What was the cost of Hitler opening up a war on two fronts, one in Africa and the other in Russia? The Allied offensive in North Africa forced Hitler to send reinforcements to Rommel, thus weakening the Germans in Russia. The Russian front had been costly to Hitler. Several months of battle had resulted in little gain against Russian resistance. Russia staged a massive counterattack in November, 1942. After two months of bitter fighting the Germans surrendered their huge army at Stalingrad, a turning point in the war. By early 1944, the Germans had been forced off Russian soil.

In July, 1943, Allied forces from North Africa landed on the island of Sicily off Italy. Although the Italian army surrendered, German divisions rushed to stop the Allied advance northward through Italy. German resistance was intense, but the Allies drove them steadily back.

The liberation of Europe from the Germans was now being planned. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt conferred and appointed General Dwight Eisenhower to lead an Allied invasion of occupied northern France. It was to be a huge effort. The French coastline was heavily fortified by waiting Germans, many of whom were held in reserve for such an emergency.

Plans were made to invade France in June, 1944. Every detail was carefully planned by Eisenhower and his Allied staff. The task was immense -- more than a million men and their equipment had to be transported across the English Channel.