The United States' involvement in the African and European theaters during World War II played a pivotal role in the defeat of Nazi Germany and its allies. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. committed significant military resources to both theaters, contributing to the broader Allied effort to liberate Europe from Axis control.
In North Africa, American forces, under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, joined British Commonwealth troops in a campaign against Axis forces led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, also known as the "Desert Fox." The North African campaign began in late 1942 with Operation Torch and aimed to secure control of crucial territories like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Despite initial setbacks, Allied forces achieved decisive victories at battles like El Alamein, ultimately driving the Axis out of North Africa by May 1943.
Simultaneously, in the European Theater, the U.S. contributed troops, equipment, and logistical support to the Allied campaign against Nazi Germany. The invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and the subsequent landings at Salerno and Anzio in Italy marked the beginning of the U.S. Army's direct involvement in mainland Europe. These operations aimed to weaken Axis control over the Mediterranean and pave the way for the eventual invasion of Western Europe.
However, the most significant American contribution to the European Theater came with the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. Operation Overlord saw American, British, Canadian, and other Allied forces land on the beaches of Normandy in the largest amphibious assault in history. This pivotal moment they marked the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany's grip on Western Europe.
Throughout the war, American troops displayed courage, resilience, and determination in the face of formidable challenges. Their contributions in the African and European theaters were instrumental in securing victory over Nazi Germany and liberating Europe from tyranny, cementing the United States' role as a global superpower and champion of freedom and democracy.
The 784th Tank Battalion in World War II : history of an African American armored unit in Europe by 
Anzio by 
Anzio beachhead, 22 January - 25 May 1944. by The battle for Cassino : assaulting the Gustav Line, 1944. by 
Battle of Hurtgen Forest by 
The battle of the Atlantic and signals intelligence : U-boat tracking papers, 1941-1947 by 
The Battle of the Bulge by The battle of the Ruhr Pocket : April 1945 by 
Beyond the beachhead : the 29th Infantry Division in Normandy by Breakout and pursuit by 
Condensed analysis of the Ninth Air Force in the European theater of operations by D-Day, 6 June 1944 : the art collection of the United States Navy, Normandy. by 
D-Day, June 6, 1944 : the climactic battle of World War II by 
D-Day : 24 hours that saved the world by 
The day of battle: the war in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Decision in Normandy by The decision to launch operation MARKET-GARDEN by 
Decoding history : the battle of the Atlantic and Ultra. by The European campaign : its origins and conduct by European Theater of Operations, Ardennes, Battle of the Bulge by European Theater of Operations, Cross-Channel Attack by 
Fatal Decision: Anzio and the battle for Rome by 
Forward with Patton The World War II Diary of Colonel Robert S. Allen by
The WWII diary of a US soldier and Soviet spy who worked closely with General Patton is presented in this fully annotated edition. Robert S. Allen is one of the more controversial figures of the Second World War. After serving in France during World War I, he left the military to start a career as a syndicated columnist, eventually becoming the Washington, DC, bureau chief for the Christian Science Monitor. In that time, he also developed a sideline as a paid informant for the KGB. When American entered World War II, Allen rejoined the army to serve as General Patton's chief of situation and executive officer for operations. He was considered such an authority on Patton after the war that Twentieth Century-Fox asked him to develop a film script about the general. In Forward with Patton, John Nelson Rickard presents a complete, annotated edition of Colonel Allen's World War II diary for 1944-1945. The entries reflect Allen's private thoughts on the Third Army and provide an invaluable perspective on Patton, whom Allen deeply admired.
