I. Beginning of the War in Europe A. Effects of the Nonaggression Pact B. The Phony War C. France D. Italian Aggression E. Battle of Britain F. Invasion of the Soviet Union

 Vichy France  Battle of Britain  Operation Barbarossa

 The Germans invaded Poland on September 1,  On September 3 Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.

 The German blitzkrieg reached Warsaw in a week.  The German military took 45,000 casualties in the “easy” victory over Poland.

 On September 17 the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland.  In October 1939 the USSR attacked Finland when it refused Soviet demands for territorial concessions.  The Fins surrendered in March  Finland had to yield more territory than original demanded but maintained its independence.

 April 1940 the British and Germans simultaneously tried to seize Norway, but the Germans got their first, occupying Denmark on the way.  The Scandinavian campaign cost the Germany navy most of its surface vessels.  In July 1940 the German navy only had 3 cruisers and 4 destroyers available for action. All the other ships had been sunk or damaged.

 The German offensive against France through the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg began on May 10,  France surrendered in June.  The country was divided into two zones: the northern one and the Atlantic coast was placed under German occupation and the southern one was established as a satellite state under the French WWI war hero Henri Petain with its capital in Vichy.

 Mussolini attacked France on June 10.  Italy invaded Greece and attacked the British in Africa.

 On May 10, 1940 Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of Britain.  In August the Luftwaffe began its attempt to destroy the RAF.  Because British aircraft and training were slightly superior to Germany’s, because the British had broken the German communication code, and because of the use of radar, the RAF destroyed 2 German aircraft for every 1 it lost.

 The Luftwaffe’s losses were so high that in September it changed tactics.  It carried out nighttime attacks on cities in order to break civilian morale.  Germany lost the Battle of Britain and its chance to invade England.

 The German invasion of the Soviet Union was planned for mid-May 1941 but it was postponed until June 22 because of Greece.  April—Hitler sent troops to Greece and took over Yugoslavia on the way.  The severe Russian winter arrived before Germany could completely take over the USSR.  German strategy was to launch a blitzkrieg that would bring the invasion force to the Volga River before winter.

 East of the Volga was to be left to the Russians.  Hitler than intended to take over the Middle East and North Africa.  The goal was a war of extermination with the goal of eliminating the “inferior races” of Eastern Europe for future German settlement.  3 million German troops along with more than 50,000 soldiers of countries allied with Germany (and over 600,000 horses) invaded the Soviet Union.

 By December the Germans reached the suburbs of Moscow.  By mid-January 1942 the Germans had been pushed a 100 miles to the west of Moscow.  Hitler assumed personal command of the Eastern Front.  3 million Soviets were sent to Germany to work as slave labor.