Download World War II

“The Global War”
WORLD WAR II
Causes of War…
 Rise of dictators
 Mussolini
 Hitler
 Stalin
 Economic Depression
 Massive unemployment.
 Failure of the League of Nations
 Failed to prevent a second World War.
Dictators
 Hitler: elected chancellor
in 1939.
 Mussolini: elected Head
of Government in 1925.
 Stalin: elected Premier in
1941.
Economic Depression
 Massive unemployment caused the countries
in Europe economies to crash.
 Currencies in these countries were rendered
useless due to hyperinflation.
 Hyperinflation: Extremely rapid or out of
control inflation
Failure of the League of Nations
 The league failed to keep members such as
Italy and Germany.
 Both countries thought that they were better
off on their own than in the league.
 The headquarters of the league in Geneva
closed its doors in 1939.
 They remained closed
throughout the war.
The Major countries involved
in WWII…
 Axis Powers: Germany,
Italy, and Japan.
 Allies Powers: France,
England, USSR, and
USA.
Before the War:
 March 1936: German
troops marched into
the Rhineland.
 The Rhineland was a
region of Germany that
was ‘demilitarized’ after
the Treaty of Versailles.
Germany was not
allowed to have troops
in the region.
Before the War:
 March 1938: Nazi
Germany annexed
Austria
 Again, this went against
the terms of the Treaty
of Versailles which
banned Germany from
uniting with Austria.
 However, the arrival of
German troops was met
with great enthusiasm
by many Austrian
people.
March 1939: Germany invaded
Czechoslovakia
 Hitler had ordered the occupation of a part
of Czechoslovakia known as the
Sudetenland (in October 1938). Many
hoped that that this would be the last
conquest of the Nazis.
 However, in March 1939, he ordered his
troops to take over the remainder of
Czechoslovakia. This was the first
aggressive step that suggested that a war
in Europe would soon begin.
August 1939: Germany and Russia
signed a non-aggression pact
 Hitler and Stalin (the
Russian leader)
signed a ‘nonaggression pact’.
 They promised that
neither country would
attack the other in the
event of war.
 As part of the deal,
Hitler promised Stalin
part of Poland, which
he planned to invade
soon.
Hitler
Stalin
The non-aggression pact was surprising. Hitler and Stalin were seen as natural
enemies.
When Hitler talked of taking over new land for Germany, many thought that he
meant Russia.
Hitler also hated Communism, the form of government in the Soviet Union.
Outbreak of War
 The War breaks out when the Axis powers
invade countries around the World.
 Germany invades Poland September 1, 1939.
 France and England Declare war on
September 3, 1939.
Germany invades France
 In May 1940,
Germany turns west
and invades.
 The Germans used a
form of tactic called
Blitzkrieg.
 Blitzkrieg means
“Lighting War.”
 3 main areas of
attack. (North, South,
and Center)
France Falls
 On June 22, 1940
France surrendered
to Germany and
Italy.
 England now stood
alone as the last
remaining enemy
of Hitler’s Germany
in Western Europe.
Attack on England
 After France
surrenders,
Germany turns its
attention to
England
 Hitler uses his
Luftwaffe (Air Force)
to bombard England
into submission.
 These events are
known as the
“Battle of Britain.”
British RAF
German Luftwaffe
Result of Battle of Britain
 The German Luftwaffe attacked up and down
the British coast.
 The British RAF successfully defended the
coast.
 This was the first time the Germans had
suffered defeat in the war and the farthest
Western advance of Nazi Germany.
Germany Turns its attention
towards the East
 Hitler orders his generals to abandon the
“Battle of Britain” campaign and focuses his
attention on the East.
 It was always Hitler’s intention to take control
of land in Eastern Europe. He wrote about it
in his autobiography Mein Kampf.
 Lebensraum: German for "habitat" or literally
"living space."
Operation Barbarossa
 On June 22, 1941,
Hitler invaded Russia in
Operation Barbarossa
 The operation
encompassed a total
troop strength of
about 4 million men,
making it the biggest
single land operation
ever
 Benefiting from initial
surprise, by the end of
July Hitler had
occupied a portion of
Russia twice the size of
France
Operation Barbarossa
 German forces were divided into 3 army
groups. (North, South, and Center)
 North: The goal of the North Army was to capture
the city of Leningrad.
 Center: The goal of the Center Army was to
capture the Capital city of Moscow.
 South: The goal of the South Army was to capture
the city of Stalingrad.
Phase 1: The Frontier Battles
 All 3 army groups were in full advance. They
advanced through Soviet controlled Poland
and other Soviet occupied Eastern European
countries.
 German Luftwaffe gained complete
advantage in the air. This allowed them to
support the army on the ground.
 The German advance was going better than
they hoped it would.
Phase 1: The Frontier Battles
 Hitler surprises everyone and orders the
armies to halt the advance.
 He wanted to allow the infantry divisions to
catch up to the fast moving Panzer divisions.
