Pivotal battles of wwii for the allied forces

Carol Kinney HIS223-CE California Baptist University 31 July 2014

EASTERN FRONT  

Battle of Stalingrad, Russia July 1942- February 1943

WESTERN FRONT  

D-Day: Operation Overlord, Normandy, France June 6, 1944

STALINGRAD  



Stalin vs. Hitler Communism vs. Socialism Dictator vs. Dictator

D-DAY 



Combined Allied Forces (U.S.A., Britain, France, Canada) vs. Hitler Human Rights vs. Denier of Human Rights

“The Battle that changed the course of history.”

Hayden, J., 2010 Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point for WWII because:    

It put the Germans on the defensive.

It was the beginning of weakened moral within the German troops and the people of Germany.

It divided Hitler’s attention too much.

The Russians wiped out a significant portion of the German troops.

“The army that Hitler had famously boasted could storm the heavens was being driven into the ground in Southern Russia (Hayden, J., 2010; min 31:47).”

“The largest amphibious assault in world history.”

Roark, J., et al., 2012; 849

The Invasion of Normandy, France, aka Operation Overlord, aka D-Day was also considered a turning point in WWII because:   

It took one day to defeat Hitler in Western Europe.

It “fatally depleted Hitler’s reserves (Roark, J., et al, 2012; 851).”

The Allied success on D-day set them up for future battle success: 1. to liberate Paris from Nazi control in August 2. to cause Hitler to keep retreating back to Germany 3. to win the Battle of the Bulge, despite intense struggle and loss 4. to capture Berlin less than a year later, which finally ended the Western front of WWII and Hitler’s terror over Europe and the world.

“The men who died that day [D-day], they were all facing Germany. You could look at them up and down that afternoon- they were facing forwards and not backwards (Talton, J., as quoted in Mathis, M., 2001; min 43).”

Which was more significant?

Stalingrad or D-Day?

Hayden, J. (Producer), & McDonnell, B.J. (Director). (2010.). The Battle of Stalingrad. U.S.A.: Timeline Productions, Planet Pictures.

Retrieved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1AC4wm6SwM. Mathis, M. (Producer & Director). (2001). D-Day Landing; History

Channel Dangerous Missions. U.S.A.: History Channel. Retrieved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e2n74mduv8.

Roark, J. (2012). The American promise : a history of the United States.

Boston New York: Bedford/St.Martins.

WWII. (n.d.). [PowerPoint lecture, week 5, History of the U.S. Since the Civil War, California Baptist University]. Retrieved from https://calbaptist.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?

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Images: Google Images.