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Battles of World War II
Ambitious
Advances
and
Bloody
Battles
What led to WWII?
Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
 Global Depression led to totalitarian
governments
 League of Nations was weak
 Appeasement was used to avoid war
 Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles
by building his military, occupying the
Rhineland, & attacking Austria,
Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, and
Poland (September 1, 1939)

Starting WWII
 Hitler
wanted lebensraum
(living space) for Germans
 March 1936, moved troops
into Rhineland
 March 1938, invaded
Austria & made it part of Germany
 Other countries & League of Nations
used appeasement—agreeing to
demands to avoid war)
SUDETENLAND
Salivating over the Sudetenland
 Germans
were living in part of
Czechoslovakia, so Hitler demanded
the Sudetenland
 Sept 1938 Munich Agreement —
compromise reached: Germany took
Sudetenland, but no more
Salivating over the Sudetenland
 British
Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain said Europe had
avoided war (was he
right?)
 March 1939, Hitler
broke the Munich
Agreement & took all
Czechoslovakia
Enemies Become Allies??
 Stalin
& Hitler do not like each other
 Stalin warned Britain and France,
but the they did not
trust Stalin, SO…
 August 1939Nazi-Soviet Pact:
USSR and Germany
will divide Poland and
not attack each other
World War 2 Begins
 Knowing
the USSR will stay out of
its way, Germany invaded Poland
on September 1, 1939
 Sept
3, 1939—England & France
declared war on Germany
World War 2 Begins
“lightening war”
fast, strong attacks using tanks,
infantry, & warplanes
 Britain and France were slow to arm
& had old weapons;
Hitler had new weapons
 Chamberlain resigned and Winston
Churchill became Prime Minister
 Blitzkrieg:
Winston Churchill
Fall of France
 June
1940—
Germans crossed
the Maginot Line
and invaded
France
Fall of France
 France
split into 3 sections:
1.Nazis occupied northern France
2.Hitler created Vichy
government in South
France (French leaders
who work with Nazis)
3.Free France—rebels
led by Charles de
Gaulle & fought the
Nazis from England
Battle of Britain
 Britain
was the only Allied country left;
Hitler felt would surrender
 German air force
bombed Britain
for 8 straight
months:
 Britain refused to
surrender
This
poster is
from the
Battle of
Britain!!
Hitler Turns on Stalin
 Hitler
felt theUSSR would provide
enough living space for Germans; led
surprise attack in June
1941 & pushed close to
Moscow; but…
 Stalin used scorchedearth policy to stop
Germans
-burn everything!
Meanwhile...
 Dec
1941-Japan attacked
Indochina (Viet Nam)
 The USA responded by banning
sale of all scrap iron to Japan
Pearl Harbor
 Japan
wasmad at US for interfering
with expansion
 Dec 7, 1941—Japan
bombed Pearl Harbor
(Hawaii); US declared
war on Japan
1942-Tide Turns
 Battle
of the Atlantic—Allied forces
defeat Axis submarines & battleships
 Battle of Stalingrad—German army
forced to surrender to Russians
Invading Italy
 July
1943—Allies attacked Italy
 Italian king Victor Emmanuel III
had Mussolini
jailed;
 Italy surrendered
D- Day
 D-Day—June 6, 1944—Allies
invaded Nazi-held France at
Normandy; marched towards
Germany
V-E Day
 Soviets attacked Germany from
east; got to Berlin by April 1945
 May 7, 1945- V-E Day
(Victory in
Europe)
 Germany
surrendered