Transcript Unit 3 - Lesson 4

World War Two
Part One
Appeasement
• Following the rearmament of the German Army by Hitler, the
government’s of France and Britain began negotiations with
the Nazi government.
• Germany felt they had been unfairly treated in the Treaty of
Versailles, which ended the First World War, and made
demands for territory in Europe.
• The Allied governments felt that Hitler’s grievances with the
Versailles treaty were reasonable, and were hoping at any
cost to prevent another European conflict.
Reasons for Appeasement
• It was believed that with the newly found importance of
Airplanes and the ability of these planes to drop bombs over
cities, that another war would result in widespread
devastation and a massive death toll within weeks. The
thought of a “total war” and civilian deaths heavily influenced
the desire of British P.M. Neville Chamberlain to maintain
peace.
• In addition, the Great Depression had left Britain and the
Commonwealth (including Canada) at a disadvantage
economically. The armies of these countries were not
prepared to go to war at this time.
The Munich Agreement
• Leaders from Germany, France,
Britain and Italy met in Munich in
September of 1938 and signed the
Munich Agreement to maintain
peace.
• The agreement allowed Germany to
occupy part of Czechoslovakia. The
Czech government was not invited to
the conference.
• British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain returned to Britain
claiming that there would be “peace
for our time.”
Declaration of War
• In March of 1939, Germany invaded the rest of
Czechoslovakia, and in August, invaded Poland. These acts
broke the Munich agreement, and ended the policy of
appeasement.
• Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany
on September 3rd, 1939.
• Canada, an independent nation, declared war on
September 10th, after a special session of parliament.
Canada at the Outbreak of War
• In Canada, the same day as the German invasion of Poland,
the Governor General introduced the War Measures Act,
which gave the government the power to arrest suspected
enemies, and to control the economy to maintain war
production.
• The Natural Resources Mobilization Act gave the government further power to
mobilize Canada’s resources for the war effort. The government created new
corporations, controlled inflation and prices, and took control of tax management
from the provincial governments. Factories were also ordered to make war goods.
• Following the declaration of war, Canada set forth to rebuild
and rearm its military forces, which had declined after the
First World War.
• Canada’s Prime Minister, Mackenzie
King planned to send only 40,000
Canadian soldiers to Europe. He
hoped to avoid the numbers of
casualties suffered in WWI. Canada
was to be mainly a supplier of
materials for the war, not a major
source of troops.
• In addition, King did not want to
divide the country between English
and French Canadians over the issue
of conscription.
Germany’s Advance
•
Using a newly created technique combining
artillery, and tank and troop movement called
Blitzkrieg, the German army quickly advanced and
overran most of Europe.
•
Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg
and the Netherlands all fell to Germany’s well
trained and equipped army.
•
In April of 1940, Germany invaded France. British
and French troops were forced back and
evacuated to Britain from the beaches of Dunkirk,
abandoning their equipment and vehicles. France
had fallen, and Britain was the last country in
Europe not under Nazi control.
The Battle of Britain
•
In order to successfully invade Britain,
Germany set out to first destroy Britain’s
defenses by aerial bombardment.
•
Over the summer and fall of 1940, the
Royal Air Force (RAF) shot down 3,000 Nazi
planes. The German bombers attempted to
knock out British radio towers and airfields,
but were unsuccessful and suffered heavy
casualties.
•
Canadian fighter pilots participated in the
defense of Britain and were credited with
at least 110 kills.
War in the Pacific
• With Allied focus on Europe and the
defense of Britain, Japan began its
campaign to conquer a number of
countries in the Pacific and Southeast
Asia.
• In 1941, Japan attacked Hong Kong, which
was defended by a poorly equipped and
organized force of Canadian soldiers.
After 17 days of intense fighting, the
defenders surrendered on Christmas Day,
1941. Nearly 300 Canadians had been
killed and over 500 more wounded. Those
captured were sent to Japanese labour
camps, where 267 died.
The Soviet Union Enters the War
•
In 1941, the Soviet Union and Germany signed a
neutrality pact to prevent hostilities. Germany did
not want to have a two-front war similar to the First
World War, until they were prepared. The Soviet
Union was also struggling to mobilize its military and
economy to wage war, and needed more time.
•
However, Germany and Japan made preparations
and finally invaded the Soviet Union in late 1941.
The German army made quick advances into Russia,
but were halted by both the harsh climate, and the
tenacious defense of many Soviet cities.
•
The Soviet Union and Britain then entered into a
military alliance against Germany. The sheer size
and population of the Soviet Union would play a key
role in winning the war for the Allies.
America Enters the War
•
Following the successful capture of Hong Kong,
Japan next turned its air force on the American
fleet harboured at the Naval Base of Pearl
Harbour in Hawaii. On Dec.7th, 1941, 353
Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft
carriers and bombarded the U.S. base.
•
The U.S. lost two battleships, two destroyers and
one minelayer beyond repair, while nearly 2,400
men were killed, with another 1,200 wounded.
•
As a result of the attack, the American
government declared war on Japan, and as a
result entered the war on the Allied side.
Dieppe - 1942
•
In order to test out German defenses in France for a later
Allied invasion, Canadian and British troops staged a
reconnaissance attack at the beach of Dieppe in France.
•
On 19 August 1942, 5,000 Canadians landed on the
beaches. The fortified German position killed many
soldiers before they reach the shore. Nearly 900
Canadians were killed, 1,000 were wounded, 1,900 were
captured and only 2,200 returned to Britain.
•
The raid on Dieppe was a defining moment for Canada in
the war, despite heavy losses.
•
The New York Times wrote, “Brave men died without
hope for the sake of proving there is a wrong way to
invade. They will have their share of the glory when the
right way is tried. However, these deaths achieved
nothing except to prove what was already known: the
high quality of the Canadian troops.”