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WORLD WAR II
WORLD WAR II BEGINS
Road to War
• Aggressive nations
– Japan invades Manchuria in 1931
• The League of Nations does nothing
– Japan then invades China
• Millions of Chinese will die, Rape of Nanjing
– Italy in 1935 invades Ethiopia
• The Ethiopian leader appealed to the League of
Nations, which once again did nothing
– Italy also takes over Albania
• Hitler began to ignore and violate the terms of the
Treaty of Versailles
– Once in power, Hitler began to secretly rebuild the
Germany army
– A few years later he sent troops into the Rhineland,
Germany territory that bordered France
• The Treaty of Versailles made this area a
demilitarized zone
• The French and British complained, but took no
action
– Realizing that the other Europeans powers wouldn’t
risk war to stop him, Hitler set his plans for an empire
into motion
• Lebensraum = living space for the German people
• Germany begins to acquire territory
– First step in Hitler’s plan was to annex Austria
• German troops marched into Austria in 1938
without opposition and took over Austria
• Called the Anschluss
– Next Hitler turned to Czechoslovakia, demanding the
Sudetenland, a region with a large German
population
• The French and British met with Hitler at the
Munich Conference in 1938 to decide the fate of
the Sudetenland
• Hitler demanded it or else war
• France and Britain told Czechoslovakia to give
Germany the Sudetenland - appeasement
• Hitler got what he wanted without any fighting
and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
returned home claiming to have achieved “peace
in our time”
– Six months later Hitler violates the Munich
agreement and takes over the rest of Czechoslovakia
– France and Great Britain realized that Hitler would
never be satisfied and decided they would have to
make a stand
• Hitler next began demanding Poland or else
• France and Great Britain stated they would fight to
protect Poland
• New alliances
– Rome-Berlin Axis = between Italy and Germany
– Anti-Comintern Pact = between Germany and Japan to
oppose the spread of communism
– Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact = between Germany and
the Soviet Union
• Stalin first tried to make an alliance with the French
and British, but they refused
• Hitler made this agreement because he was trying to
prevent a two front war
– Had every intention of invading Russia, wanted the
land for the German people and to turn the Soviets
into slaves or kill them, especially the communists
• Stalin knew Hitler would eventually betray the pact
and invade, needed time to rebuild the Soviet army
World War II Begins
• German Invasion of Poland – Sept. 1, 1939
– Britain and France declare war on Sept. 3
– The Germans use blitzkrieg against the Poles who are
still using horses
– The Soviet Union invades Poland from the other side
• Hitler and Stalin had agreed to divide Poland
– It takes only three weeks to crush Polish resistance
• Poles = 60,000 soldiers dead, 25,000 civilians dead,
and 900,000 troops captured
• Germans lose 14,000 soldiers
– “annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe” begins
• Blitzkrieg “lightning war”
– Emphasized speed – it is quick and devastating
– The Luftwaffe (German air force) leads the way,
bombing and damaging defenses
– The planes are followed by fast-moving tanks and
artillery, then soldiers who finished off any resistance
• The two opposing sides
– Axis Powers = Italy, Japan, and Germany
– Allied Powers = France and Great Britain (will be
joined later by other nations)
• The Winter War or Phony War
– The Soviets annex Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
– Invade Finland in Nov. of 1939 to protect the
northern border
• It is the only fighting going on since the invasion of
Poland
– Soviets send 1 million soldiers versus 175,000
soldiers from Finland
• Molotov Cocktails = bottle filled with gasoline that
has a rag stuffed inside that could be lit and used
like a grenade
– Finland signs peace terms in March, 1940
• Got to keep independence, but loses some
territory
• Russia = 200,000 casualties
• Finland = 25,000 casualties
• After a winter spent planning, Hitler was ready
to begin his assault on western Europe
– On April 9, 1940, German forces invaded both
Denmark and Norway
• Denmark surrendered the same day under the
threat of Copenhagen being bombed
• Norway’s army only has 15,000 men, but it puts
up a valiant fight before surrendering in June
–The Norwegian king escapes to London and
Britain sinks ten German ships
– Hitler’s next focus was to attack and conquer France
• France feels safe behind the Maginot Line, a
concrete fortress built along the French-German
border
–The best soldiers are stationed there,
concentrating on defense
• Belgium refuses to allow British and French troops
into the country to set up defenses
–Afraid to upset or provoke Hitler
• Hitler’s assault on France begins on May 10, 1940 when
he launches three separate attacks
– Invades the Netherlands and Belgium – two countries
that lay in between France and Germany
• After the ruthless bombing of Rotterdam, the
Netherlands surrenders on May 14 with their
queen escaping to Britain
• The Allies come too late to save Belgium, which
surrenders on May 28
–King Albert stays and is taken captive and is
deposed by his people at the end of the war
– At the same time Nazi forces blitzkrieg at the
Ardennes Woods, where the French least expect it
• It is a dense forest region along the border
between France and Belgium
• The French believe it impossible for an army to get
through
• The Germans get through in a couple of days and
face inexperienced French troops
– In five days the road to Paris is open
• Paris declares itself an open city to avoid being
bombed
• Captured on June 14th as Nazis make a victorious
march through the Arc de Triumph
– Italy invades France on June 10th and declares war on
Britain as well
• French lose 8 soldiers to Italy’s 5,000
• Evacuation at Dunkirk
– German tanks and troops have trapped hundreds of
thousands of Allied troops who retreated to the
coastal city of Dunkirk
• Almost the entire British army is in France
– Hitler halts the march into France because of losses,
this gives the Allies time to get away
– Between May 26th and June 4th, 800 boats from
Britain, ranging from warships to fishing boats,
evacuate 340,000 soldiers from France, including
over 100,000 French soldiers
• Soldiers run into the water and swim to ships
while Allied airplanes hold off the Luftwaffe
–235 ships sunk and 68,000 soldiers killed
• Leave all weapons and tanks behind
Fall of France
• France surrenders on June 21st
• Harsh terms, Hitler wants to humiliate France, sign a
peace treaty at the Versailles palace
– North France given to Germany and southeastern
France goes to Italy
– The rest of southern France gets to remain
independent, but must be loyal to Germany and
cooperate with Hitler
• Called Vichy France
– Army reduced to 100,000 men and no more navy
• French ships are to go to Germany
• The British steal whatever French boats they can
or sink them from falling into Nazi hands
– Must pay for war and German occupation – way
more money than Germany had to pay after WWI
• Some French leaders, including General Charles
de Gaulle, escape to Britain
– They will organize French resistance and work with
the Allied powers
• Britain is now all alone
– “The Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle
of Britain is about to begin.”
- Winston Churchill