TIME-LIFE World War II: Victory in Europe: Defeating the Nazis: A Triumph of Courage, Military Strategy, and Endurance

179 Pages·2016·7.96 MB·English

by  The Editors of TIME-LIFE

WORLD WAR II
Victory In Europe
DEFEATING THE NAZIS:
A TRIUMPH OF COURAGE, MILITARY
STRATEGY, AND ENDURANCE
Allied soldiers and French civilians in Paris celebrated victory in Europe, May 8, 1945.
CONTENTS
Cover
Title
1 THE WESTERN FRONT
As 1945 dawned, most Germans knew that their country was on the brink of
collapse. For many, surviving the Allied onslaught was the only thing that mattered.
2 THE EASTERN FRONT
The Soviets had millions of troops to deploy against the Germans, and they were
determined not just to win, but to retaliate.
3 LIBERATING THE CAMPS
The Allies discovered the inconceivable atrocities and mass murder spawned by the
Nazi radical ideology.
4 MOVING TOWARD PEACE
With the Allies in firm control of Europe, Nazi leaders began searching for ways to
end the war.
5 V-E DAY
After six years of war and incalculable suffering, the Allies defeated Hitler’s forces and
restored Europe’s freedom.
6 THE POSTWAR WORLD
Having secured victory in Europe, the Allies turned their focus to rebuilding the
continent’s shattered economy and to bringing war criminals to trial.
Photo Credits
Credits
Copyright
VE DAY 1945 Celebrating Victory in Europe in Piccadilly Circus, London “This is a solemn but glorious hour.
General Eisenhower informs me that the forces of Germany have surrendered. . . . The flags of freedom fly all over
Europe.”
—President Harry Truman, May 8, 1945
1 THE WESTERN FRONT
AS 1945 DAWNED, MOST GERMANS KNEW THAT THEIR
COUNTRY WAS ON THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE. FOR MANY,
SURVIVING THE ALLIED ONSLAUGHT WAS THE ONLY
THING THAT MATTERED.
The New Year: 1945
AS THE YEAR BEGAN, GERMANY FOUND ITSELF FACING AN
INSURMOUNTABLE FOE.
Allied soldiers and sailors arrived in England in 1945 following a tour of duty. They would soon be deployed back
to the continent to wage war against Nazi troops.
The Allies had much to cheer about as they celebrated the New Year in January 1945.
The invasion of Normandy, France, the previous summer had finally put the Nazis on
the run, and the Allies—the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union—
could see that Germany was on the brink of collapse. Along both the Eastern and
Western Fronts of Germany, though, there were brutal battles to wage and to win if
the Allies were to succeed. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler believed that his country could
still triumph, but many of his generals no longer shared this optimistic view.
In Berlin, Allied bombing raids—American during the day and British at night—
took a heavy toll. People crowded into air-raid shelters and basements. They wrote
messages on walls of gutted buildings to sons and husbands returning from the front,
letting them know their families were safe, at least for the moment, and living
elsewhere. Berliners were short on food, water, and sanitation facilities. “Heil Hitler!”
had been the prevailing everyday greeting and rallying cry; now, Berliners declared,
“Bleib übrig!”—Survive!
The Russians compounded Germans’ misery as they advanced north from Hungary
and west through East Prussia. The Red Army showed no mercy to captured military
or to civilians. Murder, rape, and looting became common tactics of the Soviet forces.
Germans faced their untenable situation with a dark humor: “Be practical,” they
quipped at Christmastime. “Give a coffin.”
Europe 1945
When World War II began, Axis powers lined up behind the Nazis, but by 1945
Germany was surrounded by enemy forces.
Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Japan Allied Powers:
United States, Britain, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France,
Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia, Brazil
Path to the End
As 1945 dawned, six long years of war was ending. The Allies squeezed Germany from
two sides, while the fighting in the Pacific became even more savage from all sides.
JANUARY
JANUARY 17 Soviet forces liberated Poland’s capital city, Warsaw, opening the path
for the Russians to move south into Germany.
JANUARY 25 The Battle of the Bulge, Hitler’s last major offensive on the Western
Front, ended in a decisive victory for the Allies.