Download Major Battles of WWII Notetaker Non

Major Battles of WWII Notetaker
Non-aggression Act
 August 23, 1939 _____ and ______ agree to Non-Aggression Act with Hitler . Secretly agreed to divide
________
Blitzkrieg – Lightening War
 Germany’s war strategy of using fast airplanes and tanks to win quick victories
 On ___________________ Hitler attacks and takes over Poland
 Once Poland is defeated USSR and Germany divide the country and take territory
 September 3rd __________ and _________ declare war on Germany
The Fall of France
 On June 5, the Battle of __________ had begun—by ___________, the Germans took Paris.
 The French divide on the issue of continuing to fight _________ aggression (the French Resistance) or work with
the Nazis
The Battle of Britain
 Before his planned invasion of England (Operation Sea Lion), Hitler thought it was necessary for the
____________ to bomb Britain into submission.
 Hitler wanted to conquer Britain in early summer 1940 Needed to defeat the _______________
 The resulting conflict between the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and Royal Air Force was the first all air battle—
the British, who had the newly invented __________, won the Battle.
The Battle of Britain Fails
 Even though outnumbered, the Brits had an advanced _________ system and the ___________ Machine
Operation Barbarossa—The Invasion of the Soviet Union
 By early 1941, Hitler had overrun the Balkans and was now planning to invade the _____________________.
 The Germans invaded on three fronts: towards Leningrad in the north, ___________ in the center, and into the
Ukraine in the south.
 Both the ______________ and _________ fronts were failures.
Battle of Stalingrad
 In the spring of 1942, Hitler launched a new offensive in the south at _____________.
 The Battle of Stalingrad became one of the war’s bloodiest battles—over _______________ die on both sides.
 Hitler was forced to retreat from __________ in 1943, and the Soviet Union began to push slowly into eastern
Europe.
Northern African Campaigns
 In 1940, Italy invaded _________ and were defeated by the British.
 The Germans enter north Africa to save the Italians under the command of the brilliant ______________. “The
Desert ___”
Attack on Pearl Harbor
 On ___________________, Japanese aircraft attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, _________.
 The United States, who had been neutral at the beginning of the war, declared war on Japan the following day.
 __________ and _______ declared war on the US the following day.
Japanese Empire at its Height, 1942
 The Japanese moved quickly to conquer Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Burma, and Indonesia.
Advancing into New Guinea, the Japanese looked toward __________________. In addition, the Japanese
seized the American possessions of _______ and Wake islands in the Central Pacific.
The Battle of the Coral Sea May 7-8
 The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle in history in which the ships did not directly engage one
another; all of the fighting was done by _______________________ airplanes—the battle ended in a draw, but it
removed the Japanese threat to Australia.
Battle of Midway
 June 1942 –___________________ in the war. Code breakers intercepted Japanese communications
 Gen. Nimitz attacked the unsuspecting Japanese, destroying their _____________
American Island Hopping
 In the Pacific, the Americans carried the war closer to Japan by a campaign of ___________________.
Other significant Pacific Battles
 ________________ August 1942 Japan was building an air base, MacArthur attacked 6 month grueling battle
– US won
 __________________ February-March 1945 US Marines take Mt.Suribachi
Kamikazes
 Means “divine wind” _______________ bombers who would crash their bomb filled planes into the decks of
Allied ships
 Kamikazes had sunk or damaged more than _____ U.S. ships, with _________ casualties
Operation Torch: The Invasion of Northern Africa
 In Nov. 1942, British and American troops, commanded by _______________________, land in Morocco and
Algeria.
 The ________ forces were caught in a squeeze when the Americans attacked from the West and the British from
the East.
 By May 1943, the Germans had left _________________.
Invasion of Sicily and Italy
 One of the key reasons for the capture of northern Africa was to have a base of operations for an invasion of
___________.
 In July-August 1943, the _____________ and ___________ forces captured Sicily and by September, had
invaded Italy.
Downfall of Mussolini
 In September 1943, _____________ was arrested and killed by the Italians.
 A few days later, the Italians surrendered to the __________.
The Normandy Invasion
 With the invasion of Italy at a standstill, ___________, now the Supreme Allied Commander, switches strategies
to ___________ __________, and invasion of the northern coast of France near Normandy.
 False Allied reports led the Germans to expect the main thrust near _____________, about 100 miles up the coast.
D-Day Invasion
 June 5: Overlord begins. Paratroopers drop over France late in the evening June 6: D-Day. Over _____________
Allied troops and _____________ vehicles are landed along a 50-mile stretch of fortified French coastline and
begin fighting on the beaches of Normandy.
Battle of the Bulge
 December 16 1944: The Battle of the Bulge begins. Largest land battle over __________ Americans are killed,
wounded, or captured