Lesson 10.02: Pursuing the Enemy

• Introduction
• The Western Front - the Invasion of North Africa
• The Western Front - the Invasion of Italy
• The Eastern Front - the Battle of Stalingrad
• Noteworthy World War II Generals
• Practice
• Task

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to: Understand the core events surrounding the fighting in North Africa and Italy. Explain the reasons why the Allies chose to start their European invasion in Italy. Describe the fighting conditions surrounding the German invasion of the Soviet Union, including such things as Hitler's motivation and the Battle of Stalingrad. Locate on a map the combat locations of the North African fighting, invasion of Italy, and the Battle of Stalingrad. Identify the roles of Generals Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, and Rommel. The above objectives correspond with the following Alabama Course of Study Objectives: ACOS 8.3Identifying roles of significant World War II leaders Examples: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, Sir Winston Churchill, Bernard Montgomery, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Emperor Hirohito, Hedeki Tojo, Erwin Rommel, Adolf Hitler, ACOS 9.1Locating on a map or globe the major battles of World War II and the extent of the Allied and Axis territorial expansion, and ACOS 9.2Describing military strategies of World War II, including blitzkrieg, island-hopping, and amphibious landings.

 

	Stalingrad, October 1942
Stalingrad, October 1942.. IRC. 2005. Discovery Education. 8 January 2010 <http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/>

Stalingrad, October 1942. After their first Russian offensive failed in the winter of 1941, the Germans rebuilt their armies for a fresh assault in the spring. Stalingrad, far to the southeast, was the objective. Its capture would sever communications between central Russia and the oil fields of the Caucasus, and therefore cut off Russian oil supplies. Some see this as the decisive battle of the Russo-German war.

 

Overview

The fighting that transpired between the years of 1941 and 1943, helped to establish the basis for the eventual demise of the Axis powers. The Allied assault began in 1942 with the invasion of North Africa. Together American and British forces helped stop the seemingly unstoppable "Desert Fox" (German General Rommel) by forcing both he and his Axis allies out of North Africa in 1943. From there, the Allies turned their attention to Europe, choosing to focus on the Pacific theater later. The long awaited Allied invasion of the European continent started in Italy, an area Churchill referred to as the "soft underbelly" of Europe. Although the Italians were easily defeated in 1943, the Germans in the area were determined to defend the territory and provided a tough fight for the Allies, refusing to surrender until the spring of 1945.

On a separate front, the Soviets fought the Germans in a series of brutal battles from 1941-1943. The fighting on these two fronts helped to "soften" the Germans by forcing them to use their valuable manpower and munitions, thereby, making the invasion of Normandy a much easier task.