WWII in Europe

1939  Aug. 23: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact  Sept. 1: Germany Invades Poland  Sept. 3: England and France declare war  Sept. 17: Soviets Invade Poland  Sept. 29: Poland defeated  Divided by Germany and USSR  “Phony War”

1940  Germans conquer:  Denmark  Norway  The Netherlands  Belgium  Luxembourg  France: June 22  Churchill replaces Chamberlain  Germans begin air war against Britain

Consequences of French Defeat  British and French troops evacuated from Dunkirk (Over 300,000)  Germans create Vichy France (a puppet state)  Gen. Charles de Gaulle leader of Free French forces  Britain stands alone

Critical Thinking  Why was Germany so successful in conquering most of Europe?

1941  Germans occupy Balkans and Greece  Britain fights Germans in North Africa  Germany invades Russia  Operation Barbarossa  Britain and Soviets become allies  USA enters war

1942  North Africa campaign  Rommel v. Montgomery  El Alamein  US enters in November (Patton)  Operation Torch  Mass murder of Jews begins in camps  Soviets begin to repel Germans

Critical Thinking  Why did Churchill and Roosevelt decide to concentrate their efforts in North Africa?

1943  February: Germans surrender at Stalingrad  May: German and Italian troops surrender in North Africa  Allies invade Italy; Italy surrenders  New Italian government declares war on Germany  Mussolini leads fascist resistance

1944  June 6: Operation Overlord (D Day)  Allies invade Normandy (Eisenhower)  Quickly liberate France  Russians advance into Poland  Battle of the Bulge  Last major German offensive

1945  Feb: Yalta Conference  Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin discuss post-war world  Soviets begin attack on Berlin  April 12: Roosevelt dies; Truman is President  April 28: Mussolini captured and hanged  April 30: Hitler commits suicide  May 7: Germany surrenders (V-E Day)

Critical Thinking  Why do you think the Allies ultimately won the war in Europe?