1. Blitzkrieg – Lightening War
How the Nazis took over Europe!
Write down anything that’s underlined
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2. Blitzkrieg – Lightening War
In less than 1 month, Hitler crushed Poland
After 20 days of fighting the Polish army had collapsed under unending attack by German tanks and bombers
Hitler taught the world a new word Blitzkrieg, meaning Lightening War
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3. Blitzkrieg – Lightening War
Blitzkrieg was an incredible military tactic that caught the enemy off guard and was extremely successful for Germany
For the Germans, Blitzkrieg depended on control of the ground and in the air
The Panzer Tanks along with Stuka dive bombers provided the force necessary for successful Blitzkrieg
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4. Blitzkrieg - Tanks
The German Tanks, called Panzers were fast and used together, could punch into the enemy
Almost nothing could stop the German tanks when they invaded as a group
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5. Mark IV (WWI) Vs. Panzer (WWII)
German Panzer
British Mark IV
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6. Blitzkrieg - Bombers
The German air force, called the Luftwaffe, was critical to the success of Blitzkrieg
Dive Bombers, called Stukas could do terrible damage to the enemy in no time
The sound terrified anyone being attacked
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7. German Stukas – Dive Bombers
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8. Phony War - Sitzkrieg
After the quick defeat of Poland there was a break in the fighting – some called it the “phony war” (sitzkrieg) but most knew what it was
The Germans were getting ready for another attack while the Allies scrambled to mobilize their forces
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9. Hitler Attacks
In the Spring of 1940, Germany attacked Denmark – it was defeated in one day
Norway was next and it too fell – in two days
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10. The Netherlands was smashed in 5 days Belgium fought for 18 days
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11. Mighty France which fought Germany for 4 years during WWI was defeated in 6 weeks
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12. Hitler was now master of Europe
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13. Hitler: The Master of Europe
Hitler’s use of Blitzkrieg, or Lightening War allowed the Germany army to quickly overrun the nations of Europe – only Britain and Russia were left, and Russia was being invaded by the Nazis
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14. Hitler: the Master of Europe
But Hitler made the fatal mistake of spreading himself too thin – and this would be his downfall
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