Transcript WWII in Europex

WWII in Europe and North Africa
Nature of WWII
Depended on industry and mobilization of resources
• Technological advances
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Air warfare
Tank warfare
Radio
Rockets & bombs
Civilians and industry became targets
• Racial element
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Holocaust
Course of the war in Europe
1939 to July 1941
The Polish Invasion
• Sept.
1, 1939- Hitler invades Poland without a
declaration of war
• Poland moved its troops to the border of
Germany and Poland
Polish leaders thought they could hold off German
army for up to 6 months
• Would give Britain and France time to launch a
counterattack
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Blitzkrieg
• Germans
introduced something new in the
history of warfare- Blitzkrieg
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Lightning war
• Based
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on two key weapons
Tanks and airplanes
• German
Luftwaffe (air force) bombed bridges,
roads, railways, radio stations, opposing troops
Blitzkrieg in Poland
• Once
Polish Air Force
was annihilated,
German tanks, called
Panzer units, rolled in
• Tanks destroyed
roads, railways,
bridges, tunnels,
telegraph stations,
and airfields
The Polish Invasion
• Sept.
3, 1939 – Britain and France declared war
against Germany
France prepared to defend itself
• Britain moved troops into Belgium
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• Sept.
17, 1939 – U.S.S.R. invaded Poland from
the East
• Sept. 27, 1939 – Poland surrendered to Germany
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Germany and U.S.S.R. divide Poland
Blitzkrieg in Poland
Phoney War 1939-1940
Very little military activity took place from the time of
the Polish surrender until France was invaded in May
1940
• The time period in between was called the Phoney
War
• French troops reinforced the Maginot Line and
Germany troops reinforced the Siegfried Line
• British troops arrived from its colonies and Britain was
in full mobilization
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French Maginot Line
The Maginot Line
was a vast
fortification that
spread along the
French/German
border
• It did not extend to
the Belgian frontier
or the Ardennes
Forest
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Winter War 1939-1940
U.S.S.R wanted to regain territory lost in WWI, so it
invaded Finland in November 1939
• Finland employed guerrilla tactics successfully for a
time
• By March 1940, a peace treaty between Finland and
the U.S.S.R. was signed
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Finland remained independent, but lost 11% of its territory
In 1940, U.S.S.R. annexed Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
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All had been part of the former Russian Empire
Invasion of Denmark and Norway, April 1940
Britain wanted to stop Germany from getting iron ore
from Sweden and Norway
• Germany decided to take all of Norway, but to get
there had to attack Denmark
• On April 9, 1940, Germany attacked Denmark who was
overrun in a few hours with little resistance
• Britain and Germany fought 2 navy battles which
Britain won
• However, Germany won the land battles and Allied
troops were evacuated
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Germany attacked Western Europe
May 10, 1940 - Germany attacked western Europe,
including France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the
Netherlands
• Luxembourg was occupied on May 10
• The Netherlands surrendered on May 14
• Belgium surrendered on May 28
• Britain was occupied in Norway fighting the Germans
and there was little cooperation between Britain and
France
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Miracle at Dunkirk
Germany attacked France through the Ardennes
Forest, splitting the French and British forces
• Those troops were surrounded at Dunkirk
• Hitler halted the German advance to Dunkirk and the
British War Office made the decision to evacuate
British forces on May 25th
• In the nine days from May 26th to June 4th , 338,000
men escaped aboard 861 vessels (of which 243 were
sunk during the operation)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSoDLfQKhGI
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The Fall and Division of France
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On June 22, 1940, France
surrendered to Germany
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Germany occupied the
northern part of France, but
allowed the southern half
“self-government.”
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The Vichy French
government had to swear
loyalty to Germany, and
Germany often had a strong
military presence there.
