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Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. WWII: European Front. B-17 Flying Fortress. 1942 8 th Air Corps Bombers arrive in Britain Begin bombing campaigns 1943 Change bombing British Night: Disruption US Day: Precission Way more dangerous 14 Oct. 1943 “Black Thursday”

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Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

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  1. Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

  2. WWII: European Front

  3. B-17 Flying Fortress • 1942 8th Air Corps Bombers arrive in Britain • Begin bombing campaigns • 1943 • Change bombing • British Night: Disruption • US Day: Precission • Way more dangerous • 14 Oct. 1943 “Black Thursday” • Of 2,900 crew, 650 are killed in two separate runs • 117 B-17’s lost

  4. P-51 Mustang • 1943-1944 Mustang Introduced • Faster and can travel with bombers longer • Gen. Doolittle switches objectives • Destory German fighters • Bombers unprotected • More destruction of both German and US planes

  5. Tuskegee Airmen • 332 Fighter Group all African-America • July 1944 • Begin escorting bombers • Not one bomber lost that they escorted

  6. Opening the 2nd Front • America and Britain prepare for European invasion • Gen. Dwight Eisenhower put in overall command • American soldiers and supplies begin piling up

  7. Operation Overlord • Two attack • 1st: 24,000 airborne troops dropped night before • Take out coastal defenses and secure roads • 2nd: Troop Landings • Five different beaches • American: Utah and Omaha • British: Sword and Gold • Canadian/Polish: Juno

  8. Deception • British Intelligence capture German spies in London • Begin sending communication that attack will be at Calais • Shorter route • Patton placed in charge of First Army Group • Fictional force • Fools Germans badly

  9. German Defenses • Rommel placed in charge • Atlantic Wall • Massive protective front • Large guns • Beach defenses • Wants reserves closer to Normandy • Hitler sure attack is coming at Calais

  10. D-Day -1 • Supposed to go June 5th1944 • Weather Delayed • June 5th • Get go ahead • Airborne is sent • Miss marks • Flack a fear causes may pilots to let troops go early • Some land in Channel • Other way off objectives

  11. D-Day • 5,000 ships take troops • Battleships and Bombers lay down fire • Smoke fired to cover landings • British • Sword and Gold taken fairly easy • Set off towards port city of Caen • Canadian: Take Juno

  12. Hitler’s Mistakes • Orders were not to awake Hitler • Word comes in of D-Day landings • No one wakes up Hitler • Finally wakes up • Rommel requests reserves to be sent to Normandy • Hitler denies request • Still believes Calais is objective

  13. Utah Beach • US 2nd Rangers • Heavy firing but take beaches • Must climb cliffs to Pointe Du Hoc • Take guns protecting Utah and Omaha beaches • Will lose 60% holding the Pointe

  14. Omaha Beach • The hardest Beach of the five • German troops were Eastern Front veterans • Strongest defenses of • Initial landing • Troops bogged down • Second and thrid • Finally break lines and head inland • By 4pm beach is taken • Over 3,000 killed

  15. Advances Slow • Initial penetration inland is very slow • Hedgerows make it hard for tanks • Troops bogged down • German reinforcement Panzer divisions finally arrive

  16. Pushing out • Addition of Cullin hedgerow cutter allows break • St Lo liberated 20 July 1944 • Allows US troops to break out in Northern France • Push to Paris

  17. Operation Valkyrie • July 20, 1944 • Attempt on Hitler’s life by German Officers • Bomb goes off • Hitler saved by table • Conspirators caught and killed • Rommel implicated • Forced to take cyanide

  18. Viva la France • France liberated on Aug. 25, 1944 • Allies begin Push into Northern Belgium and East towards Germany • Russians break German lines and begin push towards Poland

  19. Operation Market Garden • Sept. 17-25, 1944 • Montgomery plan to take 5 bridges leading into Germany • If successful end war by Christmas • German reinforcements block taking of key bridges • Montgomery slow to act • Operation failed

  20. Battle of the Bulge • German offensive • Push allies back • Take Antwerp and push allies back into the English Channel • Surprise Dec. 15, 1944 • Allies caught off guard • Poor weather ground air support • Germans push is expansive

  21. End Game • Russians finally advance into Berlin • April 30, 1945 • Hitler and wife Eva Braun kill themselves • Body is burnt • US and British forces advance through West Germany • Eagle’s Nest taken

  22. Bastogne • Key city • If falls Germans have clear path to Antwerp • Surrounded by Germans • US 101st Airborne hold-out • Relieved by Gen. Patton • Makes 100 mile push through German lines in 48 hrs • Weather opens • Germans retreat

  23. V-E Day • May 8, 1945 • German high command surrender • Focus now turns to Japan

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