Download WWII in a nutshell

Key Battles of World War II in a nutshell…
Name:
Fundamental Causes of WWII
1. Treaty of Versailles (Was too harsh and left resentment in Germany; Hitler promised to reject the
treaty)
2. Great Depression (Germany was severely affected by the depression; Hitler promised full employment
for the German people)
3. Rise of Hitler & Nazi Party
4. Failure of League of Nations (no real military force to stop aggression; used sanctions instead)
5. Extreme Nationalism
6. Fascism (Is a system of a government based on an unquestioning acceptance of a dictator’s rule)
7. Isolationism and Appeasement (Unwillingness of democratic governments to intervene in places like
Germany)
Invasion of Poland: September 1, 1939
Nazis used ‘blitzkrieg’ tactics (airplanes led, followed by tanks & motorized infantry attacks)
“Phony War” follows: not much happens from October 1939 – April 1940
Hitler’s forces take Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Holland…next France!
Evacuation at Dunkirk, 1940
after collapse of Belgium, B&F troops retreat, get trapped on beaches of Dunkirk
approx. 900 ships rescue 340,000 soldiers
significant because it will save best of British forces to fight later
few weeks after evacuation, France surrenders
Battle of Britain, 1940
Hitler uses air attacks to prepare for amphibious invasion (needs control of air to destroy British navy)
– also wants to destroy fighter planes, factories, British morale
British (although outnumbered) had superior fighter planes & use of radar
Had the German cipher machine (Enigma)
Germans accidentally bombed civilians in London, Churchill (B’s PM) bombs Berlin
Hitler orders daylight bombing raids on London (the “Blitz”) – Hitler screws up!
British win battle – significant b/c Hitler was denied conquest for 1st time
Allies have a springboard to launch invasion of Europe
Canadians at Dieppe, 1942
war was not going well for Allies (U.S.S.R. having a tough time)
something small planned in order to reassure the Soviet Union, serve as a rehearsal
Aug, 1942: approx. 5000 Cnds landed at Dieppe on coast of France
objective: take beach & town back from Germans
arrived and mowed down by German fire: 900 dead, 1000 wounded, 1900 taken prisoner – more Canadian
troops died in those few hours than on any other day of WWII
problems: met an enemy convoy on the way, last minute plans to scrap aerial bombardment of fortifications
learned that heavy sea & air support needed
some historians suggest that lessons learned at Dieppe saved lives on beaches of Normandy later
Eastern Front: 1939-1941 – Operation Barbarossa
events on W. front don’t measure up in intensity & size of what happened in east!
Hitler wanted more lebensraum, so invades Soviet Union in June, 1941
Operation Barbarossa: 3 million G. troops smash into Soviet Union
harsh winter took its toll – turning point at Stalingrad
Hitler wants Caucasus oil fields beyond city
-
Soviets had smashing victory by late January, 1943; HUGE turning point battle in WWII
Battle of the Atlantic 1940-1944
longest campaign of WWII; fought for control of shipping lanes b/t North America & Britain
German subs operated in groups called “wolfpacks”, also used U-boats
supply ships began sailing in convoys (merchant ships surrounded by destroyers for protection)
Royal Canadian Navy provided protection with small warships: corvettes
convoy system worked, use of sonar helped too
Canada expanded its navy (started at 13 ships, 3000 sailors…ended at 370 ships, almost 100,000 personnel
– over 2000 members lost their lives)
this was arguably Canada’s most decisive contribution to war effort
War in the Pacific: Pearl Harbour
Dec 7, 1941 J attack Pearl Harbour (intended to give J control of Pacific for future attacks)
U.S. had maintained a policy of isolation up to this point…Roosevelt gave famous “Day of Infamy” speech &
declared war on Japan
War in the Pacific: Canadians at Hong Kong December 25th, 1941 (Christmas Day)
Cnds sent to fight the Japanese in British colony of HK
impossible task: supplies & ammo ran out, forced to surrender after 17 days of fighting
500 wounded, 290 killed, those captured put into POW camps (267 died there)
Italian Campaign: Landing on Sicily, July 1943
designed to take pressure off Soviet Allies, divert Germans from N-W Europe where attack on Normandy
was planned
Allies land on Sicily, capture it in a month
Canadian forces pushed forward into Italy – Germans stopped them at Ortona
Germans driven back by French-Canadian unit (Vandoos), Cnd troops succeeded in breaking through last line
of German defenses before Rome; continued to free Northern Italy in 1944
Operation Overlord/D-Day/Normandy Landing: June 6, 1944
Allied invasion of German-held Europe: most complex military op ever attempted
14,000 Canadian soldiers, 100 ships, 36 bomber squadrons
Canadians assigned to beachfront code-named Juno (1 of 5 targets)
after 1 month = 1 million soldiers and 200,000 military vehicles
finally gained foothold in Europe – can now push back Germans
Liberation of Holland: May, 1945
after D-Day, Cnds distinguished themselves in a year of long, hard fighting with other Allies
Cnds drove Nazis out of Holland, they surrendered
April 1945: U.S. and Soviet forces met in Germany: Soviets destroy city of Berlin
April 30, 1945: Hitler commits suicide
May 8, 1945: Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) announced when last G troops surrender!
End of War in the Pacific
Manhattan Project (atomic bomb) – top secret U.S. project
2 bombs ready for use in summer of 1945: “Fat Man” and “Little Boy”
U.S. President Truman decided to drop them on Japan
Hiroshima: August 6, 1945 – dropped on 340,000 people, explosion created temps of 540,000 degrees
Fahrenheit
official death count = 78,000, additional 60,000 died of atomic bomb-related injuries/disease
J didn’t surrender immediately, so dropped another on Nagasaki: August 9, 1945