 In this lecture, we're going to look at the events in World War II and England's role in them. It's only going to be a short overview of World War II, starting with 1940 and moving to the end of the war, victory in Europe Day, when England was out of the war. If we look at England during World War II, once the battle gets underway. As I mentioned before, the primary target was to attack Germany first. Not only was it the larger threat, there was a concern over new technology that Germany was developing and how that would affect the rest of the world and the war itself, the progress of the war. But the idea was if we attacked Japan first and defeated Japan, that still wouldn't end the war. It was only by defeating Germany first that the war would come to an end. There was also a conflict among the big three over the method of fighting World War II and pursuing the war. The United States was going to invade Europe, but the question was where? Russia wanted the invasion to happen as soon as possible. That was Stalin's primary goal, but he was concerned about where? He wanted a land invasion of France and then to take pressure off the eastern front, Russia. However, Great Britain wanted to wait, and Churchill's plan was to attack what he called the soft underbelly of Europe, and this was through the Mediterranean. So this conflict, both over Germany being the primary target and over the method of pursuing the war, both put the big three at odds with one another, although they did agree to attack Germany first. And here is a map of the situation where you have Germany here, Greater Germany, and the Sudetenland, this idea of the Anschluss, Germany bringing into itself the German speaking countries. They attacked France through the Low Countries. Here was the eastern front with the Soviet Union. And then Germany is going to actually come in and invade, break their treaty, and invade a large part of the Soviet Union. This is going to put the Russians, who are going to be very concerned about how the war progresses in their partnership with England and with the United States. The soft underbelly was the answer as far as England and the United States were concerned. In the spring of 1942, General Erwin Rommel in Northern Africa was pretty much in control of the southern part of the Mediterranean, Northern Africa. From late 1942 to the spring, May of 1943, Great Britain and the United States, their troops together, drive the Germans from Africa. In the winter of that year, 42 and 43, there is the Siege of Stalingrad. And this is Germany invading into Russia and causing heavy losses on Germany, but certainly on both sides. Churchill and Roosevelt continued to delay this planned invasion of France, which continues to put more pressure on Russia and in turn on Stalin and his alliance with the other two leaders. And here you see a map of that British U.S. invasion of the soft underbelly as Churchill called it, of Europe across Northern Africa, up into Sicily and then up into Italy. And this threatens and ultimately leads to the toppling of Mussolini. In 1943, the Allied forces invaded. Mussolini flees Italy, however he's captured. The Italians then join the Allies. The king of Italy, who was still on the throne, joins the Allies. Germany moves into Italy to try to prop up Mussolini's regime. By mid-1943, the Allies were able to stop the Axis advances in Europe and in the Pacific. And the Allied strategy, as I said before, is still angered Stalin because of this postponed French invasion. But in the end, after the war, the Soviets are going to be able to lay claim to Eastern Europe as a result. And here again you see this map of Hitler's idea of greater Germany, the countries that were allied with Germany during World War II, and those occupied by Germany as well. In the Soviets and into the Middle East, the Grand Alliance, and you also have the Great Britain involved in it as well, those few neutral nations and the so-called Battle of the Bulge and at the bottom also the Normandy invasion. In 1944, the Allies were able to move in to lead the final blows to the Axis powers. In June of that year, you have the beginning of Rome being liberated. A couple of days later, you have Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion, and Eisenhower was a supreme commander. Now, it was George C. Marshall who was still commander of the Army, and he is the one of Allied forces, and he is the one who put Eisenhower in charge of Operation D-Day. In August of that year, Paris is finally liberated by the Allies, and in December you have that last Battle of the Bulge, the final German offensive. And by spring of 1945, the Allies are actually able to move into Germany. Suddenly, however, in April, FDR dies in warm springs, and the presidency of the United States passes to Harry Truman. And this is going to be of much concern among the Allies, Great Britain and France and Italy. Finally, however, on May 8th, Germany did surrender. This is V.E. or victory in Europe Day. And this is going to mark the formal end of the war for Great Britain. Now, although there are still things going on in Japan for Great Britain, this is the end.