G Company's war two personal accounts of the campaigns in Europe, 1944-1945 by
A unique account of combat in World War II provides parallel day-to-day records of the same events as seen by two men in the same company, one an enlisted man, one an officer G Company's War is the story of a World War II rifle company in Patton's Third Army as detailed in the journals of S/Sgt. Bruce Egger and Lt. Lee M. Otts, both of G Company, 328th Regiment, 26th infantry Division. Bruce Egger arrived in France in October 1944, and Lee Otts arrived in November. Both fought for G Company through the remainder of the war. Otts was wounded seriously in March 1945 and experienced an extended hospitalization in England and the United States. Both men kept diaries during the time they were in the service, and both expanded the diaries into full-fledged journals shortly after the war. These are the voices of ordinary soldiers--the men who did the fighting--not the generals and statesmen who viewed events from a distance. Most striking is how the two distinctly different personalities recorded the combat experience. For the serious-minded Egger, the war was a grim ordeal; for Otts, with his sunny disposition, the war was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, sometimes even fun. Each account is accurate in its own right, but the combination of the two into a single, interwoven story provides a broader understanding of war and the men caught up in it. Historian Paul Roley has interspersed throughout the text helpful overviews and summaries that place G Company's activities in the larger context of overall military operations in Europe. In addition, Roley notes what happened to each soldier mentioned as wounded in action or otherwise removed from the company and provides an appendix summarizing the losses suffered by G Company. The total impact of the work is to describe the reality of war in a frontline infantry company.
The good war : an oral history of World War Two by
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize: "The richest and most powerful single document of the American experience in World War II" (The Boston Globe). "The Good War" is a testament not only to the experience of war but to the extraordinary skill of Studs Terkel as an interviewer and oral historian. From a pipe fitter's apprentice at Pearl Harbor to a crew member of the flight that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, his subjects are open and unrelenting in their analyses of themselves and their experiences, producing what People magazine has called "a splendid epic history" of WWII. With this volume Terkel expanded his scope to the global and the historical, and the result is a masterpiece of oral history. "Tremendously compelling, somehow dramatic and intimate at the same time, as if one has stumbled on private accounts in letters locked in attic trunks . . . In terms of plain human interest, Mr. Terkel may well have put together the most vivid collection of World War II sketches ever gathered between covers." --The New York Times Book Review "I promise you will remember your war years, if you were alive then, with extraordinary vividness as you go through Studs Terkel's book. Or, if you are too young to remember, this is the best place to get a sense of what people were feeling." --Chicago Tribune "A powerful book, repeatedly moving and profoundly disturbing." --People
Holding the line the 51st Engineer Combat Battalion and the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945 by 
Hunter-killer : U.S. escort carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic by 
It never snows in September : the German view of Market-Garden and the Battle of Arnhem, September, 1944 by The Landings in North Africa, November 1942 by 
Loss and Redemption at St. Vith The 7th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge by 
Messengers of the lost battalion : the heroic 551st and the turning of the tide at the Battle of the Bulge by 
Military blunders : the how and why of military failure by 
Monte Cassino : the hardest-fought battle of World War II by Morning of D-Day from LST by Normandy Air Campaign, Historical Map by Omaha Beachhead (6 June-13 June 1944) by 
Operation Torch : the American amphibious assault on French Morocco, 1942 by The Ordnance Department : on beachhead and battlefront by 
Riviera to the Rhine by The Siegfried Line Campaign by 
Sunday Punch in Normandy - the Tactical Use of Heavy Bombardment in the Normandy Invasion by
[Illustrated with 5 photos and 7 maps] Originally published shortly after key air campaigns, the Wings at War series captures the spirit and tone of America's World War II experience. Eyewitness accounts of Army Air Forces' aviators and details from the official histories enliven the story behind each of six important AAF operations. Sunday Punch in Normandy focuses on the all-important invasion of Normandy, on June 6, 1944, forever remembered as "D-Day." Just before dawn, wave after wave of Army Air Forces heavy bombers targeted the beach areas to make way for the assault troops. The pilots encountered virtually no air opposition, because the massive Allied air superiority effort had been brilliantly planned and well-orchestrated. This short study describes in detail the close cooperation among the Allies in formulating the D-Day plan. A final section on operations gives a chronology of the interdiction missions flown by Eighth Air Force fighters and bombers.
Those who hold Bastogne : the true story of the soldiers and civilians who fought in the biggest battle of the bulge by The U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II : D-Day 1944, air power over the Normandy beaches and beyond by 
Voices of D-Day : the story of the Allied invasion told by those who were there by 
The Following Links are to videos from the FAU Libraries' Database Collection - You must log in using your FAU Username and Password.
Florida Atlantic University Libraries
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 297-6911