World War II

Map of German Conquest up to 1938

Germany sparks a new war Sept. 1, 1939- Germany invaded Poland beginning World War France and Great Britain declared war on Germany Sept. 3

Blitzkrieg (lightning warfare)- new German strategy Used fast moving airplanes and tanks Followed by massive infantry Caught enemy by surprise

Russia and Germany Stalin occupied the Eastern half of Poland and annexed Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia Hitler and Stalin had already signed a 10 year Nonaggression Pact

British and French mobilized and occupied the Maginot Line a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along its border with Germany

Battle of Dunkirk Germany had pushed the Allies back through France to the northern coast May 1940- Germany had trapped French and British soldiers GB sent navy and all available ships (850) to rescue 338,000 soldiers

France Fell in June 1940 to Germany (with Italy’s help) Vichy France- puppet government set up French General Charles de Gaulle fled to London and encouraged a liberation movement

Battle of Britain Winston Churchill- prime minister of Great Britain Summer of 1940, Luftwaffe began bombing Britain and lasted until May 1941 Royal Air Force (RAF) used radar and enigma machine to defeat the Germans Important battle because it showed Hitler could be stopped Battle of Britain

Eastern Front British were beating Italy in North Africa Germany sent Erwin Rommel “the desert fox” and the Africa Korps to assist Italy

The Balkans Germany needed to take the Balkans so that they could have bases from which to invade the Soviet Union Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary all joined Axis Powers to avoid being crushed Greece and Yugoslavia resisted

Operation Barbarossa German invasion of Russia, June 1941 Surprise attack caught Russian Army off guard Army poorly trained and equipped Russians used scorched earth policy again Germans surrounded Leningrad, attempted to take Moscow, but winter hit

Allied victory in Europe

British defeated German forces under Rommel at the Battle of El Alamein Operation Torch- led by Dwight D. Eisenhower- squashed the German Afrika Korps

In Russia, the German Army moved into the bomb-ruined city of Stalingrad for the winter Soviets surrounded the city and starved the Germans into surrendering on Feb 1943

Tehran Conference

Tehran Conference Churchill (England) and Roosevelt (US) met to decide to help Stalin (USSR) open a new front in Europe (Operation Overlord) which would coincide with a Russian invasion from the East First time all three had met each other

In 1943, the Allies began building an invasion force in England June 6, 1944- D-Day- Operation Overlord involved thousands of planes, ships, tanks, landing craft, and 3.5 million troops landing on the coast of France at Normandy.

By September, the Allied forces liberated France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and much of the Netherlands The Allied forces moved in on Germany from the West, while the Soviets moved in from the East

Dec 16, 1944- Battle of the Bulge- German forces broke through weak American defenses and pushed the Allied line in Ardennes, France, but the Allies pushed back.

Yalta Conference February 1945 Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin purpose was to discuss Europe's post-war reorganization

Allies captured Rome in 1944, Mussolini was caught trying to retreat with the Germans in April 1945. He was shot and his body hung in the Milan town square

April 30, 1945- Hitler, after marrying long-time companion Eva Braun, and writing a final speech blaming the entire war on the Jews, committed suicide.

May 8, 1945- VE Day (Victory in Europe) General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Germans