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D-Day: The Invasion in Normandy
700 warships, 2,700 support ships and 2,500 landing craft were sent to the beaches. About 155,000 Allied troops were on French soil on D-Day. It was a very sucsesful invasion. About 4,600 casualties at Omaha Beach, at the other beaches the loss of life was quite small. This gave the Allies a small amount of mainland to stage future attacks on France. -
The Liberation of Paris
On August 19, The French Resistance movement staged an uprising against the German occupiers in Paris. The Nazi generals were told to burn the city to the ground. Instead they surrendered to the French and Allied powers. Taking France back was a moral booster for the alied and began the reduction to Nazi territory and the fall of Hitler. -
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Allied Offensive in the Saar Valley
Patton and the third US army assaulted the German West Wall during bad weather. On November 8 his troops crossed the Moselle River and captured the city of Metz. Then pushed on into the Saar Valley. They reached the West Wall by early december. The strong german defenses were pierced at several points, and bridgeheads established across the Saar River. -
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The Battle of The Bulge
Hitler launched a counter attack and created a bulge in the Allied defensive line. Winter weather denied the allies air support and this also stopped the allied advance into German territory. By mid January planes were up and running and the Germans were beaten back once again. This stalled the Allies but did not stop them. This was more of a bump in the road. -
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Closing of the Ruhr Pocket
Allies pushed on to the Rhine river, crossed and then came behind the Germans and had them surrounded, the Ruhr pocket of Germans surrendered, about 325,000 soldiers, and the German commander had comitted suicide. This destroyed the german army in the west. -
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The Battle of Berlin
The Soviets moved in on Berlin, while this happened Hitler ordered a ring of defences to be biuld around Berlin. The 21st russian tanks enered the city. There was a lot of street fighting. Hitler anounced he would stay in Berlin untill the end. Once Berlin was taken, Hitler commited suicid in his underground bunker. Russia had 300,000 casualties and they captured 450,000 German troops. with Berlin taken and Hitler dead, this ended the war in Eurpoe.