Invasion of the Balkan Peninsula
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Italy annexed Albania in April 1939
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Italy’s invasion of Greece was a disaster
Greece took 30% of Albania and stayed there till German
troops offered Italy help in March 1941
Germany conquered Yugoslavia on April 17, 1941 with help
from Bulgaria
Germany then invaded Greece and captured Athens on April
27th
Germany also took the island of Crete by June 1st
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Gave Italy a base to launch an attack on Greece
Course of the war in Africa and Italy
1940 to 1945
East Africa, January to November 1941
Italy had a large empire in East Africa and Libya
• In January 1941, British troops attacked Italy’s empire
• By May 1941, most of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Somalia
were under British control
• By November, all Italian troops had surrendered
• Abyssinia installed its previous ruler
• Britain retained control over Somalia until 1960 when
it finally gained its independence
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North Africa, 1940-1943
• Italy
wanted control of the Suez Canal and
Egypt
• Italy hoped the Egyptians would rise up in
revolt against the British interference in their
country, but it never happened
• British and Axis powers met at El Alamein in
Egypt
• First Battle of El Alamein: 1–27 July 1942
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Stalled the advance of the Axis powers into Egypt
El Alamein – North Africa
• Second
Battle of El Alamein: 23 October – 4
November 1942
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• El
Turned the tide in the North African Campaign and
ended the Axis threat to Egypt, the Suez Canal, and
of gaining access to the Middle Eastern and Persian
oil fields via North Africa.
Alamein is an Egyptian dessert 150 miles
away from Cairo
El Alamein – North Africa
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Battle of El Alamein was
primarily fought between
two of the outstanding
commanders of World
War Two, Britain’s
Bernard “Monty”
Montgomery and
Germany’s Erwin “The
Desert Fox” Rommel
General Bernard
Montgomery
Field Marshal
Erwin Rommel
Impact of El Alamein
• The
Battle at El Alamein was a turning point in
the war and this victory gave the Allies
confidence to win World War II.
• This was the Allies first victory against the
Germans
• "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After
Alamein we never had a defeat."
—Winston Churchill
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrsRo_P7Zyw&list
=PLnqzregVTmJW6c-_kzmFee1t0hyk3LYMH&index=2
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North Africa Captured by Allies
• British
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and US troops launched Operation Torch
Allies occupied Morocco and Algeria by November
11, 1942
• German
troops retreated to Tunisia
• The fighting in Tunisia continued until May 12,
1943 when all Axis troops in north Africa
surrendered
Italian Front
1943 to 1945
Sicily – July 1943
• After
the fall of North Africa, the island of Sicily
was attacked by the Allies on July 9, 1943.
• After a six-week campaign, the Allies conquered
the island on August 17, 1943
• During the battle the Italian king deposed and
imprisoned Mussolini
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Italians no longer supported the war
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Italy was hoping to either join the Allies to make
punishment less harsh or get the best terms for surrender
Italian Peninsula 1943-1944
• On
Sept. 3, 1943, Italy agreed to an
armistice with the Allies
• The Allies planned a landing in southern
Italy on Sept. 8th.
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• By
Italian troops surrendered; German troops
fought
November, the Allies controlled all of
Italy south of Rome
German Defensive Positions
• The
German Gustav Line (defense line
across the peninsula) was difficult to break
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Finally broke in May 1944
• Rome
fell on June 5, 1944
• Germans created new defensive line, the
Gothic Line, that held Allied troops from
August to December 1944
Final battles in Italy - 1945
• By
December 1944, northern Italy was organized
as the Italian Social Republic led by Mussolini
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Mussolini had been rescued from jail by the Germans
• Italian
soldiers from north and south were fighting
each other
• In early 1945, Allied troops captured part of
Northern Italy
• Mussolini was killed in April 1945
• German troops in Italy surrendered on May 2,
1945
Course of the European war at sea
1939 to 1945
Initial Naval Issues
• In
1939, British and French navies were much
larger than German navy
• Germany feared a blockade like in WWI
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German occupation of Norway ended the British
option of a blockade
• Germany’s
first defense against Allied navy ships
were mines
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By April 1940, over 128 Allied ships had been sunk by
mines
Battle of the Atlantic - 1939-1945
• Between
