Download World War II

World War II
Chapter 32
I. Hitler’s Lightening War
• Nonaggression Pact – Secret treaty
signed between Hitler and Stalin
• Agreed that they would divide Poland
• September 1, 1939 – Germany
invaded Poland starting World War
II
Signing of the
Nonaggression Pact
Nazi Rally
Two Sides
• Allied Powers – Great
Britain, France, United
States, and Soviet Union
• Axis Powers – Germany,
Italy, and Japan
A. Lightening War
• September 3, 1939 – To Hitler’s
surprise France and Britain declare
war
• Blitzkrieg – “Lightening War” Surprise attacks with fast-moving
airplanes followed by massive attacks
with infantry forces
B. Phony War
• September 17, 1939 – Stalin
invades Poland and helps the Germans
to a quick victory
• Sitzkrieg – Phony war in which the
Allies waited for Germany to attack
• 1940 – Phony war ends when Hitler
invades Norway
C. Fall of France
• Similar to WWI the Germans invaded
France through Belgium
• Maginot Line – Defensive barrier
along French and German border
• Germans were able to avoid invading
alone the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
• June 14, 1940 – The
fall of Paris
• June 22, 1940 –
French leaders
officially surrender to
Germany
• Charles de Gaulle –
French general who
set up a government in
exile in London
D. Battle of Britain
• When France
surrendered only
Great Britain stood
against the Nazis
• Winston Churchill
– British Prime
Minister who
vowed never to
surrender
• Battle of Britain – Series of battles
between German and British air
forces, fought over Britain in 19401941
• Luftwaffe – German air force
• Royal Air Force (RAF) – British air
force
The Blitz
• Operation Sea Lion – Hitler’s plan to
invade Great Britain
• Two Reasons it Failed:
– Radar – Electronic tracking system
developed by the British
– Enigma – Machine used by the British to
decode German messages
E. Axis Forces Invade Africa
• British resistance caused Hitler to change
his strategy
• Mussolini and Hitler invaded North Africa
• Erwin Rommel (Desert Fox) – Helped the
Axis forces defeat the British forces in
North Africa in 1942
Nazi Belt Buckle:
“God is with us”
F. Hitler Invades the
Soviet Union
• Operation Barbarossa – Hitler
invaded the U.S.S.R. on June 22, 1941
• Soviet Union was not prepared for
war
• Germany won many quick battles
• Russians began to once again use the
scorched-earth strategy
• Battle of Leningrad – Nearly 1
million people die from 1941-1942 but
the city refused to fall
• Instead of surrendering, the Russian
winter set in
• Hitler gains nothing from invasion