NationMaster - Encyclopedia: European theater of operations

The European Theater of Operations, or ETO, was the term used by the United States in World War II to refer to most United States military activity in Europe north of the Mediterranean coast. In warfare, a theater or theatre is normally used to define a specific geographic area within which armed conflict occurs. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air. ...

Definitions

The European Theater of Operations, or ETO, was the term used by the United States in World War II to refer to all US military activity in Europe which fell under the adminstative command of "European Theater of Operations, United States Army" (ETOUSA). From February 1944 the operational command was the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) which as an Allied command also had operational control of British and all other allied land forces and tactical airforces in the European theatre. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (abbreviated as SHAEF), was the headquarters of the commander of Allied forces in north west Europe, from late 1943 until the end of World War II. General Dwight Eisenhower was in command of SHAEF throughout its existence. ...

The term European Theater of Operations should not be confused with the European Theatre of World War II which is often defined to include the years before the US entered the war, the Italian campaign, the European Stratigic Bombing Campaign, the European Eastern Front, all of the European Western Front in 1944 and 1945, as well and other actions which did not involve the use of American forces. German Führer Adolf Hitler Preceding events Main article: Events preceding World War II in Europe Main article: Causes of World War II Germany was in debt after World War I, due to the Great Depression and the forced payments to the victors of World War I. Germans wanted a leader... Strategic Bombing during World War II was unlike anything the world had previously witnessed. ... The Eastern Front was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... During World War II, the Western Front was the theater of fighting west of Germany, encompassing France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemberg, and Denmark. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Because Dwight Eisenhower held positions in the ETO and the North African Theater of Operations (NATO) here is a brief explanation of that theatre. Operation Torch, the landings in North Africa, were referred to as occurring in the North African Theater of Operations and then later (December 10, 1944)[1], when the theater was redefined to include Italy, as the Mediterranean Theater of Operations or MTO. US forces in that theatre were initially under the administrative command of NATOUSA which was redesignated MTOUSA. They were under the operational command of Allied (Expeditionary) Forces Headquarters AFHQ. Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... Template:Campaignbox North African Campaign Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started November 8, 1942. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... This pages deals with the United States militarys Mediterranean Theater of Operations. ... Allied Forces Headquarters was the headquarters that controlled all Allied forces in the Mediterranean theatre from late 1943 to the end of the war. ...

Command Structure

The War Department officially established ETOUSA, on June 8, 1942. Its mission was to conduct planning for the eventual retaking of Europe and to exercise administrative and operational control over U.S. forces. Headquartered in London, ETOUSA was first commanded by Major-General James E. Chaney, an Army Air Corps officer. June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Dwight Eisenhower's had multiple command appointments; he was replaced Chaney in late June 1942, but in November he also commanded the Allied forces in Operation Torch through AFHQ. He then gave up command of ETOUSA in February 1943 to be NATOUSA. In December 1943 it was announced that Esisenhower would be Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. In January 1944 he resumed command of ETOUSA and the following month was officially designated as the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), serving in a dual role until the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945. From February 1944, SHAEF was the operational command and ETOUSA administrative command. Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Some units were transfred between operational commands and administrative commands at different times. For example the American 6th Army Group which was set up under the Mediterranean Theater of Operations to oversee Operation Dragoon the invasion of southern France between Toulon and Cannes, but was passed to SHAEF (and into ETO) a month after the invasion which took place on August 15, 1944. The 6th Army Group was an army group of the Allies (namely the United States Army) during World War II. It was created in Corsica, Italy (specifically activated on August 1, 1944) to consolidate the combined French and American forces that were planning to invade southern France in Operation Dragoon. ... Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France, on 15 August 1944, as part of World War 2. ... Location within France Coat of Arms of Toulon Toulon (Tolon in Provençal) is a city in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. ... The seaside town of Cannes, in southern France, as seen from a ferry speeding towards lîle Saint Honorat Cannes (Canas in Provençal) (pronounced ) is a city and commune in southern France, located on the French Riviera, in the Alpes-Maritimes département. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

By the end of 1944 Eisenhower through SHAEF commanded three powerful Allied army groups. In the North British 21st Army Group commanded by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, In the middle the American 12th Army Group commanded by General Omar Bradley and in the South the American 6th Army Group commanded by Lieutenant General Jacob L. Devers. The British 21st Army Group and French elements of the 6th Army Group were not part of ETOUSA, but by that stage of the war most of the operational forces under the command of SHAEF were American. The British 21st Army Group was an important Allied force in the European Theatre of World War II. Commanded by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery it initially controlled all ground forces in Operation Overlord. ... Bernard Law Montgomery Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (November 17, 1887 - March 24, 1976) was a British Army officer, most noted for his involvement in World War II and often referred to as Monty. ... The 12th Army Group was the largest and most powerful American formation ever to take to the field. ... Gen. ... The 6th Army Group was an army group of the Allies (namely the United States Army) during World War II. It was created in Corsica, Italy (specifically activated on August 1, 1944) to consolidate the combined French and American forces that were planning to invade southern France in Operation Dragoon. ... General Jacob L. Devers (September 8, 1887 - October 15, 1979), who is best remembered for his command of the 6th Army Group in Europe during World War II, graduated from the US Military Academy in 1909. ...

Campaigns and Operations

(see also U.S. campaigns in WWII) The names below are as used by the US Army, although they were Allied campaigns. ...

