Transcript CH 18-2 WWII Begins Axis Advances

WWII
Axis Advances
Early Axis Gains
• Invasion of Poland: September 1st 1939
• Blitzkrieg- Germany bombed airfields,
factories, towns, cities.
• Ground forces devastated west Poland
• Soviets under Stalin seized the East
and invade Finland
The “Phony War”
• The French braced themselves behind the
Maginot Line
• Britain joined the French in waiting (sent
the B.E.F. – British Expeditionary Force)
• Hitler did not make them wait for long…
Europe at War (April 1940)
• Hitler invaded
Denmark
• Hitler invaded
Norway
• 1st to put up a good
fight against
Germany
• Vidkun Quizzling
Europe at War (May 1940)
• Hitler invaded the
Netherlands, Belgium,
and Luxembourg
• Winston Churchill
replace Neville
Chamberlain as
Prime Minister of
Great Britain
• Hitler Invaded France
Miracle at Dunkirk (May 27-June 4)
• Germans advanced into France and the British retreat
• May 28: Belgium’s army surrenders
• Britain attempts to pick up troops but did not have
enough military transport ships
• Under German air strikes, British ships and boats
rescue 300,000 troops
Miracle at Dunkirk
Miracle at Dunkirk
Miracle at Dunkirk
France Falls (June 1940)
• Germany attacks from the north
• Italy declares war on France and attacks
from the south
• June 22, 1940: France signs surrender
documents at the same location as the WWI
armistice signing
France Falls (June 1940)
• Germany set up a new French
capital in Vichy
• General Charles de Gaulle
escapes to London
• Helps set up a new French gov’t
• He becomes a symbols for the
resistance in France
• Great Britain stood alone
against Germany
Churchill Address Parliament (June 4, 1940)
“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall
into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We
shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and
oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air,
we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the
beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and
in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and if, which I do
not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our
Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in
God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the
liberation of the old.”
Battle of the Atlantic (Fall 1940)
• The German navy increased activity in the
Atlantic Ocean
• The German navy was smaller than the British
navy but was successful when using U-boats
• September: U.S. starts its “Lend-Lease” policy
Africa (Fall 1940)
• Italy attacked British territories:
Somalia, the Sudan, and Kenya
• September: Italy attacks Egypt
• British repel them until
Germany sends General Irwin
Rommel
Asia (September 1940)
• Japan invades French
Indochina (modern-day
Vietnam, Siam, Burma
The Balkans (Fall 1940)
• October: Italy declares war on Greece
• November: Hungary and Rumania join the Axis partnership
The Technology of Modern Warfare:
German Luftwaffe
WWI
WWII-Messerschmitt
The Technology of Modern Warfare:
German Luftwaffe
WWII-Junker dive bomber
WWII-Heinkel
WWI
The Technology of Modern Warfare:
British RAF (Royal Air Force)
WWII-Spitfire
WWII-Hurricane
The Technology of Modern Warfare:
German Tanks
WWI
WWII – Panzer Mk 2
WWII - Panther
The Technology of Modern Warfare:
German Tanks
WWII - Tiger
The Technology of Modern Warfare:
British Tanks
WWI
WWII - Centurian
The Technology of Modern Warfare
• Submarines are improved upon
• Radar & Sonar assist in detection & location
• Science helps advance medicine and goods
The Battle of Britain (1940)
• July: Phase 1 - Hitler begins to
prepare for an invasion of Great
Britain by having the Luftwaffe
attack British shipping
• August: Phase 2 - The Luftwaffe
begins to target British airfields and
radar stations for the purpose of air
supremacy (No civilian targets)
The Battle of Britain (1940)
• British radar stations provided
early warning to German attacks
Hurricanes
The Battle of Britain (1940)
• The early warnings allowed the RAF
to response quickly
German Heinkel bombers
German Messerschmitt
Spitfires
The Battle of Britain (1940)
• August 25: 81 German bombers accidentally bomb London due to
heavy cloud cover making it difficult to identify targets properly
• August 26: In response, the British bomb Berlin for the first time
• The RAF had been bombing German military targets since 1939
• In May of 1940, the British expanded bombing raids to include civilian
industrial targets that supported the German war effort
• In response, Hitler changed his bombing policy
The Blitz (September 1940 to May 1941)
• Starting on September 7th, German bombers attacked for 57 straight
days but the raids would continue for a total of 37 weeks (267 days)
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Targets were located throughout England, Scotland and Wales
London was bombed 71 times
Birmingham, Liverpool, and Plymouth were bomber 8 times
Bristol 6 times, Glasgow 5, Southampton 4, Portsmouth and Hull 3
• Other cities: Cardiff, Swansea, Belfast, Coventry, Manchester, and Sheffield
The Blitz (September 1940 to May 1941)
The Blitz (September 1940 to May 1941)
The Blitz (September 1940 to May 1941)
The Blitz (September 1940 to May 1941)
The Blitz (September 1940 to May 1941)
Coventry
Sheffield