Transcript World War II: Europe

The Sides

Allies
 Britain
○ Includes
commonwealths
 France
 United States (1941)
 Russia
 Yugoslavia
 Czechoslovakia
 Greece
 Netherlands
 Belgium
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Axis
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Germany
Italy
Japan
Hungary
Romania
Bulgaria
Thailand
1939
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March 15/16 – Nazis take Czechoslovakia
March 28 – Spanish Civil War ends
August 23 – Nazis and Russians sign agreement to
divide Poland
August 25 – British and Poland sign mutual defense
treaty
September 1 – Nazis invade Poland
September 3 – Britain, France, Australia, and New
Zealand declare war on Germany
September 17 – Russia invades Poland
September 27 – Poland surrenders
September 29 – Nazis and Russians divide Poland
Highlights: Nazis Appreciation
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Hitler loved art and raided art from every area
the Nazis took over
Such items that Nazis looted include:
 Works by Monet, Picasso, and van Gogh
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It’s estimated the Nazis plundered over 20% of
all the art in Europe
A database today lists over 20,000 pieces of
Nazi-stolen art that haven’t been returned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKR3deMx
mGo&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mod
e=1&safe=active
1940
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April 9 – Nazis invade
Denmark and Norway
May 10 – Nazis invade
France
May 10 – Churchill
becomes PM of England
June 3 – Nazis bomb
Paris
June 22 – France
surrenders, armistice
signed
July 10 – Battle of
Britain begins
July 23 – Soviets invade
Baltic States
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August 3-19 – Italy
invades Africa
August 13 – Germans
begin bombing England
September 13 – Italy
invades Africa
September 27 –
Tripartite Pact (Axis)
signed (mutual defense
agreement)
October 15 – Chaplin
releases “The Great
Dictator”
November 5 – FDR
reelected for third term
Hitler Gets France
France and Germany were rivals in
Europe
 Hitler values the French as a culture
 After surrendering, France becomes a
puppet state known as Vichy France
and works with the Axis powers
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=003iC
7VZmYc&safety_mode=true&persist_sa
fety_mode=1&safe=active
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American Reaction
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Americans wanted to remain neutral but could
not ignore Hitler
Because of the anti-Semitic views, many
celebrities began to speak out
Charlie Chaplin, America’s most famous actor,
released a film to mock Hitler
“The Great Dictator” was Chaplin’s first true
talking film and his speech at the end remains
one of the iconic moments of cinema
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX25PDBb7
08&safe=active
1941
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February 14 – Afrika
Korps arrive in Africa
March 11 – FDR
signs Lend-Lease
Act
June 14 – U.S.
freezes Nazi and
Italian assets
June 22 – Nazis
invade Russia
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July 3 – Stalin
begins scorched
earth policy
August 1 – U.S.
begins oil embargo
on Japan
December 7 –
Attack on Pearl
Harbor
December 8 – U.S.
enters World War II
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Hitler turned his attention to Russia and
the war entered its bloodiest phase
 The U.S. tried to remain neutral but
embargoed oil and scrap metal against
Japan
 Japan interpreted that as an aggressive
action and responded with an attack of
their own
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBzF1
5UQJ1Y&safe=active
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1942
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January 20 – “Final
Solution” of Jews
begins
January 26 – U.S.
forces arrive in
Europe
April – Japanese
internment camps in
western U.S.
June – Gassing
begins in Auschwitz
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August 12 – Stalin
and Churchill meet,
agree on division of
Europe
August 17 – U.S.
forces begin air
attacks
September 13 – Battle
of Stalingrad begins
November 18 –
Operation Torch
(reclaim Africa) begins
Internment Camps
Americans thought that Japanese living in
the Western U.S. could be spies for Japan
 Japanese-Americans were sent
immediately to internment camps until the
end of war
 The U.S. caught heavy criticism for the
comparison to concentration camps
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiOSUN
4EgVQ&safety_mode=true&persist_safety
_mode=1&safe=active
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1943
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January 27 – First
U.S. bombings of
Germany
February 2 – Nazis
surrender at
Stalingrad – over
1.3 million dead
July 9 – Allies attack
Italy
July 25 – Mussolini
arrested
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September 8 –
Italians surrender
October 13 – Italy
declares war on
Germany
December 24 –
Russia begins
westward attack
1944
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January 27 – Siege of
Leningrad lifted, Nazis
retreat
June 6 – DDay/Operation
Overlord
June 13 – Nazis use
V1 Rocket for first
time
July 24 – Russians
liberate first
concentration camp
August 4 – Anne
Frank and family
arrested
 August 25 – Paris
liberated from Nazis
 September 17 –
Operation Market
Garden, land-air raid
behind German lines
 December 16-27 –
Battle of the Bulge
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D-Day
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Largest amphibious landing in history
Known as one of the roughest battles of
the war
Unique because we invaded and won
against some of the toughest Nazi fronts
Turning point of European theater – no
more major Nazi victories
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPU4p7
UQOtU&safety_mode=true&persist_safety
_mode=1&safe=active
Battle of the Bulge
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Last great German offensive against Allies
“All or nothing”
Germans lost over 120,000 troops, 600
tanks, 1,600 planes
Americans lost nearly 90,000 men
General George Patton becomes a hero
because of his actions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBeXRv
dlmyY&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_
mode=1&safe=active
1945
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January 26 – Soviets
liberate Auschwitz
February 4-11 – Yalta
Conference, discuss
post-war Europe
February 13-14 –
Firebombing of Dresden
April – Nazi stolen art
discovered in salt mine
April 12 – FDR dies
April 21 – Soviets reach
Berlin
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April 28 – Mussolini
recaptured and hanged
April 30 – Hitler commits
suicide
May 7 – Nazis surrender
May 8 – V-E Day
August 6 – First atomic
bomb dropped
August 9 – Second
atomic bomb dropped
Victory!
With the Nazi surrender, attention turned
to the Pacific theater and the Japanese
threat
 Winston Churchill announces victory
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqzjE1yfDM
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