Download WWII: Battles and Events 1939-1941 - MStew-SS11

WWII: Battles and Events 1939-1941
Events of the European Theatre
1. The Invasion of_______________:
 On______________________, the NAZIS invaded Poland. WWII begins.
 Blitzkrieg (________________): Very effective strategy of WWII warfare.
Airplanes led the attack to knock out key enemy positions, which was
immediately followed by________________________________. Attacking
forces would quickly sweep past the enemy and trap them.
 _______________________declare war immediately. Canada follows suit.
Significance – Signaled the beginning of WWII; introduced blitzkrieg
2. ______________________:
 October 1939 –________: Everyone expected Germany to attack Western
Europe, but __________________________prevented this from
happening. Allied troops and Canadian soldiers waited for the attack.
Significance – Allowed both sides time to___________________________.
3. Evacuation of Dunkirk (____________________):
 ___________– Hitler’s forces were rapidly advancing through Western
Europe. Denmark, Holland, Norway and Belgium were_______________.
 Allied troops were forced to retreat to the beaches of_________________.
 May 26th-June 4th 1940: More than 300,000 French and British troops
were successfully_________________. Called “_____________________”.
 A few weeks after the evacuation, ____________surrendered to Germany.
Significance – A moral victory for the Allies; saved thousands of elite
soldiers who would live to fight (and win) another day.
4. ____________________:
 With control of the French coastline, Hitler set his sights on Britain.
Hitler believed that in order to launch a successful invasion by sea,
the______________________________________) must be destroyed.
 July – October 1940: Major air battles between the RAF and the German
______________(air force) took place in the airspace over Britain and the
English Channel. The RAF _________________________
 _____: This gave the RAF a huge advantage in detecting German squads.
 ___________: Allowed British to decode German messages
 ___________: In August 1940, Hitler ordered daylight bombing raids on
London.___________________. It allowed the RAF to rebuild its strength.
 Late September 1940 - _______________________________
 Significance – Hitler’s _____________________Allies retain control of
Britain, which would serve as the springboard to launch future attacks on
Europe
The Eastern Front
1. Invasion of__________________:
 Hitler had always planned to invade the Soviet Union (Stalin knew
this). Hitler’s motives for invasion_________: Lebensraum (living
space) and to destroy his____________________– communism.
 __________________: On June 22nd 1941, Hitler broke the NAZISoviet Pact and sent _______________________into the Soviet Union.
 ___________________: Heavily outnumbered and in immediate
retreat, Stalin ordered the _____________to destroy everything
(livestock, food, machinery, supplies etc) so that the Germans would
have nothing to use.
 Christmas 1941: Germans were_______________________________.
Significance – Hitler abandoned his plan of ____________________and
committed to a war in the east. The possibility of a ___________emerged.
North Africa
 As the war raged on in Europe, ________________committed troops
to war in North Africa.
 ___________________: Mussolini attacks Egypt in an attempt to
secure ________________(very strategic waterway). German troops
under_____________________, went to the aid of the Italians. British
troops were sent to combat German-Italian advances.
Significance – Valuable troops takes away from the war in Europe;
Mussolini continuing his vision of________________________.
War in the Pacific Theatre
1. _______________in Japan:
 Strong, militaristic leaders with feelings of extreme nationalism
(similar_________________) emerged in Japan in the 1920s
 These leaders had control of the military and began to act without the
consent of__________________________.
 The Great Depression, coupled with__________________, intensified
Japan’s need for raw materials and____________________.
2. Events Leading up to________________:
a) 1931: Japan invades Chinese province of ______________without the
consent of its own government. Manchuria was rich in resources.
b) Military conspirators made plans to ______________________and force
the country to accept_______________.
c) Japanese Prime Minister_______________. In-fighting between different
factions of the army lead to hit squads and multiple assassinations.
d) ________________, June 1940: Japanese quickly occupy French IndoChina (__________). U.S. responds by freezing Japanese assets in
__________________and refusing to sell Japan any more oil or scrap
metal (two products it needed desperately for its_________________).
e) Cut off from major supplies, Japanese military commanders insisted that
war with __________________was the only solution. Pearl Harbour….