Albert Coady Wedemeyer was chief author of the Victory Program, published 3 months before the U.S. entered the war in 1941, it advocated the defeat of the German armies on the European continent. When the U.S. entered the war, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the U.S. declared war on both Germany and Japan, a modified version of his plan was adopted by President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Under the German first policy, the plan was expanded to include the blue print for the Normandy landings. General Albert Coady Wedemeyer (1897–1989) born July 9, 1897, Omaha, Neb. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (30 November 1874–24 January 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ...

Until SHEAF was operational ETOUSA liaised closely with the British in the planning and organising of Operation Overlord. The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ...

The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allied forces. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Northern France Campaign of World War II began on July 25, 1944, with General Bernard Montgomery launching Operation COBRA to break out from the Normandy beachhead, and concluded on September 14 with Belgium and most of France liberated from German rule. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Battle of the Siegfried Line was one of the final Allied campaigns1 of World War II of the Western European Campaign and details the fights on and around the Siegfried Line. ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The German Ardennes Offensive1, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge, started in late December 1944 and was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. The German army had intended to split the Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp and then proceeding to... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

A theater of operations

The term "theater of operations" was defined in the [American] field manuals as "the land and sea areas to be invaded or defended, including areas necessary for administrative activities incident to the military operations" (chart 12). In accordance with the experience of World War I, it was usually conceived of as a large land mass over which continuous operations would take place and was divided into two chief areas-the combat zone, or the area of active fighting, and the communications zone, or area required for administration of the theater. As the armies advanced, both these zones and the areas into which they were divided would shift forward to new geographic areas of control.[2]

See also

Pacific Theater of Operations and China Burma India Theater The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) is the term used in the United States for all military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, in World War II. Pacific War is a more common name, around the world, for the broader conflict between the Allies and Japan... China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the name used by the United States Army for its forces in China, Burma, India during World War II. Well-known US units in this theater included the Flying Tigers, transport and bomber units flying the Hump, the engineers who built Ledo Road, and...

External Links

Categories: Western European Campaign (1944-1945) Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air. ... German Führer Adolf Hitler Preceding events Main article: Events preceding World War II in Europe Main article: Causes of World War II Germany was in debt after World War I, due to the Great Depression and the forced payments to the victors of World War I. Germans wanted a leader... The Phony War, or in Winston Churchills words the Twilight War, was the phase of World War II marked by no military operations in Continental Europe, that followed the collapse of Poland. ... The Norwegian Campaign was the first direct confrontation between the military forces of the Allied United Kingdom and France against Nazi Germany in World War II. Background Value of Norway When Germany invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939, the United Kingdom and France had been forced to declare war against... In World War II, Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May 1940 which ended the Phony War. ... The Eastern Front was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... During World War II, the Western Front was the theater of fighting west of Germany, encompassing France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemberg, and Denmark. ... The Pacific War, which is known in Japan as the Greater East Asia War and in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (kang-Ri zhanzheng, literally Resist Japan War), occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ... The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... This article deals with the military command/theatre known as the South West Pacific Area. ... Operation August Storm was the codename for the Soviet invasion of Manchukuo, Mengjiang, Korea, the southern portion of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and Hokkaido; it would be the initial action of the Soviet Union against the Empire of Japan, as, at the Yalta Conference, it had agreed to enter the... The Mediterranean region. ... The name African Theatres of World War II encompasses actions which took place in World War II between Allied forces and Axis forces, between 1940 and 1943 both on the African mainland and in nearby waters and islands. ... The Middle East Theatre of World War II Command Structure main article Middle East Command The British Middle East Command was based in Cairo with responsibility not just for British Empire and Dominions ( British Commonwealth) operations in the Middle East and North Africa, but also East Africa, Persia, and the... Battle of Mediterranean Conflict World War II Date Place Mediterranean Sea Result Allied victory The Naval Battle of the Mediterranean was waged during World War II, to attack and keep open the respective supply lines of Allied and Axis armies, and to destroy the opposing sides ability to wage... The East African Campaign refers to the battles fought between the United Kingdom and Italy around the region of Italian East Africa during World War II. This campaign is often seen as part of the North African Campaign. ... The North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, of World War II took place in the North African desert during 1940-1943. ... The name West African campaign refers to two battles during World War II, the Battle of Dakar (also known as Operation Menace) and the Battle of Gabon, both of which were in late 1940. ... The Balkans Campaign was the Italian and German invasion of the Yugoslavia, Greece during the Second World War. ... The Middle East Campaign was a part of the Middle East Theatre of World War II Over view This campaign included: The British police actions in Palestine. ... Strategic Bombing during World War II was unlike anything the world had previously witnessed. ... Small to medium-sized raiding operations were carried out by both Allied and Axis armies during World War II. The modus operandi used included guerrilla attacks by partisans in occupied territory and/or combined operations involving the landing and removal of specialised light infantry, such as commandos, by means of... The Chinese Civil War was a conflict in China between the Kuomintang (the Nationalist Party; KMT) and the Communist Party of China (CPC). ... The Winter War (also known as the Soviet-Finnish War or the Russo-Finnish War) broke out when the Soviet Union attacked Finland on November 30, 1939, three months after the start of World War II. As a consequence, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on... The Continuation War was fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II; from the Soviet bombing attacks on June 25, 1941, to cease-fire September 4, 1944 (on the Finnish side) and September 5 (on the Soviet side). ...