Paul M. Krueger

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill begin the Casablanca Conference to discuss strategy and study the next phase of World War II.

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ㅤThe Casablanca Conference, held in Morocco, was a pivotal meeting between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, who gathered to chart the Allied strategy for the next phase of World War II. Though Stalin was absent due to the Battle of Stalingrad, the conference yielded crucial decisions. The Allies committed to demanding unconditional surrender from the Axis powers, a declaration that would shape the war’s trajectory. They also laid out plans for the invasion of Sicily and Italy, a strategic move partly intended to delay a direct assault on France. Furthermore, the conference greenlit intensified bombing of Germany and a US Navy plan to advance on Japan through the Pacific.

ㅤThis “island-hopping” campaign in the Pacific ultimately shortened the war. The conference concluded with the issuance of the Casablanca Declaration, a public statement emphasizing the Allies’ unified determination to achieve total victory. This declaration solidified the concept of “unconditional surrender,” a powerful message that resonated throughout the remaining years of the war.