2. The Sides  Allies Britain ○ Includes commonwealths France United States (1941) Russia Yugoslavia Czechoslovakia Greece Netherlands Belgium  Axis Germany Italy Japan Hungary Romania Bulgaria Thailand

3. 1939  March 15/16 – Nazis take Czechoslovakia  March 28 – Spanish Civil War ends  August 23 – Nazis and Russians sign agreement to divide Poland  August 25 – British and Poland sign mutual defense treaty  September 1 – Nazis invade Poland  September 3 – Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand declare war on Germany  September 17 – Russia invades Poland  September 27 – Poland surrenders  September 29 – Nazis and Russians divide Poland

4. Highlights: Nazis Appreciation  Hitler loved art and raided art from every area the Nazis took over  Such items that Nazis looted include: Works by Monet, Picasso, and van Gogh  It’s estimated the Nazis plundered over 20% of all the art in Europe  A database today lists over 20,000 pieces of Nazi-stolen art that haven’t been returned  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKR3deMx mGo&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mod e=1&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKR3deMx mGo&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mod e=1&safe=active

5. 1940  April 9 – Nazis invade Denmark and Norway  May 10 – Nazis invade France  May 10 – Churchill becomes PM of England  June 3 – Nazis bomb Paris  June 22 – France surrenders, armistice signed  July 10 – Battle of Britain begins  July 23 – Soviets invade Baltic States  August 3-19 – Italy invades Africa  August 13 – Germans begin bombing England  September 13 – Italy invades Africa  September 27 – Tripartite Pact (Axis) signed (mutual defense agreement)  October 15 – Chaplin releases “The Great Dictator”  November 5 – FDR reelected for third term

6. Hitler Gets France  France and Germany were rivals in Europe  Hitler values the French as a culture  After surrendering, France becomes a puppet state known as Vichy France and works with the Axis powers  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=003iC 7VZmYc&safety_mode=true&persist_sa fety_mode=1&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=003iC 7VZmYc&safety_mode=true&persist_sa fety_mode=1&safe=active

7. American Reaction  Americans wanted to remain neutral but could not ignore Hitler  Because of the anti-Semitic views, many celebrities began to speak out  Charlie Chaplin, America’s most famous actor, released a film to mock Hitler  “The Great Dictator” was Chaplin’s first true talking film and his speech at the end remains one of the iconic moments of cinema  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX25PDBb7 08&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX25PDBb7 08&safe=active

8. 1941  February 14 – Afrika Korps arrive in Africa  March 11 – FDR signs Lend-Lease Act  June 14 – U.S. freezes Nazi and Italian assets  June 22 – Nazis invade Russia  July 3 – Stalin begins scorched earth policy  August 1 – U.S. begins oil embargo on Japan  December 7 – Attack on Pearl Harbor  December 8 – U.S. enters World War II

9. Attack on Pearl Harbor  Hitler turned his attention to Russia and the war entered its bloodiest phase  The U.S. tried to remain neutral but embargoed oil and scrap metal against Japan  Japan interpreted that as an aggressive action and responded with an attack of their own  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBzF1 5UQJ1Y&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBzF1 5UQJ1Y&safe=active

10. 1942  January 20 – “Final Solution” of Jews begins  January 26 – U.S. forces arrive in Europe  April – Japanese internment camps in western U.S.  June – Gassing begins in Auschwitz  August 12 – Stalin and Churchill meet, agree on division of Europe  August 17 – U.S. forces begin air attacks  September 13 – Battle of Stalingrad begins  November 18 – Operation Torch (reclaim Africa) begins

11. Internment Camps  Americans thought that Japanese living in the Western U.S. could be spies for Japan  Japanese-Americans were sent immediately to internment camps until the end of war  The U.S. caught heavy criticism for the comparison to concentration camps  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiOSUN 4EgVQ&safety_mode=true&persist_safety _mode=1&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiOSUN 4EgVQ&safety_mode=true&persist_safety _mode=1&safe=active

12. 1943  January 27 – First U.S. bombings of Germany  February 2 – Nazis surrender at Stalingrad – over 1.3 million dead  July 9 – Allies attack Italy  July 25 – Mussolini arrested  September 8 – Italians surrender  October 13 – Italy declares war on Germany  December 24 – Russia begins westward attack

13. 1944  January 27 – Siege of Leningrad lifted, Nazis retreat  June 6 – D- Day/Operation Overlord  June 13 – Nazis use V1 Rocket for first time  July 24 – Russians liberate first concentration camp  August 4 – Anne Frank and family arrested  August 25 – Paris liberated from Nazis  September 17 – Operation Market Garden, land-air raid behind German lines  December 16-27 – Battle of the Bulge

14. D-Day  Largest amphibious landing in history  Known as one of the roughest battles of the war  Unique because we invaded and won against some of the toughest Nazi fronts  Turning point of European theater – no more major Nazi victories  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPU4p7 UQOtU&safety_mode=true&persist_safety _mode=1&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPU4p7 UQOtU&safety_mode=true&persist_safety _mode=1&safe=active

15. Battle of the Bulge  Last great German offensive against Allies  “All or nothing”  Germans lost over 120,000 troops, 600 tanks, 1,600 planes  Americans lost nearly 90,000 men  General George Patton becomes a hero because of his actions  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBeXRv dlmyY&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_ mode=1&safe=active http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBeXRv dlmyY&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_ mode=1&safe=active

16. 1945  January 26 – Soviets liberate Auschwitz  February 4-11 – Yalta Conference, discuss post-war Europe  February 13-14 – Firebombing of Dresden  April – Nazi stolen art discovered in salt mine  April 12 – FDR dies  April 21 – Soviets reach Berlin  April 28 – Mussolini recaptured and hanged  April 30 – Hitler commits suicide  May 7 – Nazis surrender  May 8 – V-E Day  August 6 – First atomic bomb dropped  August 9 – Second atomic bomb dropped

17. Victory!  With the Nazi surrender, attention turned to the Pacific theater and the Japanese threat  Winston Churchill announces victory  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq- zjE1yfDM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq- zjE1yfDM