World War II18.1 The Outbreak of World War II

Nazi ExpansionMarch 1939 Hitlers armies occupied all of CzechoslovakiaHitler wants Polish city of Danzig= defies Munich AgreementPoles refuse to surrender city

Nazi ExpansionFrance & BritainWill go to war with Germany if Hitler attacks PolandHope for Soviet help against Nazis

Soviet/Nazi Nonaggression PactAugust 23, 1939Stalin & Hitler agree not to attack each otherShocks the world since Stalin had been against fascismSecretly agreed to divide Poland

War Breaks OutSept. 1, 1939German armies invade PolandSept. 3, 1939Britain & France declare war on Germany & become the Allied PowersSoviet troops also invade eastern Poland and FinlandPoland conquered in less than 1 month

Presidential Election / 1940Roosevelt wins reelection for his unprecedented third term

Won by promising to keep America out of war

Secretly knew that American involvement was unavoidable

Lend-Lease ActWar materials flowed between Britain & the USBritain cant pay for the suppliesRoosevelt proposed the US lend or lease the supplies to BritainLater extended to Soviets$50 billion shipped totalUs received land for military bases

The Fall of France

German Blitzkrieg = The use of tanks, planes, paratroopers, and advanced communications to attack quickly and overwhelm ones opponent Means Lightning War

France Mobilizes & FallsFrench troops mobilized on the Maginot Line = Fortification on the southern border between Germany & FranceGermans defeated Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Northern France

France Mobilizes & FallsGermans go around Maginot Line through Ardennes ForrestBeat France in 1.5 MonthsBritish forced off continent at Dunkirk= Huge FailureGermany established a puppet French government in the south at Vichy = Vichy Regime

Battle of BritainMay 10, 1940:Winston Churchill: elected PM of BritainBritain stands alone against the AxisChurchill opposed appeasement towards Hitler & continued fighting

Battle of BritainAugust 1941Massive, daily & nightly bombings of British cities by Luftwaffe (German Air Force)German Goal: Break British will to fight; doesnt workBritish Royal Air Force used radar & destroyed more German planes

Operation BarbarossaJuly 1941 Need Oil fuel for armyHitlers Generals against thisHitler invades the Soviet UnionViolates their agreement; Soviets caught off guardTwo front war

Battle of the AtlanticGerman U-Boats Continued to cause serious damage to Allied ships & suppliesAllies counteracted with Better sonarFaster escort shipsBombing of submarine shipyardsNazis lost 783 U-Boats

*Danzig- Semi-auntonomous city, aligned with Poland but a free city since 1920 by the Treaty of Versailles1933- Nazi Party takes control of Danzig city politics**********British troops evacuating Dunkirk****Winter in Russia, not the best to fight*German U-Boat shelling a merchant ship after it was torpedoed*