Transcript Hitler`s Lightning War – 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!
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8
Stripe 26, 27, 28 and 29 in red
Stripe 6,7,8,10,11 in green
28
27
• 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
• French general Charles de Gaulle who fled to London, will try to
inspire French resistance
Charles De Gaulle
Henri Phillipe Petain
We
Will
Return
Battle of Britain
•August 1940: Germany tries to take out the British Airforce (RAF)
– New PM Churchill in charge of GB
•Sept 1940: German Luftwaffe (airforce) led by Hermann Goering
begins bombing RAF sites
•However, Hitler changes the strategy to begin bombing British
cities, known as “The Blitz”.
We Shall
Never
Surrender!
•Oct 1940: Radar & a German code machine
called Enigma, help British
•Stunned by the resistance Hitler calls off
attacks – proves Germany can be stopped!
Winston Churchill
VQ: What advantages did the Royal Airforce (RAF) have over the
German Luftwaffe (Airforce)?
VQ: What crucial mistake did Hitler make in the Battle of Britain?
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