualties directly and through radiation sickness. At the centre of the explosion the heat was so great that it turned anything solid to a gas. People further out were burnt alive; it created wind of 800 km/h, crushing people. The worst damage was the radiation causing peoples skin to dissolve and fall off in strips. In Nagasaki alone, it killed 48,000. -The bomb was dropped less as a way of stopping Japan but more as a warning to Stalin -It started a far more destructive Arms Race -One of the main causes of the Cold War: Stalin was annoyed at American refusal to assist the Soviet Union in developing its own atomic weapons. ||
 * Arguments For || Arguments Against ||
 * -The political party for the war was still in power in Japan

=Reasons For Japanese Defeat=

Economic
-US submarines were sinking more than 75% of Japanese merchant ships and the bombing was destroying their factories. By 1945, there was a collapse in production and the people were starving. -The Japanese had overstretched their resources. Their rapid conquests had meant it had a far too large area to defend and it had no allies. -The USA was able to produce more aircraft and aircraft carriers than Japan

Military
-America had gained control of the sea and the air. This was essential for the remainder of their success in the Pacific. -The dropping of the bomb convinced Hirohito that he could not fight to the last man

Tactical
-The British and Americans were able to train their troops in jungle tactics, causing the Japanese loss of tactical superiority.

D-Day, Codename: Operation Overlord =D-day: 6th of June 1944= Roosevelt, in 1942, promised Stalin that he would open another front against the Germans in order to remove some of the pressure from the Russian Front. Although it took him over a year to fulfil this promise, it was a well-planned landing that was a huge success for the allies that led to the start of the push for Berlin. Plans began at the Quebec Conference in Canada. The month was chosen almost 2 years before the landings, the weather and tides had to be just right for the occasion, but the weather of early June that year was too harsh for the landings to take place. On the 6th of June, Eisenhower (an American military commander, who eventually became president) took a gamble on the weather, as the ships had already been deployed and the troops could not stay on board much longer. The allied air force bombarded German bridges whilst the navy bombarded the beaches. At 6:30, the landings began. There were five landing sites in total each with a codename; Utah and Omaha, the American beaches, and Gold, Juno and Sword, the Canadian and British beaches. 4/5 of the landings were successful, on Omaha beach there was a German training exercise and therefore resistance.

=Reasons For Allied Success=

[[image:http://cpeww2.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/placeholder?w=376&h=228 width="376" height="228" align="left"]]Deception
The German’s made the fair assumption that the allies would land on the Pas de Calais which was the shortest crossing of the channel. The Allies kept the whole operation totally secret and even fed the Germans false information on purpose in order to keep the whole thing a surprise. The Germans were under the impression that there would be a diversion on the beaches at Normandy and the actual landings would happen at Calais. On the day the British went so far as to use fake tanks that were effectively tents, in order to further deceive the German Forces.

Allied Preparation
The allies had been planning this invasion for two whole years before the actual day of the landing. They knew that they would need fuel and supply roots almost immediately after the landings in order to hold their position. The allies manufactured much equipment to assist on landing day: 1) “Mullberry” Harbours- Floating harbours so that ships could supply the campaign as they had chosen an area without ports (all ports were well defended) 2) the PLUTO pipeline (Pipe Line Under The Ocean) to carry petrol across the channel 3) Hobart’s Funnies- specially designed tanks that were waterproofed and able to deal with the Normandy beaches

German Weakness
Hitler was slow to send reinforcements to the area as he was still convinced that the landings were a decoy. This meant that the “German War machine” was spread out. They were defending a long strip of coastline which meant that all troops were spread thinly.

Air force
The German air force was almost non-existent by 1944. After defeat in the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe was fragmented. This meant that there was no competition for the allies in the air. They were able to bomb weak areas and drop supplies without any fight. The air force was also used as a way of communicating (using radar).

Allied Naval Advantage
Thanks to the Mullberry harbours constructed by the Allies, they were able to supply themselves sufficiently as well as send in tanks and other equipment.

QUIZ 1) What tactic allowed America to defeat Japan in the Pacific? And what battles were significant to the turn in this war? 2) Why was D-Day a success? 3) How was Pearl Harbor ultimately a failure for Japan? 4) What caused the failure of Blitzkrieg and how did this slow the German war machine? 5) List the key reasons for and against Truman dropping the bomb?