World War II Begins

Review Question How did the Treaty of Versailles combine with appeasement to bring us WWII? Why do you think European democracies responded with appeasement?

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact Despite hating the slavic race, Hitler (German Dictator) made a pact with Stalin (Dictator of the USSR) Secretly, the two agreed: Not to fight if the other went to war and To divide up Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe between them This was done in August 1939 War broke out in September of 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland. Why would Hitler make this pact?

Nazi Blitzkrieg World War II would not be defined by trench warfare Nazi forces used blitzkrieg (lightning war) to strike quickly Due to blitzkrieg warfare, the Nazis were able to defeat Poland in a Month. Blitzkrieg was characterized by: First, German planes bombed airfields, factories, towns & cities, troops, & civilians Then, fast moving tanks & troop transports brought an assault of fire with cover protection

Early War: NAZI Dominance The first winter of the war saw very little action: “Sitzkrieg” In April 1940, Hitler launched a blitzkrieg quickly overrunning Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, & Belgium.

Miracle at Dunkirk By May 1940, German forces were pouring into France Retreating British soldiers got trapped between the advancing Nazis and the English Channel The British sent all available naval vessels to rescue the soldiers at Dunkirk and return them to Britain. This miracle at Dunkirk raised British morale

Fall of France Meanwhile, German troops headed south towards Paris, while Italy invaded from the south, simultaneously. France surrendered on June 22, 1940 Some of the French set up a “puppet state”-Vichy France- under Charles de Gaulle.

Great Britain With the Fall of France, one opposing country remained against Germany in Western Europe Britain’s new Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, had long been a lone voice against the Nazi threat Churchill rallied the British to fight proclaiming: “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields an din the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” –June 4, 1940

Battle of Britain Beginning August of 1940, the German Luftwaffe began daily bombardments of the English southern coast. –Operation Sea Lion Starting September 7 and lasting 57 nights, German bombers sprayed bombs over Britain’s capital, London. Much of the city was destroyed an 15,000 people lost their lives. However, British morale was never destroyed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvxPid5xB3Y&feature=related

U.S. Position-Early War When the war began in 1939, the US declared its neutrality. Many Americans sympathized with their Allies from World War I In August 1941, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt convinced congress to pass the Lend Lease Act, which allowed him to sell or lend materials to “any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States. Roosevelt and Churchill met secretly and established the Atlantic Charter, setting goals for the war like: “the final destruction of Nazi tyranny”

FDR & Churchill

Pearl Harbor To curb Japanese aggression & imperialism, the US banned the sale to Japan of war materials such as iron, steel, & oil for airplanes General Hideki Tojo and others saw this as an inexcusable offense. He ordered a surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet. The attack occurred at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 destroying 19 ships and killing more than 2400 The next day, FDR asked congress to declare war on Japan Germany & Italy, then declared war on the U.S.

Looney Tunes: US Propaganda & Perception http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjLfyooJQEc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEcJF0EVT54 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99zmpod_zbE

Movie Clips http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/d-day-invasion#d-day-invasion Dday