1. World War Two
Part 4
1941

2. The not so neutral U.S.
While not officially in the war the U.S. still took sides.
March 11, The Lend-Lease Act
Allowed the US to provide goods and services to nations whose defense was considered vital to U.S. defense…the UK
September 1941 The Flying Tigers
With U.S. Government approval 100 U.S. Airmen flew U.S. supplied planes for the Chinese against Japan

3. The War in Africa
January: The British invade Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland. By May Emperor Haile Selassie is back on the throne
March: Rommel arrives in Africa with the Panzer Afrika Korps and takes charge.
Rommel advances, takes Tobruk and enters Egypt
November/December: Reinforced by Australian troops the British push Rommel back

4. The Balkans March: An anti-German regime takes over Yugoslavia
Hitler blames the failed invasion of Greece on Italy.
April: The German invade and take Yugoslavia and Greece
Crete falls by the end of May

5. The Invasion of Russia
June: Germany breaks the non-aggression pact with the USSR, and Invades
Three Army groups attack simultaneously on a 2000 mile long front
The Northern Group is stalled trying to take Leningrad…which is besieged
The Central Group moves quickly by November it is threatening Moscow
The Southern group takes large parts of the Ukraine

6. Moscow is Spared
The German High Command is ready to take Moscow, Split the Soviet Army and crush it
Against his generals’ advice Hitler detached Panzer divisions from the Central to the other Army Groups
Moscow and the Soviet Army are Spared

7. Japan Attacks
Nearly simultaneously Japan attacks Pearl Harbor (Dec 7), Hong Kong, Malaya and the Philippines (Dec 8) in hopes of knocking the British and the U.S. out of East Asia
Dec 10 Japanese troops land on Luzon
MacArthur wisely retreats into Bataan rather than defending Manila, if he had not the whole army may have been lost.