At the beginning of the second World War it had seemed as if it would be quick and easy, one that would result in some sort of treaty with little casualties. By 1943, however, it was evident that this was far from the truth. This war involved the most militarily advanced countries in the world; certainly countries that had no intentions of giving up the fight.

In mid-January, at the Casablanca Conference, Churchill and Roosevelt discussed the necessary actions that needed to be taken in order to end the war as quickly as possible. Roosevelt knew that the necessary outcome would be violent, and said that the only way the war could end was with “unconditional German surrender.”

The Allied forces were quick to take action, with the first American bombing raid on Germany taking place just days after the Casablanca Conference concluded. One week later, the German’s surrendered at Stalingrad, this being the first major defeat of the Nazi Army. This marked a series of setbacks for the German forces, as one month later they began to withdraw their troops from Africa.

The Battle of the Atlantic was in full swing, reaching its climax in mid-March. An astonished twenty-seven merchant ships were sunk by German U-boats. While it seemed like the situation in the Atlantic was absolutely hopeless, Allied forces continued to press on in hopes to defeat the Germans in the ongoing naval battle. By May of 1943, their efforts paid off. The Germans had suffered unsustainable damages to their U-boat fleets. They withdrew from the Atlantic, and the Allied forces had one this naval battle. (Although German forces introduced submarines in 1945, it was too late to change the outcome of the war.)

In early September, Italy announced its surrender to the Allied forces. This, however, did not necessarily mean that the Italians had any intentions of surrendering quietly. Just days after they announced their surrender, the Germans rescued Mussolini and he was quick to re-establish a fascist government. The Allies were still quick to act, and on October 1^st they entered Naples, Italy. Just two weeks later, the Italians declared war on Germany, and clear sign of their intended surrender.

Efforts were intensifying in seeking a clear outcome of the war, or at least getting an idea of what was necessary to end the hostilities. In late November of 1943, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at Teheran. The four-day conference allowed the Allied forces to develop a somewhat clear strategy on how to counter any future attacks from the Axis powers. Just one month later, the Soviet Union launched attacks on the Ukrainian front in an attempt to continue pushing back German forces. The light at the end of the tunnel, however dim, seemed more attainable than ever before.

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