Hitler’s Lightning War Chapter 16: Section 1

Setting the Stage Hitler played on the hopes & fears of the West Grabbed land and then made new demands List numerous violations Finally demanded Polish Corridor Brit & Fr said NO

Nonaggression Pact 1939 What did Germany gain? What did the Soviets gain?

Blitzkrieg Germany military strategy Means “lightning war” Involves air power and tanks followed by massive infantry forces to take enemy defenders by surprise & quickly overwhelm them

The Phony War or Sitzkrieg Brit & Fr mobilized troops along Maginot Line Stared eastward toward the Siegfried Line Jokingly referred to as the Sitzkrieg or Bore War or Phony War Suddenly calm ended on Apr 9, 1940 with invasion of Denmark & Norway Began bldg bases ag Brit

Rescue at Dunkirk Britain sent fleet of 850 ships Civilian craft – yachts, lifeboats, motorboats, paddle steamers, fishing boats, etc. 338,000 weary soldiers were rescued.

France Falls Following Dunkirk resistance began to crumble French surrender Jun 22, 1940 Germans took control of Northern Fr Southern part of France became puppet gov headed by Marshal Philippe Petain. Headquarters was at Vichy Became known as the Vichy gov

Battle of Britain Winston Churchill Hitler plans invasion of Britain 1st plan was to destroy RAF & to land 250,000 soldiers in England By summer ‘40 Luftwaffe began bombing Britain (first airfields then cities) 2 technological devices help turn the tide Radar Enigma Showed that the Germans could be stopped

Mussolini Attacks Egypt Wanted to capture Suez Canal Pushed into Egypt Brits pushed back & captured 130,000 Hitler had to step in to save Mussolini Hitler sent the Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel known as the Desert Fox Brits & Germans went back and forth until Operation Torch which resulted in Afrika Korps trapped

War in the Balkans Hitler wanted to build bases in SE Europe for his invasion of the USSR By early 1941 through threat of force he persuaded Bulgaria, Romania & Hungary to join the Axis Powers Yugoslavia & Greece refused & were invaded by the Nazis

Operation Barbarosa USSR was unprepared for the attack Officer corps was purged during Great Purges Pushed 500 miles into Russia Soviets practiced scorched earth policy which they also used against Napoleon Leningrad Moscow

US Policy Neutrality Acts Cash and carry Lend Lease Undeclared naval war with Germany