In August of 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union, previously bitter enemies, concluded a non-aggression pact, thus freeing Hitler to invade Poland on September 1, 1939. France and Britain immediately declared war on Germany officially beginning World War II. Germany won a quick victory in

with two million men, five thousand ships and craft of all types, and more than eight thousand air craft, bombers and fighter planes ready for the landings Eisenhower was forced to cancel because of poor weather. By the next day the weather improved, however the water in the English Channel was choppy. If the Allies delayed further they would have to wait until the tides were again favorable. Eisenhower worried that the Germans would become more informed and the prepared Allied troops would become less determined. After weighting all factors Eisenhower set the date for June 6, 1944. Prior to May of 1943 the Germans were used their U-Boat threat to help maintain several weather stations throughout the Atlantic. After May of 1943 with the lose of their U-Boat threat the Germans were largely ignorant of the weather patterns. They did not realize there was a break in the weather. They only saw the storm hitting the beaches along the English Channel.

The Germans were encouraged to hold on by Hitler. On June 13, 1944 the Germans began fire ring rocket missiles into England. Although these bombs were hardly accurate the random terrorism was a cause for concern. Allied bombers were attacking their launching sites but they were difficult to find and damage. In August of 1944 the Allies had established a headquarters in France. By the end of September 1944 the Germans had been pushed out of France.

In late 1942 the Allies began to rally. In North Africa, British General Montgomery’s rout of Rommel at Alamein in October of 1942 and the landing of U.S. troops in Algeria resulted in an Allied victory in Africa. The Allies conquered Sicily in south Italy and Italy surrendered in 1943. In the Pacific, U.S. forces had won the naval battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, landed in Guadalcanal and began the island hopping strategy that by 1945 had won back the Philippines and where a striking force at Japan’s doorstep.

The Germans thought that the invasion would take place in May. Eisenhower set the date for June 5, 1944. Because the Allies attack depended on strict landing requirements they were monitoring the weather very closely. There were only three days the invasion could take place, June 5,6,or 7. It was necessary that the weather be good on at least one of these days. If the invasion did not take place on one of these days it would have had to have been postponed until the end of June or early July. A delay would have allowed the Germans to become better fortified. A massive Atlantic storm began on June 4

The Battle of Britain lasted from August to October 1940. Germany’s attempt to bomb Britain into submission was the only German failure of the wars early years. Axis’s land operations continued in North Africa and in the Balkans, where Greece and Yugoslavia were occupied. On June 22, 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union bringing that nation under Premier Joseph Stalin into the war. M

Some topics in this essay:
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