1. Main events of World War 2

2. Blitzkrieg Sept 1939 Germans invaded Poland
“Lightning war” tactic: by air, then tanks and soldiers
Germany succeeded, Stalin and Hitler divided country between them

3. Phoney War (blitzkrieg)
French troops sent to western border of Germany to fight Germans
No fighting occured as they used winter months to build strengths
In April 1940 this ended.
Germans used blitzkrieg against Norway and Denmark and defeated them

4. Hitler then invades the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
He quickly defeats them

5. Operation Dynamo
French and British troops caught unawares at France’s western border with Germany
British retreat towards English channel.
They became trapped at Dunkirk
A rescue attempt called Operation Dynamo was called.
All British ships, yachts and small boats came to the rescue! From the English channel
Over 338,000 men rescued in 6 days

6. Operation Sealion (invasion of Britain)
13 August 1940
Germany’s plan to invade Britain
Germans planned to gain control of the skies
British determined to fight
The struggle between the two became known as the Battle of Britain
Fought by RAF (Royal Air Force) and LUFTWAFFE
British had advantage of RADAR

7. 7 Sept 1940 Germans started to bomb London cities
This gave RAF time to recover
Hitler forced to call off Operation Sealion

8. The Blitz Bombing of London and other British cities
Sept 1940 – May 1941
40,000 civilians killed
Nine out of ten houses in London destroyed

9. Operation Barbarossa(RUSSIA)
22 June 1941-Hitler invades Russia
“We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down”
3 million German soldiers and 10,000 tanks invaded
Red Army outnumbered them but was poorly run

10. Three army groups
1) Army Group North – Leningrad
2) Army Group Centre – Moscow
3) Army Group South – Russian oilfields near Black Sea
Stalingrad stood in the way