4th Episode of WWII Podcast
Following the beginning of the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Anglo-American armies fighting the Germans on the Western Front had the difficult task of breaking through the dug-in defenders unwilling to give up without a difficult fight. Especially at Caen, the British suffered massively against determined Germans intent on doing everything possible to stop the Allies in whatever places they could. The Americans had to do most of the heavy lifting in their attacks through Brittany and into open French territory in the interior. Once the Americans were finally able to break through and begin the massive movement towards Paris, the Germans fled the region for new defensive positions in Eastern France, barely escaping after an effort to close them off was unsuccessful. The Anglo-American force, combined with the troops from Italy invading southern France on the Mediterranean coast, was stopped cold on the Maginot Line, denying these forces the honors of quickly moving through Germany to stop the Soviets from getting all of the glory. Even the daring Operation Market Garden failed in its objectives to push the Germans back into their home country. The Germans, per Hitler's desperation and intent of destruction, initiated an attack on the unprepared and overextended Anglo-American force in the Battle of the Bulge, initially creating some panic and discord. However, the main goal of dividing the Anglo-American alliance failed and the defenders recovered to finally breakthrough. Only the Rhine was there to stop the attackers, and that was jumped over relatively quickly, leaving the rest of Western Germany open to conquest. In Italy, the slow slogging up the peninsula continued, breaking through the relatively staggered German defenders. In Eastern Europe, the Soviets used their massive armies and plentiful resources to occupy the entirety of the region without breaking a sweat, launching 3 million troops and thousands of tanks and aircraft against overextended German defenders. As a result, the Soviets were able to reach Berlin and have the honors of occupying the German capital rather than the hesitant Americans and British who didn't want to lose hundreds of thousands. The Soviets were in the power position to dictate the affairs of Eastern Europe after the war, and they took brutal advantage of these opportunities. In the Pacific, the Americans progressively pushed the Japanese back further in more island-hopping campaigns, taking control of the Philippines most notably. The Battle of Leyte Gulf also saw the Japanese fleet finally get eliminated once and for all, opening up the Home Islands to constant sea and air attacks. In the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the determination of the Japanese to defend to the bitter end showed, scaring the American public and the military leaders forced to send their men to die. The kamikaze suicide attacks threatened the stability and power of American naval forces charged with protecting the invasion troops, showing the resourcefulness of the Japanese in their defense of home territory. It took two atomic detonations to force the Japanese surrender, finally ending World War II.