1st September 1939 The Start of World War 2 The Invasion Of Poland 1st September 1939 The Start of World War 2

1st September 1939 One week after the Nazi-Soviet pact, Germany and Russia invade Poland together. Nazi troops dressed as Polish soldiers attacked a radio station in Poland and used it to broadcast anti-Nazi messages. This incident was organised by the Gestapo to give Germany a reason to invade Poland. Germany started the invasion on September 1st 1939.

Poland is under joint German/Russian rule by October 1939.

Why were the German army so successful? Luftwaffe: German Air force

3. Panzer (Armoured Nazi Tanks)

3. Blitzkrieg The German army used Blitzkrieg tactics to attack enemy troops. The Luftwaffe aircraft would drop bombs to wipe out enemy outposts. On the ground Nazi troops and Panzer tanks would advance after airstrikes to kill/capture any survivors. Blitzkrieg means “Lightning War”

Questions What was the Nazi- Soviet Pact? How did the German army succeed in capturing Poland after just 5 weeks?

The Phoney War Britain & France declared war on Germany when they invaded Poland in September 1939. But no fighting took place between the Allied & Axis forces until 8 months later. This is why it is called the Phoney (Fake) war. Why no fighting? The Allies used this time to built up their armed forces. They didn’t want to go back to war so soon after WW1 and they hoped that Hitler would stop his attacks.

Invasion of Denmark and Norway Spring 1940 Denmark defeated by Germans in 1 day. Norway was invaded to ensure neutral Sweden’s iron ore getting to Germany. Iron ore needed for weapons making.

Invasion of France Nazi troops invade through Belgium. British troops are evacuated to safety from Dunkirk in the North of France. Paris is bombed. After 45 days, France surrenders to Nazi Rule.

The Nazi’s install a puppet government in France This means the French government are being controlled by the Nazis.

The area in Red is not controlled by Germany. It is occupied by German soldiers to stop French resistance.

Operation Sea Lion This is the code name for D Day (Deliverance Day) The allies crossed the English channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy in France. From here they battled German troops, and eventually they made their way inland into France and later Germany.

The Battle of Britain The Blitz This was a time when Hitler ordered his Luftwaffe to drop bombs on major cities in Britain. The RAF were forced to battle the Lufftwaffe in the skies above the UK to try and stop the destruction of the country.

Operation Barbarossa (Nazi Invasion of Russia)

Nazi Soviet Pact 10 Year Non Aggression Pact was broken when Hitler invaded Russia

Operation Barbarossa Communism (Practiced by Stalin in Russia) was the enemy of Fascism. Russia was important to Hitler as it would provide him with Lebensraum. It was also important for resources (coal, oil etc.)

The Germans wanted 3 key cities: German Invasion The Germans wanted 3 key cities:

Early German Success Nazi’s used Blitzkrieg tactics to attack the Russians. The Luftwaffe attacked from the air, followed by German tanks and ground troops.

Scorched Earth Policy The Russians were forced to retreat as the Germans were too strong. The Russian’s burned their fields and destroyed power lines. This was to ensure that the Germans couldn’t eat Russian crops or communicate.

The Germans conquered land very fast for the first few months, but then winter came.

Weather Conditions Petrol froze in tanks German uniforms were unsuitable More soldiers died from frostbite than Russian bullets

1942 Battle of Stalingrad Bloodiest battle in history (2 million soldiers killed & 1.2 million wounded) Hitler needed to capture Stalingrad to get to the Russian oil fields. They defended it fiercely.

Operation Uranus The turning point of the battle came with a huge Soviet counteroffensive, code-named Operation Uranus. They attacked the Germans from behind in a surprise attack. The counteroffensive surprised the Germans, who thought the Soviets were unable to mount such an attack. They succeeded in stopping German supplies reaching the soldiers.

Nazi’s Defeated in Stalingrad They were experts at fighting in winter and forced the 200,000 German troops to disobey Hitler and surrender. These soldiers became prisoners of war in Russia and only 5,000 made it home to Germany when the war ended.

Page 401 Question 2 Complete the first 4 questions.