Download World War II

World War II
The Blitzkrieg
American Neutrality
Review
The Invasion of Poland
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Sept. 1, 1939
German troops invade from the east
Soviet troops invade from the west
Britain and France had pledged to declare war if Hitler
invaded Poland
– Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand declare war
on Germany
– Poland was forced to surrender on Oct. 6, 1939
German Troops March into Warsaw
The Blitzkrieg
• Blitzkrieg- German word meaning
“lightning warfare”
• Military strategy developed by
Germany
• Utilized tanks (panzers), motorized
vehicles, airplanes, and
paratroopers to quickly mobilize
troops and overwhelm enemy forces
German Panzers
The Phony War
• Sept. 1939-May 1940
• Period of calm after the invasion of
Poland
• Britain and France were expecting
Hitler to attack France after the
fall of Poland
• British moved troops to France to
help defend against expected
German attack
• Germany would attack Denmark and
Norway in April 1940
– Wanted to prevent the
possibility of being blockaded by
the British navy
The Fall of France
• May 10, 1940
• Germany launches Blitzkrieg on Belgium,
Holland, and France
The Fall of France
• France was prepared for a
German attack along their
western border with
Germany
– French had constructed a
series of forts along this
border
– These forts were known
as the Maginot Line
– Maginot Line did not
cover the Ardennes
Forest because it was
thought that Germany
could not attack through
the thick forest
• Germany bypassed the
Maginot Line and attacked
through the Ardennes Forest
Dunkirk
• British and French
troops became trapped
by German forces in the
Belgian sea-side town of
Dunkirk
• German forces slowed
their advance so they
did not over stretch
their supply lines
• Hitler decides to turn
over the destruction of
the allied forces at
Dunkirk to the German
Luftwaffe (air force)
Hitler with Luftwaffe chief
Herman Goering
British Evacuation from Dunkirk
• The decision by Hitler
to hold back his army
gave the British a
chance to rescue their
forces from Dunkirk
• Operation Dynamo
– British sent out a request
for all available
watercraft to head to
Dunkirk
– 338,000 British and
French troops were
rescued by 800 ships
France Surrenders
• June 1940
Hitler makes the French sign their surrender in the same
railcar that Germany signed the armistice ending the
fighting in WWI
France Surrenders
• France is divided
– Occupied France was controlled by the German
military
– Vichy France was controlled by a puppet
Goering and the
government
head of the Vichy
French government
• Did what ever Germany wanted
Henri Petain
German Forces Advance
Across Western Europe
Review
Now Britain Is All Alone!
Operation Sea Lion
• Hitler’s planned invasion of Britain
• Germany wanted to accomplish two goals
before they invaded Britain
– Weaken British morale by bombing British
cities
– Establish control of the air by destroying
the Royal Air Force
• This lead to the Battle of Britain in
August 1940
Battle of Britain:
The “Blitz”
The London “Tube”:
Air Raid Shelters during the Blitz
British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
The Battle of Britain
• The British RAF was able to keep the
Germans from dominating the skies
– Inflicted major damage to the German
Luftwaffe
• Hitler cancels Operation Sea Lion
• German submarines would inflict damage
on Britain by sinking ships bringing
supplies to that country
Operation Barbarossa
• German invasion of the Soviet Union
– When Hitler’s plan to invade Britain failed, he
turned his attention on the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa:
June 22, 1941
 3,000,000 German soldiers.
 3,400 tanks.
Operation Barbarossa:
Hitler’s Biggest Mistake
• Germany now was faced with a two front
war
• German troops invaded the Soviet Union
in the Summer
– They would advance to within miles of the
Soviet Capital in Moscow
– Winter then began and the German troops
got bogged down
• Were unprepared for the Russian winter
• Soviets began counter-attack
American Neutrality
American Neutrality
• The Neutrality Acts
– A series of laws
passed between
1935-37 which
banned the sale of
weapons to nations at
war
American Neutrality
• The Lend-Lease Act
– March 1941
– Allowed America to sell, lend, or lease arms
or other war supplies to any nation
considered vital to the defense of the
United States
– U.S ships began escorting British convoys
that were endanger of being sunk by
German submarines
U. S. Lend-Lease Act,
1941
Great Britain.........................$31 billion
Soviet Union..........................$11 billion
France..................................$3 billion
China..................................$1.5 billion
Other European......................$500 million
South America.......................$400 million
The amount totaled: $48,601,365,000
Lend-Lease
The Atlantic Charter
 Roosevelt and
Churchill sign
treaty of
friendship in
August 1941.
 Solidifies alliance.
 Fashioned after
Wilson’s 14 Points.
 Calls for League of
Nations type
organization.