North Africa: Hitler’s First Defeat

North Africa

• America had decided that Germany would be the number one enemy– The bombing of Pearl Harbor changed this plan

• Once Americans took Guadalcanal, they could focus on Hitler again.

• In Europe, the Soviets were still fighting German invaders

North Africa

• British and Americans could not agree of where to attack Hitler– British wanted to attack Germany’s outer ring– America wanted to go through France and attack

into the heart of Germany

• Stalin wanted the Allies to open a Second Front in Europe

North Africa

• British invade Dieppe on French Coast– Was a disaster

• Roosevelt and Churchill agree the Allies aren’t ready to invade Europe

• Decide to invade in North Africa

North Africa

• Mussolini’s men were the first to invade British-held Egypt– They were stopped and the Germans and Rommel

come in– Continues to go back and forth

• Rommel attacks again and Tobruk falls. The Afrika Korps drive toward Cairo and Suez Canal.

North Africa

• U.S. send Sherman tanks and guns• General Montgomery takes over the

British Africa campaign– Said there would be no retreat from their

position at El Alamein

• Control of North Africa would give the Allies a base from which to invade Italy

North Africa

• Dwight D. Eisenhower named Commanding General, European Theater of Operations

• General Montgomery builds up his forces at El Alamein– Would be the final thrust of the Desert War

El Alamein

• Massive assault began at night• Von Stumme dies of a heart attack and

Rommel called back in.• Rommel personally leads one

counterattack which fails– Orders full retreat

• El Alamein was an Allied victory

American Invasion of North Africa

• 3 invasions of North Africa– Casablanca in Morocco– Oran- inside the Mediterranean Sea– Algiers in Algeria

• Called Operation Torch• Eisenhower sends Major General Clark to

meet with two French Generals known to be sympathetic to the Allies

American Invasion of North Africa

• Eisenhower looks for someone the French will follow in this invasion– General Henri Giraud

• Eisenhower sends 100 Allied invasion ships through the Strait of Gibraltar – Invasion begins the following morning

Algiers

• Algeria surrenders in one day

Oran

• Had fierce resistance

• French will not follow General Giraud so put Admiral Darlan in charge of North Africa.

Casablanca

• Fiercest of all fighting• Invasion force commanded by George

S. Patton• 3 days later, French surrender but

object to surrender terms.– Eventually the problem of French

allegiance was solved.

Tunisia

• Tunisia was the land separating Algeria and Libya

• In Libya, Rommel was retreating with Montgomery in pursuit– Rommel would reach Tunisia

• Eisenhower wants to beat Rommel to Tunis

Tunisia

• British and American forces close in

• Rommel realizes the battle is lost, but Hitler will not let him evacuate

Interactive Map

• Interactive Map of North Africa Campaign