Transcript The Mediterranean and Eastern Europe

The Mediterranean and
Eastern Europe
WWII
British Resistance
Changed Hitler’s game plan
He would now look to the
Mediterranean, the Balkans, and
the Soviet Union
North Africa
Germany’s 1st objective in the
Mediterranean, mainly because of
its partner Mussolini
Sept. 1940, while the Battle of
Britain was raging, Mussolini
ordered his army to attack Britishcontrolled Egypt.
Suez Canal
Egypt’s Suez
Canal was key to
reaching the oil
fields of the Middle
East
Within a week,
Italians had drove
60 miles into Egypt
forcing back the
British
Britain Strikes Back
December 1940 Britain strikes
back
Disaster for Italy
By February 1941, Britain had
swept 500 miles across North
Africa and taken 130,000 Italian
Prisoners
Hitler Aides His Axis Ally
Sent a German tank force (Afrika
Korps)
Gen. Erwin Rommel (Desert Fox)
led the German attack against the
British and forced them to retreat
Fighting went back and forth until
eventually the allies were
defeated
War in the Balkans
Summer of 1940 Hitler began
planning an attack on his ally, the
USSR, but 1st wanted to strengthen
his power in Eastern Europe
Through the threat of force, Hitler
convinced Bulgaria, Romania, and
Hungary to join the Axis Powers
Yugoslavia and Greece resisted, but
were conquered in a matter of days.
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler’s plan to invade the Soviet
Union
June 22, 1941, German tanks and
aircraft invaded
The USSR was surprised and
unprepared
The Soviets used their famous
scorched-earth policy
Siege of Leningrad
September 8, Leningrad was cut off
from the rest of the USSR
Hitler was ready to starve its 2.5
million inhabitants to force surrender
Inhabitants ate whatever they could
find
1 million died that winter
The city refused to fall
Moscow
Slow progress at Leningrad led Hitler
to the capital city of Moscow
Germans weren’t prepared for the
cold and began to retreat until Hitler
ordered them to stay
Germans made no gains, but it cost
them 500,000 soldiers
U.S. Aids its Allies
Cash and Carry
 Sell American arms to the allies
Lend-Lease Act
 Lend or lease to any country
vital to the U.S.
Hitler ordered submarines to sink
all cargo ships
Atlantic Charter
Joint declaration between
Roosevelt and Churchill
Upheld free trade, and the right of
people to choose their own
governments
Served as the Allied plan for
peace at the end of WWII
September 4, 1941
German U-boat fired on a U.S.
destroyer in the Atlantic
Roosevelt ordered navy
commanders to shoot German
submarines on sight
U.S. was now involved in an
undeclared naval war with Hitler