Transcript Hitler`s Lightning War

HITLER’S LIGHTNING WAR
POLAND
Hitler set his sights on
Poland
 Signed Nonaggression
Pact with Stalin

Why?
 Secret part: Germany and Soviet
Union agreed to divide Poland.



Sept. 1, 1939-Blitzkrieg- “lightning
war”- fast tanks- fast planesGermans done in 3 weeks.
*Stalin sent Soviet troops to occupy the
Eastern half of Poland
How about that appeasement?
PHONY WAR
Sept. 3, 1939- France & Britain declare war
 French & British soldiers waiting for
German soldiers to invade France
 German soldiers waiting for French & British
soldiers to invade Germany.
 Sneaky Germans invade France through wooded
area (Ardennes Forest)
 Germans trap 400,000 French soldiers
 1940 Italy enters war- invades France from south

D
U
N
K
I
R
K
FRANCE FALLS

Resistance in France crumbles after Dunkirk
Germans take Paris
 French leaders surrender
 Germans take N. France and leave S. France to puppet gov’t
headed by Marshal Petain
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Headquarters for Petain was in Vichy France
Charles de Gaulle- French general, set up exile gov’t in London
Commits all energy to taking back France
 Will battle Nazi’s until France is liberated. (It’s going to be awhile)

What
do you
think Hitler
did to Stalin
in June1941?
INVASION OF THE SOVIET UNION
 Hitler
invades the Soviet Union
in June 1941.
 As Russians retreat, use
scorched-earth strategy- Familiar?
 Winter - stopped the German forces
 Summer- headed to Stalingrad
 Winter- in Stalingrad
 Soviet forces circle the German forces in
Stalingrad and cuts off their supplies.
 German forces surrender Jan.1943
 Soviet lost 1,100,000- 99% of city destroyed

More than U.S. lost in WWII total
STALINGRAD
THE U.S. AIDS ALLIES

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Congress will pass Neutrality Acts
 Illegal to sell arms or lend $ to nations at war
Roosevelt creates Lend-Lease Act
 Roosevelt and Churchill met secretly and
issued a joint declaration called the Atlantic Charter Upheld free trade, right to choose own gov’t.

THEN…
U.S. gives aid to Stalin after Hitler invades
U.S.S.R

“If Hitler invaded Hell, we would be willing to
work with the devil himself”
 U.S. was in undeclared naval war
with Hitler

Oct. 1941-German U-boats fire on U.S. Ships

Roosevelt ordered the Navy to shoot U-boats on sight
 U.S. destroyer Reuben James sunk- killing 100 sailors
 U.S. will enter war b/c of Japan

What
dictator
was associated
with Africa before
WWII?
AFRICA
 Axis
gain territory
in Africa
 Nov. 1942- Allies invade North Africa

Led by U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Move east chasing the Axis forces

General Rommel “Desert Fox”
 Afrika
Operation
Torch
Korps- made it to Egypt- British
troops decide on a surprise massive frontal
attack- meanwhile other Allied troops
behind the Axis.
 Heavy fighting- Axis surrender May 1943
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

G.B. stood alone against the Nazis
Winston Churchill- new G.B. prime minister
 Hitler will try to invade G.B.
 Hitler 1st wanted to destroy RAF- royal air force then
land troops
 Luftwaffe- German air force began bombing
 British will not waver

Germans coming off French coast toward England
 Battle of Britain

2 months constant
bombing
 Radar
 Blimps

British bomb German
cities
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HITLER’S SPEECH TO THE WORKERS