Germany and British & US ships
• German submarines targeted merchant ships
traveling between the US and Britain
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Usually carrying goods and equipment under the Lend-Lease
Act
• Submarine
attacks were often joined German
Luftwaffe
• Germany had early success
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Partly because they had decrypted British naval codes
Sunk 848 ships by July 1941
Battle of the Atlantic - 1939-1945
• Britain
increase the number of destroyers and use
of depth charges
• In 1941, Britain decrypted German naval codes,
called Enigma
• The Battle of the Atlantic was eventually
dominated by the Allies
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Radar, convoy system, use of aircraft and Germany
code breaking all played a significant role
Battle of the Mediterranean Sea – 1940-43
• When
France fell in 1940, Britain worried the
French ships would be turned over to Germany
• Britain attacked the French warships and damaged
or destroyed most of them
• British ships fought the Italian navy using planes
from an aircraft carrier
• Britain battled Italian and German navies through
the remainder of the war
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Wanted especially to limit supplies to Axis troops in
North Africa
Course of the European air war
1939 to 1945
Battle of Britain
• Having
conquered France, Germany looked to
invade Britain or force them to negotiate a peace
treaty
• So the Luftwaffe was sent to fight the Royal Air
Force (RAF)
• German bombing destroyed many urban centers
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Left 2 million homeless and killed up to 60,000
Technological Developments
• RADAR
Device used by Britain to
warn them of
approaching enemy
planes
• Radar located Luftwaffe
planes so that RAF did not
have to search for them
• Eliminated element of
surprize that Luftwaffe
had counted on
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The Battle of Britain Speech
• “Let
us therefore brace
ourselves to our duties,
and so bear ourselves
that, if the British Empire
and its Commonwealth
last for a thousand years,
men will say, "This was
their finest hour." –
Winston Churchill Speech
delivered to the House of
Commons on June 18, 1940
The London Blitz
The Blitz had begun, with night
raids followed daytime raids
and gave the civilians little rest.
• The Blitz was meant to break
British morale, but it failed.
• In fact, when bombs damaged
Buckingham Palace, it unified
the British as never before.
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•Shelter was where you found it
The London Blitz
Thwarted Plans
Hitler finally gave up on invading Britain.
• He declared that they were powerless to oppose him
and did not actually need to be conquered
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According to Winston Churchill:
• "Never
in the field of human conflict was
so much owed by so many to so few."
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Speaking of the pilots fighting the Battle of Britain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIh6j80mFqM
Bombing Germany
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Britain began bombing Germany in May 1940
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Targeted German industrial sites and railways
Also targeted oil supplies
After Germany began bombing British cities, Britain
retaliated by bombing German cities
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British bombers were incredibly inaccurate
Partially because they had to fly at high altitudes to avoid
getting shot down
Only about 30% of bombs landed within 8km of the target
Area Bombing – 1942-1945
• Britain
started selected an entire area to be
bombed
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• By
Helped with the accuracy problem
destroying an entire area, including industry,
homes, schools, infrastructure, Britain hoped the
suffering of the citizens would force Germany to
end the war
• Most bombings occurred at night in waves
• Destroyed large portions of German cities
Expanded Area Bombing
• Operation
Millennium launched on May 30-31,
1942
• Over 1000 British bombers attacked Cologne for
2½ hours
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Destroyed 3300 homes, damaged 10,000 more
Destroyed 36 factories, damaged 270 more
• Largest
destruction was against Hamburg where
45,000 civilians were killed, 215,000 homes and
600 factories were destroyed
Losses from Bombing Raids
• 600,000
civilians killed, 800,000 wounded,
7,500,000 homeless in Germany
• 500,000 Soviet civilians killed
• 50,000 Italian civilians killed
• 160,000 Allied air crew killed
• 40,000 Allied aircraft destroyed or damaged
• Consumed up to 33% of British war production
and 11% of US military spending
Course of the land war in Europe
June 1941-May 1945
Europe in June 1941
• Germany
controlled all of central and western
Europe
• Germany decided to launch the largest invasion in
history against the world’s largest country
• Operation Barbarossa – the invasion of Soviet
Union – began on June 22, 1941
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3 million German troops, 3500 tanks, 7100 large
