1. CHAPTER 32 World War II 1939-1945

2. 32:1 Hitler’s Lightning War

4. Germany Sparks a New War in Europe Nonaggression pact: an agreement in which nations promise not to attack one another – Ten-year pact signed by Hitler & Stalin – Secret pact: Germany, U.S.S.R. agree to divide up Poland – Agree U.S.S.R. can take over Finland & Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, & Estonia

5. Germany’s Lightning Attack: – 9/1/39: Germany launches surprise attack on Poland at dawn – Ground forces cross Polish border; air assault on Warsaw – 9/3/39: France, Great Britain declare war on Germany – Poland falls before military response; Hitler annexes a mostly German western Poland

6. – Blitzkrieg: “lightning war”; a form of warfare in which surprise attacks with fast- moving airplanes are followed by massive attacks with infantry forces – Goal: enemies taken by surprise; quickly overwhelmed and defeated

7. The Soviets Make Their Move: – 9/17/39: U.S.S.R. invades eastern Poland – Stalin quickly takes Lithuania, Latvia, & Estonia; Finland puts up resistance – November 1939: Stalin invades Finland with nearly 1 million troops – Soviets unprepared for winter war

8. – Finns outnumbered and outgunned, but fiercely defend nation – Soviets suffer heavy losses; finally win because of sheer numbers – March 1940: Stalin forces Finland to accept terms of surrender

9. The Phony War: – France, Britain mobilize forces; station troops along Maginot Line (system of fortifications along French/German border) – German forces stationed along Siegfried Line, but do not attack; “sitzkrieg” – 4/9/40: Germany launches surprise invasion of Denmark & Norway – Germany begins building bases on Danish, Norwegian coasts for British invasion

10. The Fall of France May 1940: Hitler invades the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg – Hitler sends large force of tanks and troops into the Ardennes (heavily wooded area in northern France, Luxembourg, and Belgium) – Germans “squeeze between” Maginot Line – Germans invade France; capture northern coast in 10 days

11. Rescue at Dunkirk: – May 1940: Germans trap Allied forces around northern French city of Lille – Allies retreat to Dunkirk (French port city near Belgian border) – 850 British ships cross English Channel to Dunkirk – 5/26/40-6/4/40: fleet sails back and forth from Britain to Dunkirk under heavy German fire; rescue 338,000 troops

12. France Falls: – 6/14/40: German troops capture Paris – 6/22/40: French leaders surrender – Germany takes control of northern France – Southern France controlled by puppet government led by Marshal Philippe Petain at Vichy

13. – Charles de Gaulle: French general; sets up government-in-exile in London, urges French to resist Germans – De Gaulle organizes Free French military forces; battle Nazis until French liberation in 1944

15. The Battle of Britain Winston Churchill: British prime minister; declares that Great Britain will never surrender – Hitler plans invasion of Britain: (1) knock out Royal Air Force (RAF), (2) land more than 250,000 soldiers on England’s shores – Summer 1940: Luftwaffe (German air force) begins bombing Great Britain

16. – Germany initially bombs airfields and aircraft factories – 9/7/40: Luftwaffe begins bombing cities (especially London) to break British morale – Outnumbered RAF fights back with help of 2 technological devices: (1) radar: tracks number, speed, direction of incoming warplanes (2) Enigma: German code- breaking machine

17. – October 1940: Germany begins carrying out air raids at night – Sirens alert Londoners at sunset; citizens retreat to subways – Battle of Britain: series of battles between German and British air forces, fought over Britain in 1940-1941 – British resistance surprises Hitler; stops raids, focuses on Mediterranean and Eastern European campaigns

18. The Mediterranean & the Eastern Front Axis Forces Attack North Africa: – Mussolini, Italy invade France from south – September 1940: Italy attacks British- controlled Egypt – Egypt’s Suez Canal key to reaching oil fields of Middle East – Italian troops push 60 miles inside Egypt; British forced to retreat

19. Britain Strikes Back: – February 1941: British army sweeps across north Africa; take 130,000 Italian prisoners – Hitler sends Afrika Korps (German tank force) under command of General Erwin Rommel – March 1941: Rommel’s Afrika Korps attacks; British forces retreat to Tobruk, Libya – British begin to drive Rommel back

20. – January 1942: Rommel retreat to starting point – June 1942: Rommel regroups; pushes British back, seizes Tobruk – Rommel’s successes in North Africa earn him nickname “Desert Fox”

21. The War in the Balkans: – 1940: Hitler begins planning attack on U.S.S.R. – Balkan nations key to invasion plan – Hitler wants to build bases in southeastern Europe – Early 1941: Hitler persuades Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary to join Axis Powers

22. – Yugoslavia, Greece (pro-British) resist German influence – April 1941: Hitler invades both countries; both surrender in weeks – Nazis raise swastika flags on the Acropolis in Athens

23. Hitler Invades the Soviet Union: – Operation Barbarossa: invasion of U.S.S.R. – 6/22/41: Germany invades Soviet Union – Soviets have largest army in world, but troops are neither well equipped nor well trained – German army pushes 500 miles into Russian territory – Soviets retreat, burn and destroy everything in their path (scorched-earth strategy)

24. – 9/8/41: Germany attacks Leningrad – City cut off from rest of Russia; Hitler prepared to starve city’s 2.5 million citizens to force surrender – Germany bombs warehouses where food is stored – Starving citizens forced to eat cattle and horse feed, cats & dogs, crows and rats – 1 million die during winter of 1941-1942 – Leningrad refuses to fall

25. – 10/2/41: Nazis drive towards Moscow – December: Germans advance on Moscow; Soviet general Georgi Zhukov counterattacks – Germans retreat as winter ensues – Hitler sends order: “No retreat!”; German troops dig in 125 miles west of Moscow – Germans hold line until March 1943; Hitler gains no ground, lose 500,000 troops

26. The United States Aids Its Allies – Roosevelt believes U.S. would be forced into war if Allies are defeated – September 1939: FDR asks Congress to allow Allies to buy American arms – Lend-Lease Act (March 1941): president can lend or lease arms, other supplies to any nation vital to U.S. – 1941: U.S. Navy escorts British ships with U.S. arms

27. – Hitler orders submarines to sink cargo ships – Roosevelt, Churchill meet secretly; issue joint declaration called Atlantic Charter: upholds free trade among nations, right of people to choose own government – Charter serves as peace plan following WWII

28. – 9/1/41: German U-boat fires on U.S. destroyer in the Atlantic – FDR order Navy commanders to shoot German submarines on sight – U.S. in undeclared naval war with Germany