Download the early years of the war in europe the western front 1939

THE EARLY YEARS OF THE
WAR IN EUROPE
THE WESTERN FRONT 1939 - 1940
• On September 1st 1939, the Nazis invaded Poland
• On September 3rd, Britain, France, Australia and New
Zealand declare war on Germany
Hitler attacked Poland using a new kind of warfare called ‘Blitzkrieg’ (Lightening
War). First dive bombers from the ‘Luftwaffe’ (German air force) softened up
the enemy. Then tank divisions followed.
THE WESTERN FRONT 1939 - 1940
• France and Britain had promised to support Poland, but
there was little they could do. In fact, both countries
began to prepare to defend themselves, thinking their
countries would be invaded
THE WESTERN FRONT 1939 - 1940
• April 1940 - Hitler’s next move was to invade Norway
and Denmark. Again he used Blitzkrieg tactics, and
again Britain and France were unable to provide
sufficient help
Capturing Norway meant:
- The Nazis had access to Swedish iron ore which was crucial for the war
effort
- The west coast of Norway provided useful air and naval bases for attacks
on Britain
THE WESTERN FRONT 1940 :
THE DEFEAT OF FRANCE
• May 10, 1940: Nazis invade France, Belguim,
Luxembourg and the Netherlands
• French forces, despite being backed up by a large
number of British soldiers, were forced into a desperate
retreat
• By mid 1940, Germany
occupied Paris, the capital
of France
THE WESTERN FRONT 1940
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN - JULY 1940
Hitler then orchestrated Operation Sealion: the conquest of
Britain using the north coast of France as a base. His
plan was to defeat the British Royal Air Force so he
could then take Britain. This time the Blitzkrieg failed.
THE WESTERN FRONT 1940
THE BLITZ
• Despite their failure, the Germans continued to bomb
British cities, towns and factories well into 1941.
• This became known as the Blitz
• Over 40000 civilians were killed and two million left
homeless as the Germans attempted to break Britain’s
morale
Can you imagine having to sleep in Parliament station
because Melbourne was constantly being bombed?
THE EASTERN FRONT – 1939 - 1941
THE RUSSIAN FRONT
Hitler eventually decided to invade the
Soviet Union and abandon the Blitz
He did this because:
- He saw the Soviet Union as a powerful potential ally to
the British
- He hated Communism and wanted to destroy it
- Russia provided valuable lebensraum (living space) for
the German people
- Eastern Russia had valuable supplies of wheat and oil
EASTERN FRONT – 1939 - 1941
OPERATION BARBAROSSA
A three pronged attack:
EASTERN FRONT – 1939 - 1941
• The Germans again applied their Blitzkrieg tactics with
great effect
• As the Russians retreated east they enacted a ‘scorched
earth’ policy: They destroyed anything they could not use
• This, combined with the onset of a terrible winter, left the
German troops short of supplies and their advance
ground to a halt.
EASTERN FRONT – 1939 - 1941
Scorched Earth Policy
The policy of devastating
all land and buildings in the
course of advancing or
retreating troops so as to
leave nothing salvageable
to the enemy.
EASTERN FRONT – 1939 - 1941
THE EARLY YEARS OF THE WAR IN EUROPE
The Blitzkrieg tactics of the Nazis were very effective in the
early years of the war. Turning their attention to Russia
was a fatal mistake that many historians argue cost
Hitler the war
THE EARLY YEARS OF THE WAR IN EUROPE
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In September 1941, Germany, Italy and Japan (lead by Hideki Tojo) signed
the Tripartite (Axis) Pact and became allied. This is where we derive the
expression ‘Axis of Evil’.
While Germany was carrying out its attempted conquest of Europe and
Russia, Italy attacked Greece, Egypt and captured British territory in Africa
Japan was continuing its attempted conquest of the Pacific region
AT THIS POINT IT HAD BECOME A WORLD WAR IN
THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORDS!
Europe on the Eve of WWII