Transcript The Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain
The Invasion of Russia
& Pearl Harbor
 After
the fall of France, Britain was left to
battle Germany alone
 However, the powerful British Navy
protected then from attack
 Hitler planned to invade Britain (Operation
Sea Lion) but realized the only way this was
possible was if Germany could control the
skies above the English Channel
 Therefore, the German Air Force began to
attack Britain in an attempt to destroy the
British Air Force
 The
Battle of Britain was fought only in the
Air
 The first time Canadians saw action in the
war
 British won with the help of RADAR and new
Spitfire fighter planes
 Operation Sea Lion was scrapped and Britain
was safe
 However, Hitler continued to attack Britain
by invading British Colonies in North Africa
 Although
Hitler has a pact with Russia, he
decides to invade them
 He is driven by his hate for communism and
Jews and his quest for more natural
resources and living space (Lebensraum) for
the German people
 The plan was delayed by 3 months because
Germany was forced to help the Italians in
Greece
 Started on June 22, 1941
Hitler believed that Russia was “a house with
rotten wood, If you kick in the door, the whole
place would collapse”
 In the early stages, the Nazis scored amazing
victories, however, they were stopped before the
reached Moscow, the Soviet Capital.
 Russia’s enormous size, horrible weather and vast
amount of people gave them an advantage over
Germany
 Also, Joseph Stalin (the leader of the USSR) was
willing to sacrifice anything to win and forced
millions into military service (even women)
 Russian soldiers who retreated or failed were
killed, Russians who were captured without injury
faced death if they came home

Japan continues its
march through China
 On Dec 7, 1941,
Japan launches a full
scale attack in every
direction
 They attacked islands
in the pacific, Hong
Kong (a British
colony) and into
Indochina (modern
day Vietnam,
Cambodia and Laos)

 Hong
Kong was a British colony in Southern
China
 Britain knew that if Japan attacked there
would be no hope
 However, the British did not want to leave
the colony without putting up a fight
 Therefore, the British government requested
help from the Canadian Army
 2000 Canadians were sent





The Japanese attacked with a force of over 20,000
men and soon overwhelmed the British and Canadian
defenders.
Although the Canadians fought bravely, they suffered
heavy casualties and were forced to surrender when
Hong Kong's government fell.
At Hong Kong, the Japanese routinely tortured and
killed prisoners and civilians
On Christmas day, 1941, the Japanese murdered
dozens of nurses, doctors and wounded soldiers in a
military hospital
(The Christmas Day Massacre)
Canadians who were captured were sent back to
Japan to work as slave laborers. They were denied
proper food and medical care. Few of these men
lived to see the end of the war.
 Dec
7, 1941, the Japanese also attack the
American naval base at Pearl Harbor in
Hawai'i
 Japanese bombers and fighters from aircraft
carriers destroy many American warships and
kill thousands of people
 Japan was hoping to destroy the American
Navy in one stroke in order to rule the
pacific region
 Germany declares war on the USA in support
of Japan
 The USA officially enters WWII
 Germany
is defeated at the Battle of Britain
(only air planes, Canada’s first combat)
 German attacks North Africa
 Germany invades Russia but is stopped
outside Moscow
 Japan attacks in every direction
 Japan hits Pearl harbor (USA enters war)
 Japan hits Hong Kong (Canada’s first ground
combat. Canadians are tortured, killed and
captured)