Transcript World War Two Unit 2014-2015 - Lesson 2

L2: Hitler Marches Across Europe: The War in
Europe, The Fall of France, The Battle of Britain
1939-1940
Agenda
Objectives:
1. To understand the
“narrative” of the early
battles of World War Two.
Schedule:
1. The Nazi Conquest of
Europe
2. The Fall of France
3. The Battle of Britain
Homework:
None 
Hitler Invades Poland 1939
• Germany and the Soviet Union launch a joint
invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939
• Britain and France declare war on Germany
following Germany’s invasion of Poland.
• World War Two begins!!!!
The Nazi Blitzkrieg
• Germany struck with speed and power and
engaged in blitzkrieg warfare.
– Blitzkrieg = lightning war
– Columns of tanks supported by planes and infantry
• Blitzkrieg video
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ha0qKquG2E
• The German air force, Luftwaffe, destroyed
Polish planes on the ground, attacked tanks,
bombed Warsaw, and terrorized the
population.
• In less than one month, on September 27,
1939, Poland surrendered.
Nazis Now Begin Western Expansion
• Hitler had launched a successful eastern conquest of Austria,
Czechoslovakia, and Poland--the beginning of his dream for a
German empire.
• Now it was time to look west.
• Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway (April 1940)
– Denmark surrenders in
2 hours
– Norway falls in a matter
of days
• Invasion and Occupation of
Belgium, Holland, and
Luxembourg (May 1940)
Hitler Plans to Invade France
• Hitler next
looked to
France.
• Following WWI,
France adopted
a defensive
military policy to
protect
themselves from
being invaded in
the event of
another war with
Germany.
The Maginot Line
• Series of concrete and steel
fortifications armed with
heavy artillery along the
French and German border.
• Bordered to the North by the
dense Ardennes Forest which
the French believed could not
be penetrated by German
forces.
Germany Invades France
• Germany invades
France through the
Ardennes which end up
being no obstacle for
German tanks.
• When they invade
through the Ardennes
the Germans:
– Catch the French of guard
and they are late to send
troops to the region.
– Cut the French and British
forces defending France
in half.
Dunkirk
• Trapped with no
reinforcements the British try
to flee to France by sea and
head for the coastal town of
Dunkirk.
• Amidst bombing by the
Luftwaffe, the British
desperately evacuated their
soldiers on anything that
would float.
– They lost most of their
equipment and supplies
however.
The Fall of France
• Nazi begin to drive toward
Paris, the capital city.
• Italy invades France in support
of Germany.
• Millions of French citizens begin
to run from the invading Nazis,
fleeing to the south of France in
cars, bicycles, and carts.
• With troops in retreat, the
French government flees Paris
and is forced to surrender.
• The Nazis now occupy France
and establish a puppet
government called the Vichy
government.
The Fall of France: Significance
• In only a few months since the start of the war
France has fallen to Germany--this was
something Germany had previously been
unable to do during the entirety of WWI.
• Germany now occupies most of continental
Europe.
• The only power opposed to Hitler is Great
Britain--it now has to fight Germany alone.
Germany Plans to Invade Britain
• Hitler expected that after his stunning victories in
the west, Britain would make peace.
• The British reject Hitler’s peace offers.
• Hitler then plans
an invasion of
England
(Operation Sea
Lion)
The Battle of Britain
• In August 1940, the Luftwaffe
begin massive attacks on
British air and naval
installations.
– The goal is to destroy British
military operations so that
Britain cannot defend itself or
launch a counterattack.
– Ultimately Hitler hoped to
destroy Britain’s air defense
and eventually force Britain
out of the war.
• Both Britain and Germany
suffer heavy sustained losses
in the first month of fighting.
The Battle of Britain
• In September, Hitler orders the
Luftwaffe to not only attack military
sites, but also civilian targets.
– He attacks in retaliation for British
attacks against German cities,
which themselves were retaliation
for Hitler’s accidental bombing of
London.
• He believes that this will break the
morale of the British people and
lead to a Nazi victory.
• The Luftwaffe start attacking major
British cities including London.
– Factories, homes, churches,
stores, are all repeatedly bombed.
– People have to find shelter in
subway stations.
The Battle of Britain
• Hitler’s plan backfires--the attacks actually strengthen the morale of the
British people.
• Because military targets were not being hit, the British were able to rebuild
their air strength quickly.
• Soon the British Royal Air Force is inflicting major losses on the Nazis.
• By the end of the Battle of Britain, German loses in the air outnumbered
British losses 3 to 1.
The Battle of Britain:
Significance
• First major Nazi defeat of the war.
• Nazis shift strategy away from defeating
Britain in the West and instead turn
attention to the Soviet Union.
• This begins a two-front war:
– Britain in the West
– U.S.S.R. in the East