Germany’s Advances WWII
Blitzkrieg! Blitzkrieg, ( German: “lightning war”) military tactic calculated to create psychological shock and resultant disorganization in enemy forces through the employment of surprise, speed, and superiority in matériel or firepower.
Germany Conquers: Poland (1939) Denmark (1940) Norway (1940) Countries invaded by Germany during World War 2: Poland (1939) Denmark (1940) Norway (1940) Belgium (1940) The Netherlands (aka Holland) - 1940 Luxembourg (1940) France (1940) Greece (1941) Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia) - 1941. Soviet Union (Russia - part only, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) -1941 Egypt (- part only) 1942
Hitler’s Forces Move Forward 1940 Hitler bombs Belgium, Norway, France and Luxemburg Germany occupies France Battle of Britain -Germans bomb Britain -Britain held ground Blitzkrieg!
Soviet Invasion June 22, 1941 Operation Barbarossa 3 million German troops Largest invasion the world had seen Germany had 2 fronts: -Western and Eastern Took resources away from Western Front
United States Stays Neutral Congress Approves: -Lend Lease Act of 1941 -lend resources to Allies -$50 billion worth of goods Peacetime Draft -Call upon soldiers -War is inevitable Franklin D. Roosevelt -New Deal -War is good for economy
Fighting in Italy Allies invade Sicily (1943) Month long battle against Axis Powers Allies force Germans out Italians imprison Mussolini -Italians celebrate his death Italy joins the Allies
Leading up to D-Day Germany took over France The Allies had managed to slow Germany down Allies began gathering in Britain -Large amount of supplies Increased Air strikes in German territory -Over 1,000 bombers a day General Eisenhower is in charge
Deception Germany knew Allies were going to attack -Due to: increased airstrikes forces in Britain They didn’t know where Allies fooled Germans into thinking invasion would be North of Normandy
Weather D-Day invasion was planned for months -bad weather - low visibility -strong tides Slowed Allies -But Germany didn’t think they would attack
The Invasion- June 6th, 1944 1st wave: Paratroopers at night Bombing from Air on German posts Sabotage: -Communication -Railways The Largest Amphibious Invasion in History
Omaha Beach 1st wave of landing craft at 6:30 AM Soldiers faced furious fire instantly Beach: -Obstacles -Mines -Barbed Wire -German bunkers w/ guns
Stats 156,000 Allied soldiers involved 34,000 men landed on Omaha Beach -10,000 killed on 1st day U.S. loses 6,000 men on the beach “Bloody Omaha”
Aftermath 850,000 Allied troops by the end of the month. Pushed the Germans out of France The Beginning of the End for Germany
Check Up The Allies used ____________ to fool the Germans of the whereabouts of their attack. When did D-Day take place? Where did the invasion take place? D-Day is the largest ____________ invasion ever. The Americans landed on which beach at Normandy? Give an example of obstacles troops faced on the beach. Why was D-Day significant? How many troops stormed the beach? What was the American death toll?