Download - Europe Goes to War!
Europe Goes to War!
Section 2
Axis Aggression
• Hitler begins occupying more of Czechoslovakia in March 1939
• Italy invades and occupies Albania
• Peace begins breaking down
Invasion of Poland (1939)
• Allies claim they will go to war if Hitler invades Poland
• Hitler signs 10 year nonaggression pact with Stalin
• Sept 1st Hitler invades Poland
• Sept 3rd Britain and France declare war on Germany
German Superiority
• More fire – power
• Used machine guns
• Used “Blitzkrieg” which was quick surprise aerial and land attack
• Took Poland in less than 1 month
Germany Attacks
• April 9th 1940 Hitler attacks Denmark and Norway
• April 10th launches blitzkrieg on Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium
• Overrun all these areas within 3 weeks
Maginot Line
• France’s greatest line of defense for its country
• Passed by Germany shortly after they invaded Belgium
• Split France and Britain’s main armies in two
Dunkirk
• Northern Troops retreated to the coastal city of Dunkirk
• Greatest rescue of all time occurs as 340,000 troops are carried across the English Channel under merciless attacks from the German Air Force
Dunkirk Evacuation
Fall of France
• June 10th 1940 Hitler turns south and the French govt. abandoned Paris
• June 22nd 1.5 million troops surrender and Hitler takes France
• Great Britain was now the only Allied power to stand against Germany
Battle of Britain
• In order for Hitler to take England he would have to destroy the British navy
• He attempted to do this through aerial assaults over the English Channel
Relentless Attacks
• At 1st Germany targeted only ports, radar installations, and oil storage tanks
• Next they began attacking civilian populations in London
• Britain retaliated by bombing Berlin
Courageous Defense
• Typical air raid consisted of German bombers accompanied by speedy fighters crossing the English channel
• Britain Royal Air Force’s job was to dodge the fighters and destroy the bombers
• 100’s of pilots would die, but they inflicted heavy damage on the German Air Force
Axis Control So Far:
• Rhineland• Austria• Czechoslovakia• Albania• Poland
• Denmark • Norway• Belgium• Netherlands• Luxembourg• Northern France
English Spitfire
• Single seat fighter
• Designed to be a short range interceptor fighter
• Used by allies throughout WWII
Heinkel He III (German Bomber)
• “Wolf” in sheep’s clothing
• Designed as a transport aircraft, but was actually a bomber, which was in violation of the Treaty of Versailles
• Germany made 5,000