artillery units and 2000 aircraft
• Finland
joined Germany to regain its lost territory
German Advances
• By
July 16, 1941, Germany had advanced 650 km
in USSR and was only 325 km from Moscow
• In December 1941, the Soviets launched a
counterattack to prevent the capture of Moscow
• The Soviets had lost approximately 3 million
troops
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Germany had believed the Soviets would only last
until September, so they were unprepared for a longer
war
Soviet resistance and new German offensives
• Resistance
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to the Germany attack varied
Some welcomed the Germans and others were
indifferent
• Soviet
counterattacks from January to March 1942
were defeated and resulted in large losses of
troops
• Germany launched its new offensive, Case Blue,
against Stalingrad in the south to capture oilfields
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By August 9th Germany took control of USSR western
oilfields
Battle of Stalingrad
In September 1942, the
German army advanced on
the City of Stalingrad
• Stalingrad was a major
industrial city located on the
southern Volga River. Losing
it would cut the Russians off
from their oil fields in the
Caucasus region
• Stalingrad was also a
propaganda target since it
was named after Josef Stalin
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Battle of Stalingrad – Nazi Attack
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German 6th Army, the same army that had
taken France, advanced to Stalingrad with little
opposition
• The Russians fell back trying to buy time
• Hitler was convinced that the Red Army had been
destroyed and redirected the majority of the 6th
army to conquer the oil fields, which they did
• But he still expected the 6th Army to take
Stalingrad
Stalingrad must not fall
• As
the Germans approached, Stalin ordered that
the city be defended and held at all costs, and
that it not be evacuated.
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He thought Russian soldiers would fight harder for a
“live” city than for an abandoned one.
He made it a capital offense to leave the city…
anyone leaving could be executed!
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Luftwaffe bombed the city until it was
unrecognizable and after days of raids, the 6th
Army attacked.
Battle of Stalingrad
• Fighting
was intense as the Russians contested
control of every building. The city stretched for 15
miles along the west bank of the Volga, and every
inch was covered by machineguns and snipers.
Battle of Stalingrad
• The
Russian army secretly rearmed and built its
strength to the north and south of the city.
• Their plan was a pincer movement around the
city to encircle the German Army and cut it off
from supplies.
• The commander of German 6th Army asked to be
allowed to pull back from the city, even though
the Germans now had 90% of the city. Hitler
ordered him to stay put and fight.
Battle of Stalingrad – Counter-Attack
In November, the Soviet
attack came. The Russians
broke through the lines
above and below the city.
Their advance was so fast
that in just days, they met
and encircled the
Germans at Stalingrad.
• Once again Hitler ordered
his commander stay there
until help arrived.
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German Disaster
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As the Russians advanced,
the Germans trapped in
Stalingrad held out, but got
further and further from
their supplies
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By Spring 1943, it was over
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The commander himself
surrendered to the
Russians – the first time in
history that a German Field
Marshal was taken captive
by the enemy
This building, once a
department store, was the
German 6th Army command
headquarters during the battle.
German Disaster
150,000 German soldiers
were dead. Two full army
groups had been destroyed.
• 100,000 more Germans had
been captured, including
Field Marshal, Fredrich
Paulus, and 24 Generals.
• Of those, 10,000 were dead
within weeks of typhus, cold
and starvation in the
Russian POW camps.
• Only 6,000 ever saw home
again.
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Battle for Stalingrad
• Beginning
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwJKvrQlfks
• End
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47UHtDUc2
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End of the war in Europe
• After
the successful Allied invasions of Italy and
France, the Allies pushed toward Germany
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USSR from the East
USA and Britain from the West
• Germany
mounted its last offensive at the Battle
of the Bulge
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December 1944 in the Ardennes Forest
US troops eventually defeated the Germans in late
January 1945 and pushed on to Germany
End of the war in Europe
• Italy
had previously surrendered in September
1943
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German troops kept fighting in Italy until May 2, 1945
• Hitler
committed suicide on April 30, 1945
• Germany gave its unconditional surrender on
May 8, 1945