1. World War II Begins
Chapter 13, Section 2

2. Path to War Hitler began to defy the Treaty of Versailles
began to build a new air force
began a military draft to expand the army
To avoid war, European leaders tried to negotiate with Hitler

3. The Austrian Anschluss
1937 – Hitler called for the unification (bringing together) of all German speaking people, including those in Austria and Czechoslovakia
1938 – Hitler threatened to invade German speaking Austria unless Austrian Nazis were given important government posts

4. The Austrian chancellor initially gave in to the demand, but then tried putting the matter to a democratic vote
Fearing the outcome, Hitler sent troops into Austria and announced the Anschluss or unification of Austria and Germany

5. The Munich Crisis
Hitler next announced German claims to Sudetenland, an area of Czechoslovakia with a large German speaking population
Czechs strongly resisted Germany’s claims
France, Britain, and Russia promised to help the Czechs if Germany invaded

6. Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany agreed to meet in Munich to decide Czechoslovakia’s fate
September 29, 1938 – Munich Conference – Britain and France agreed to Hitler’s demands
Czechoslovakia had to give up Sudetenland or fight Germany on their own

7. began a policy that became known as appeasement
concessions were made in exchange for peace

8. Hitler Demands Danzig
Hitler demanded that the Polish city of Danzig be returned to German control
Danzig was 90% German speaking
had been part of Poland since WWI
Hitler also requested a highway and railroad across the Polish Corridor to connect the German Empire to East Prussia, a German state

9. Hitler’s new demands convinced Britain and France that war was inevitable
Britain announced that if Poland went to war to defend its territory, Britain and France would come to its aid
Encouraged Poland to refuse Hitler’s demands

10. May 1939 – Hitler orders the German army to prepare to invade Poland
Hitler orders his foreign minister to begin negotiations with the USSR
Germany did not want to have to fight Britain, France, and the USSR

11. The Nazi-Soviet Pact August 23, 1939
Germany and the USSR signed a non-aggression pact
This shocked the world as Communism and Nazism were supposed to be totally opposed to each other
The treaty contained a secret deal to divide Poland between the Germany and the USSR

12. The War Begins September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland
Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany
World War II has begun

13. Poland’s outdated army still rode horses and carried lances
They were no match for Germany’s tanks and modern warfare techniques

14. By October 5, 1939 the Germans had defeated the Polish military
Germans used a new type of warfare called blitzkrieg or “lightning war”
used large numbers of massed tanks to break through and rapidly encircle enemy positions
waves of aircraft bombed enemy positions and dropped paratroopers to cut supply lines
By October 5, 1939 the Germans had defeated the Polish military

15. The Fall of France
After World War I, the French built a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications called the Maginot Line along the German border

17. The French waited behind the Maginot Line for the Germans to approach
This proved disastrous for several reasons
It allowed Germany to concentrate on Poland first before turning west to face the British and French
Hitler decided to go around the Maginot Line, which protected France’s border with Germany, but not France’s border with Belgium

19. Hitler invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg
The French and British miscalculated the German plan of attack and the armies became trapped in Belgium

20. The Miracle at Dunkirk
The Germans began driving the Allied forces toward the English Channel
They had to evacuate, but only one port, Dunkirk, had not been captured by the Germans

21. Through British “Operation Dynamo” an estimated 338,000 troops were rescued
Almost all of their military supplies were left behind
Three weeks later, on June 22, 1940, Hitler accepted the French surrender in the same railway car in which the Germans had surrendered at the end of WWI

22. Germany now occupied much of northern France and the Atlantic coastline
Hitler put a puppet government in place to govern the rest of the country
World War II Interactive Map

23. Britain Remains Defiant
Britain’s new prime minister – Winston Churchill
gained a reputation for not backing down

24. Germany expected Britain to surrender
Winston Churchill gave a defiant speech in Parliament vowing that Britain would never surrender

25. Hitler ordered an invasion of England
This began as a months long air battle which became known as the Battle of Britain
Luftwaffe – German air force
Royal Air Force – British air force
Shipping, military, and civilian targets were struck
Hitler hoped to terrorize the British into surrender, but overall it strengthened their resolve to fight back

26. The Royal Air Force was outnumbered
advantage – new technology – radar
could detect incoming planes

27. The British fighters inflicted more losses on the Germans than they suffered
October 12, 1940 – Hitler cancelled the invasion of Britain