 This decision allowed the Soviets to regroup
and mobilize more soldiers to the Eastern
front.
Phase 2: Battle of Smolensk
 After the infantry divisions catch up, Hitler
orders the Armies to continue their advance.
 The center army advanced as far as the city of
Smolensk.
 Armies in the North and South kept pushing
towards their ultimate goal of Leningrad and
Stalingrad.
Battle of Smolensk
 German goal was to encircle Soviet forces
and ultimately “suffocate” them into defeat.
 Result: The Germans were about to surround
the Soviets.
 300,000 Red Army soldiers were captured by the
Germans.
Phase 3: Kiev and Leningrad
 By mid July, the Germans were only a few
Kilometers from the city of Kiev.
 The Germans divided their forces into 2 and
invaded
 Panzer armies advanced at a rapid pace.
 Again the Germans were on the offensive.
Kiev (Aug-Sep 1941)
 Just like in Smolensk, the German south army
was able to surround the city of Kiev.
 The German numbers surrounding Kiev were
running low.
 The German center army sends soldier to aid
the effort in Kiev.
 Forces sent: a Panzer division and 2 army divisions
 In the end, the German armies were victorious.
The Soviet army lost over 600,000 men.
Leningrad (Sep 1941-Jan 1944)
 Meanwhile, in the North, the German army
was advancing on the city of Leningrad.
 The German north army was able completely
surround Leningrad within a month.
 The Soviet forces would not be denied.
 The Soviets were able to withstand the Siege for
over 3 years.
Leningrad continued…
 The Soviet Red Army was eventually able to
push but the German forces surrounding
Leningrad.
 On January 27th, the Siege of Leningrad officially
ended.
 This is significant because it was the first
major German defeat on the Eastern Front.
Phase 4: Operation Typhoon
(Oct-Dec 1941)
 Once the city of Kiev fell, the German forces
in the center again continued their advance
towards Moscow.
Battle of Moscow
 With the Germans’ successes in the north and
south, Hitler assumed that Stalin’s regime was
on the verge of collapse
 He authorized an advance on Moscow before the
onset of winter
 However the Germans were suffering from
serious supply shortages
 By September the supply system was only
meeting current tactical consumption needs
 No supply stores for the winter season were being
built.
Battle of Moscow
 The Germans caught
the Russians
unprepared and made
great advances.
 The Soviet Army
seemed on the verge
of collapse.
 At this point the
weather broke and
autumn rains turned
the roads to mud.
 The German advance
stalled, allowing the
Russians to hurry
reinforcements from
the interior.
Battle of Moscow
 By Dec 4 the Germans
had clawed their way
to Moscow’s outskirts,
but they could not
continue.
 That night
temperatures were 25 degrees
Fahrenheit.
 One infantry regiment
suffered 300 frostbite
casualties.
 On Dec 6 the Soviets
counterattacked.
Battle of Stalingrad:
Summer 1942
 As a last ditch effort, Hitler ordered the
German army to advance on Stalingrad.
 Hitler believed that capturing the city of
Stalingrad would prove vital to turning the
tide of the war.
Stalingrad
 On Aug 24 the
Germans attacked
Stalingrad’s suburbs
and began fighting
their way into the city.
 The nature of the urban
fighting favored the
defenders and the
Soviets mounted a
stubborn defense.
 Stalingrad began to
drain the German army
but Hitler would not
back off.
Stalingrad
 On Nov 19 the Soviets launched a massive
counterattack north of Stalingrad
 Hitler’s overly centralized and completely
out-of-touch command system broke down
in the face of the Soviet onslaught
 The Soviets encircled Stalingrad and Hitler
ordered his commanders to stand fast
anyway
 By this point in the war, no one was willing
to confront Hitler.
Stalingrad
 All attempts to
breakout or break
through failed and on
Feb 2 the Germans
surrendered
 Out of 250,000
soldiers trapped in
the Stalingrad
pocket,
approximately
90,000 became
prisoners
 Barely 5,000 survived
the war
Summary: Operation Barbarossa
 Ultimately enormous logistical shortcomings
made Barbarossa a failure
 Germany proved capable of fighting battles very
well, but was less capable of fighting a war of
prolonged duration
 In the total four years of fighting on the Eastern
Front, an estimated 4 million Axis and 9 million
Russians were killed in battle
 20 million Soviet civilians were killed as a result
of extermination campaigns against Jews,
communists and partisans, casual massacres,
reprisal killings, diseases, and (sometimes
planned) starvation.
Farthest Extent of Nazi Regime
The Tide Turns…
 On December 7 1941, Pearl Harbor was
attacked by Japan. US then declares war.
 The allies wanted an offensive front in
Western Europe.
 They felt that making a 2nd front for Germany
would defend would spread their lines so thin that
they would eventually collapse.
 War in Pacific after the attack on Pearl Harbor
was the main focus of the U.S. for about 2
years.
Collins II: World War II
 Based on what we have discussed today, do
you believe World War II could have been
prevented? Explain you choice based on the
facts presented today.