Transcript Western front - learning

Germany invaded Holland on May 10th 1940. This invasion, was based
on the famous blitzkreig meaning "lightning war". Blitzkrieg was first
used by the Germans in the Second World War and was a tactic based
on speed and surprise and needed a military force to be based around
light tank units supported by planes and infantry (foot soldiers).
The target for the Germans was their Waalhaven airfield to the south
of Rotterdam. One hour later, a battalion of paratroopers was dropped
onto the airfield. Dutch troops based in Waalhaven tried to put up
fierce resistance but it was worthless. This was typical of blitzktreig
attacks as it caught people completely off-guard.
While Waalhaven was being taken, more paratroopers landed
at Dordrecht, ten miles to the south-east of Waalhaven. Their
task was to capture an important bridge in the town. Such a
prize would greatly assist the Germans ability to move
vehicles in their assault on Holland.
Belgium remained strictly neutral, but was invaded by the Germans
for a second time. The Germans struck at both the Netherlands and
Belgium at the same time. It was the start of the long awaited
German rebellion in the West.
The Luftwaffe played a key role in the German success in the west.
King Leopold before the War had promoted the construction of
important defensive fortifications from Antwerp to Namur in front of
the German border. These defenses were quickly taken by the
Germans.
In the World War 2, the Battle of France was the German invasion of
France and the Lower Countries, executed on 10 May 1940, which
ended the Phoney War(phase early in World War II following
Britain's declaration of war on Germany in September 1939 and
preceding the Battle Of France in May 1940—that was marked by a
lack of major military operations in Continental Europe).
The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb (Case
Yellow), German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off
and surround the Allied units that had advanced into Belgium. During the
fighting, the British Expeditionary Force(BEF) and many French soldiers
were evacuated from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo.
In the second operation “Case Red”, executed from 5 June, German
forces outflanked the Maginot Line and pushed deep into France. Italy
declared war on France on 10 June and soon afterwards the French
government fled to the city of Bordeaux. France's capital of Paris was
occupied on 14 June. On 22 June, an armistice was signed between
France and Germany, going into effect on 25 June. For the Axis
Powers, the campaign was a spectacular victory.
The prime objective of the campaign was to gain air superiority over
the Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF), especially Fighter Command.
The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought
entirely by air forces and was also the largest and most sustained
aerial bombing campaign to that date.
.
From July 1940 coastal shipping convoys and shipping centers, such
as Portsmouth, were the main targets; one month later Germany
shifted its attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure. As the battle
progressed they also targeted aircraft factories and ground
infrastructure. Eventually Germany resorted to attacking areas of
political significance and using terror bombing tactics.
The failure of Germany to achieve its objectives of destroying
Britain's air defenses, or forcing Britain to negotiate an
armistice or an outright surrender, is considered its first major
defeat and one of the crucial turning points in the war.
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in
which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for
control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The
battle took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943
and was among the largest battles on the Eastern Front, and
was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and
civilian casualties.
The German offensive to capture Stalingrad commenced in late
summer 1942, supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing which
reduced much of the city to rubble. The German offensive eventually
bogged down in house-to-house fighting and despite controlling over
90% of the city at times
In November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus;
a two-pronged attack specifically targeted at the inferior
Romanian and Italian forces protecting the German 6th Army
flanks. The success of these attacks caused the weakly held
flanks to collapse and the 6th Army to be cut off and
surrounded inside Stalingrad.
As the Russian winter set in, the 6th Army weakened rapidly from
cold, starvation and ongoing Soviet attacks. Eventually, the failure to
break the encirclement by relieving German forces coupled with the
failure of re-supply by air, caused the final collapse. By early
February 1943, German resistance in Stalingrad had ceased and the
remaining elements of the surrounded 6th Army had either
surrendered or had been destroyed.
Abiding by good on promises to the Italian people to make Italy a
world power, Italian troops invaded and easily conquered Ethiopia.
Italy left the League of Nations when the action was condemned.
When war broke out in 1939, Mussolini didn't immediately declare
war. Only when it became apparent that France would fall in June
1940 did Italy invade. this committed Italy to a war two years ahead
of the Italian General Staff’s expectations, and her armed forces were
not fully ready for the coming battles in the Mediterranean and
Russia.
In 1940 and 1941 the Royal Navy under Admiral Cunningham, based
at Malta, inflicted heavy damage on the Italian naval base at Taranto
and in land fighting in Libya.
An ill-planned invasion of Greece resulted in a German
invasion in April 1941 to prevent Mussolini's mistake from
giving England a base of operations on the European
mainland. These operations cost the Italians in men and
material and embarrassed Mussolini. The German soldiers
were openly contemptuous of their Italian allies, and they
never worked out cooperation with their armed forces. Italian
sea forces could not deliver promised supplies to Rommel in
North Africa nor to their soldiers in the Eastern Front.
On July 25, 1943, in the face of the Allied invasion of Sicily, the
Fascist Grand Council voted to oust him, and he was arrested.
Wholesale deportations of Jewish communities began when Germany
occupied Italy in 1943. Italian units switched sides and began fighting
against the Germans.
In 1943, the Allies invaded Sicily in an attempt to knock Italy out of
the war. The invasion was one of the biggest sea-launched attacks.
This conquest of Italy by the Allies was a success though not easy.
Most of the Italians were tired with this war and Mussolini was
overthrown. The new Italian government signed a secret peace
alliance with the Allies. However, Germany quickly seized control of
the country. The Allies then invaded Italy making their main landing
Solerno.. Germany struck back hard driving them almost into sea.
French troops finally broke through in 1944. By June, the Allies were in
Rome and by August had reached Florence.