Chapter 17: Section 2 Europe Goes to War

Setting the Scene Churchill – believed that sacrificing part of Czechoslovakia to preserve peace was a fatal mistake thought that the peace agreement would give Britain only a few more months of peace “Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor. They will have war.” http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Winston_Churchill.jpg/496px-Winston_Churchill.jpg

April 1939 – Italy invades and occupies Albania March 1939 – Hitler occupies the western half of Czechoslovakia (despite his assurances that all he had wanted was the Sudetenland) and divides the rest of the country among his allies April 1939 – Italy invades and occupies Albania http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/sudeten_saga.html

Invasion of Poland Britain and France end their policy of appeasement and warn Hitler that any further expansion risks war formally pledge to support Poland, agreeing to help if Germany invaded http://www.sos.state.or.us/archives/exhibits/ww2/images/before/troops.jpg

Hitler’s Pact with Stalin August 1939 Hitler and Stalin sign a ten-year Nonaggression Pact – eliminating Hitler’s fears of a two front war secret document divided up the independent states of eastern Europe between Germany and the Soviet Union September 1, 1939 – Hitler invades Poland September 3, 1939 – Britain and France declare war on Germany Hitler’s Pact with Stalin http://www.johannorberg.net/?page=displayblog&month=05&year=2005

each German division had more machine guns, artillery, and other weapons had tanks organized into separate (panzer) divisions blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) – fast, concentrated air and land attack that took the enemy’s army by surprise stuka – dive-bombing warplane Lightning War http://www.birminghamstories.co.uk/story_page.php?id=1&type=s&page=1&now=4

imposed German laws and imprisoned and murdered Jewish citizens using the blitzkrieg Germany was able to overrun Poland in less than a month imposed German laws and imprisoned and murdered Jewish citizens this treatment of Jews is known as the Holocaust mid-September, Stalin seizes eastern Poland http://www.rymaszewski.iinet.net.au/12ancest.html

War in the West after Poland fell, Britain and France held back American’s called it the “phony war” Germans called the lull in fighting a sitzkrieg or “sit-down-war” http://www.britannica.com/eb/art/print?id=74945&articleTypeId=0

Maginot Line massive string of fortifications along France’s border with Germany Advantages provided housing for troops, recreational areas, air conditioning, rail lines, thick concrete walls, heavy artillery Disadvantages protected only the French border that faced Germany; not the border with Belgium all heavy guns pointed east toward Germany and would be useless if attacked from another angle http://www.maginot-line.com/

http://www.grostenquin.org/other/gtother-51.html

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Maginot_Line_ln-en.jpg

Germany Attacks April 9, 1940 – Hitler attacks Denmark and Norway May 10, 1940 – launched a new blitzkrieg Netherlands ~ taken in 5 days Belgium ~ taken in less than 3 days Luxembourg ~ taken in 1 day http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/shortterm/netherlands.shtml

mid-May – Germany invades northern France, going around the Maginot Line and to the English channel cut off northern France from southern; dividing the French troops http://www.germanwarmachine.com/photogallery/2/index.htm

Evacuation of Dunkirk French and British forces retreat to the coastal city of Dunkirk a nine-day rescue takes place; one of the greatest in history using tugboats, yachts, and other small craft about 900 vessels carrying 340,000 soldiers crossed the English Channel to Great Britain http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/history_articles/we_shall_never_surrender.htm

The Fall of France June 10, 1940 – French government abandons Paris Italy declares war on Britain and France June 22, 1940 – France officially surrenders http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/szyk/wartime/93824.htm

French government settled in the southern unoccupied part of the France, beginning with the vacation resort of Vichy adopted a policy of collaboration – close cooperation, with Germany Vichy France http://encarta.msn.com/media_461527139_761568934_-1_1/Vichy_France.html

Free France government-in-exile in London – continued the struggle against Germany Resistance movement – underground group made up of French citizens who distributed anti-German leaflets or sabotaged German operations http://www.answers.com/topic/resistance-during-world-war-ii http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Member_of_the_FFI.jpg

The Battle of Britain Hitler’s next invasion target was Britain, 20 miles away, across the English Channel “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” ~ Winston Churchill http://metaldetectingworld.com/world_war_2_p1.shtml

http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/Prelude13.html

Relentless Attack Britain’s large navy prevented Hitler from getting through to neutralize the navy, Germany had to control the air Luftwaffe – German air force Battle of Britain – intense air attack, using thousands of planes and bombs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Roundel_of_the_German_Air_Force_border.svg http://www.airpages.ru/img/ju88trop.jpg http://metaldetectingworld.com/world_war_2_p1.shtml

1923 Hague Draft Rules of Air Warfare – prohibited attacks on civilians at first the Germans attacked only military installations, but when two bombers strayed off course and dropped bombs on London a new type of warfare developed http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/EM/1940s.html

The Blitz early September 1940 Hitler orders massive bombing raids on London and other cities to try to break Britain’s will to resist firebombs carried a mix of chemicals that burned hot enough to set buildings on fire this type of bombing (the Blitz) would continue off and on until May 1941 http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/the-morning-after-a-raid http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/archive/2000/Milkman.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/archive/blitz!2000.htm&h=390&w=288&sz=45&hl=en&start=71&um=1&tbnid=2fZ9xHPVo0V1oM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522the%2BBlitz%2522%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN

http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.children_teenagers/ww2_fighting_blitz.htm

authorities tried to prevent it, but could not stop the rush of people during the Blitz some Londoners sought nighttime shelter in the stations of London’s Underground subway system authorities tried to prevent it, but could not stop the rush of people eventually London Transport allowed the nighttime campers http://www.digitaldesk.org/resources/WW2/blitscy1.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_London_Underground http://www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk/matrix_engine/content.php?page_id=393

Elephant and Castle Tube Station during the Blitz http://www.caringonthehomefront.org.uk/factsheets/airRaidShelters.htm Elephant and Castle Tube Station during the Blitz

Courageous Defense Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) courageously defended Britain, flew against German bombers, avoiding fighter planes “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so few.” ~ Churchill http://forums.canadiancontent.net/history/49311-battle-britain-won-royal-navy.html

by the end of the Blitz, more than 20,000 Londoners had been killed, and 70,000 injured February 1940 – scientists in Britain cracked the German top-secret communications code learned that Hitler would not invade Britain until the Luftwaffe established air superiority – which it never did http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.children_teenagers/ww2_fighting_blitz.htm http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/EM/1940s.html