Transcript Western Front

Hitler’s Lightning War
Why was Germany able to take
over countries so quickly?
Blitzkrieg on Western Front
• Sept 1939: Germany uses a “blitzkrieg” (lightning war) in W. Poland
• Blitzkrieg is a surprise attack using fast moving airplanes w/
relentless bombing, tanks & massive troop deployment
• Sept 1939-March 1940: after Stalin invades E. Poland, he annexes
three Baltic countries & Finland as a “buffer” zone
• Mar 1940: Allies mobilize their army on French-German border
• Allies wait, Germany doesn’t attack – “phony war”
• Apr 1940: Hitler attacks Denmark & Norway (bases for later attack)
• May 1940: Hitler blitzkriegs Netherlands, Belgium, & Luxembourg
Fall of France
• From Belgium, German troops get passed French Magnoit Line
•May 1940: French troops
are trapped at coastline.
•British citizens use 850 boats
during Rescue at Dunkirk
Rescue at Dunkirk
Map Time!
29
28
27
8
Stripe 26, 27, 28 and 29 in red
Stripe 6,7,8,10,11 in green
• June 1940: Germans enter Paris, France has fallen
• Germans split France into two zones: 1)Germany controls north 2)
Petain, a French General loyal to Hitler controls south, Vichy France
De Gaulle
We
Will
Retur
n
•French general Charles de Gaulle who fled to
London, will try to inspire French resistance
Battle of Britain
•August 1940: Germany tries to take out the British
Airforce (RAF) – New PM Churchill in charge of GB
Great Britain stops Nazis
but only Allied Nation left
•Sept 1940: German Luftwaffe (airforce) led by
Hermann Goering begins bombing British cities“the blitz”
•Oct 1940: Radar & a German code machine
called Enigma, help British
We Shall
Never
Surrender!
•May 1941: Stunned by the resistance Hitler calls
off attacks – proves Germany can be stopped!
Winston Churchill
Map Time !
29
28
27
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Stripe 5 in green, put green “x’s in 5b, green x’s in German Allies
Color #1 in blue, color Allies on key in blue