158 TURNING THE TIDE 1943 –194 4
GERMAN DEFIANCE
As 1943 progressed, it became increasingly evident that Nazi Germany would eventually
be defeated. However, Hitler remained defiant, and the war continued in 1944 with
unabated ferocity as the Allies pressed on toward the German homeland.
By 1943, superior manpower and industrial
strength gave the Allies a huge advantage
over Germany. Yet at crucial points in the
war, the Germans came very close to major
successes. In the battle of the Atlantic, the
German submarine campaign inflicted
almost unsustainable losses on Allied
shipping before the Allies finally defeated the U-boat
menace. On the Eastern front, Soviet forces won the battle
of Kursk, but at huge cost. Germany suffered under the
impact of British and US bombing, but losses on the Allied
side were heavy as well. Even when Italy was invaded and
sued for peace, the Germans were able to block the Allied
advance northward.
Yet the most determined efforts of German fighting
forces were eventually in vain. The Allies made sensible
decisions to produce relatively simple equipment on a vast
scale, and they had the manpower and organizational
skills to put the arms into action effectively. The Germans
had the best tanks
and a great dealof other superior technology, but despite this and their
extensive use of slave labor, Germany could not match
Allied industrial output.Germany struggles to keep control
As conditions in Nazi-occupied Europe worsened, with
food shortages and the mass conscription of men to work
in German factories, armed resistance spread. This meant
large numbers of German troops were needed to suppress
subversive activities. Also, the Allied bombings forced
Germany to devote substantial resources to home defense,
as well as hampering arms production and fuel supplies.
As shown by their bombing of German cities, the
Western Allies had learned the ruthlessness of total war.
Their undertaking to pursue “unconditional surrender”
committed them to the complete military defeat of
Germany without negotiation or compromise. Hitler hoped
the Allied countries would have a major disagreement,
but despite ideological differences, the Soviet Union,
Britain, and the US held together. Hitler also dreamed
of a technological miracle—wonder weapons that would△ Sicily landings
British troops wade ashore during
Operation Husky, the Allied invasion
of Sicily, in July 1943. The invasion led
to the overthrow of the Italian fascist
dictator Benito Mussolini.◁ King Tiger
Introduced in 1944, the German Tiger II
was the heaviest tank used in the war. Its
thick armor gave good protection, giving
it a considerable advantage over Allied
tanks in head-on confrontations.JAN 1943 M AY SEPWESTERN EUROPEEASTERN FRONTRESISTANCEJan 14–24, 1943 Allies
decide on “unconditional
surrender” of Germany at
Casablanca ConferenceJul 10, 1943
Allied troops stage
landings in SicilyJul 27–28, 1943
Bombing of
Hamburg causes
firestorm, killing
c. 37,000May 16–17, 1943
Dambuster raid
on Ruhr damsSep 9, 1943 Allies
launch invasion of
Italian mainland,
resisted by GermansMay 12, 1943 Axis
forces in Tunisia
surrender, ending
war in North AfricaJul 5, 1943 Beginning
of Battle of Kursk;
ends in major Soviet
victory (August 23)Jul 25, 1943
Mussolini is
deposed and Italy
seeks an armisticeAug 17, 1943
US Air Force loses
60 bombers in
daylight raids on
Schweinfurt and
RegensburgNAZI GERMANY’S
CHANGING FORTUNES
In early 1943, the Germans
remained in control of continental
Europe, despite their surrender
at Stalingrad. However, that
summer the Allied invasion of
Italy and the Soviet victory at
Kursk placed German forces
under mounting pressure. After
Allied troops landed at Normandy
in June 1944, while Soviet forces
were advancing rapidly from
the east, it appeared that Nazi
resistance might collapse, even
though Allied military progress
faltered at the German frontiers.US_158-159_N_German_defiance.indd 158 04/03/19 11:55 AM