 Hitler was ready to take over Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia & Austria)  Hitler intimidated the Austrians -plebiscite held – Hitler took over  Hitler wanted Czechoslovakia - Security was guaranteed from France and The Soviets – (Hitler not scared of France)

 France won’t help  The British won’t help  Czechoslovakia feels betrayed…Meeting is held and Czech is informed by France and Britain to give up the Sudetenland or fight Germany alone 

 The settlement gave Germany the Sudetenland and de facto control over the rest of Czechoslovakia as long as Hitler promised to make no further territorial claims in Europe. however… …In March 1939, Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia, effectively killing any notions of appeasement.

 On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, causing France and the United Kingdom to declare war. The United Kingdom brought with it the huge British Empire, and most members of the British Commonwealth joined the war soon after.  After Poland fell, Germany paused to regroup during the winter of 1939–1940 until April 1940, while the British and French stayed on the defensive. The period was referred to by journalists as “the Phoney War” because so little ground combat took placePhoney War

France had fallen in 1940, the United Kingdom was out of money. USA comes up with loan to help them out. In December 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into the war. The Battle of the Atlantic….

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign of World War II, running from 1939 right through to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, and was at its height from mid-1940 through to about the end of 1943.

World War II lasted for a total of 2,075 days. The Battle of the Atlantic lasted for 2,073 of these. It started with the sinking of the passenger liner Athenia on the day Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Battle of the Atlantic German U-Boats patrolled the Atlantic against the British blockade of Europe and in an effort to stop supplies from America from ever reaching Britain. U-boats operated in groups of 10 called "wolf packs." The German navy, carried out submarine warfare to cut off Britain's imports and military supplies. The Allies developed a convoy system where merchant ships were guarded by destroyer escorts. The British developed a system for detecting U-boats that resembled radar. this development gave the Allies the edge in the Battle for the Atlantic.

The campaign pitted the German Navy’s surface raiders and U-boats against Allied convoys from North America and the South Atlantic to the United Kingdom and Russia, protected mainly by the British and Canadian navies and air forces, later aided by United States ships and aircraft.

The British and their allies gradually gained the upper hand, driving the German surface raiders from the ocean by the middle of 1941 and decisively defeating the U-boats in a series of convoy battles between March and May 1943

During the battle : More than 2,000 merchant ships were lost to a submarine attack in the North Atlantic and more than 30,000 merchant seamen died as a result. About 330 convoys in the Atlantic were attacked by U-boats. 565 escorts and 234 stragglers were sunk. 1,100 proceeding independently were also sunk. 96,977 crossings were completed successfully. During the battle: More than 2,000 merchant ships were lost to a submarine attack in the North Atlantic and more than 30,000 merchant seamen died as a result. About 330 convoys in the Atlantic were attacked by U-boats. 565 escorts and 234 stragglers were sunk. 1,100 proceeding independently were also sunk. 96,977 crossings were completed successfully.  Pictured here ex-veteran Reginald Draper from Chester, reading the comments on the wreaths laid by the lord Mayor and the ships commanders. Reginald a former Lieutenant Commander, served in the Royal Navy