WWII

Appeasement•Hitler’s first step was to defy the Treaty of Versailles. • He will build up German army; send troops to

Germany’s Rhineland. •France and England do not interfere, and Hitler grows more ambitious appeasement, to “keep the peace”•In 1938, he will go into Austria and declare it part of Germany. •Finally, he will invade the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.

“Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor. They will have war.”

-Winston Churchill

Takeover of Poland•Hitler will sign a “nonaggression” pact with Russia. • In the pact they decide to divide Poland in half.

•Once Poland is attacked, France and Great Britain declare war on Germany WWII has started.

• After the quick collapse of Poland, no fighting took place until the spring.• In April of 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway.• In early May 1940, Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxemburg.

- Most of Eastern/Northern Europe fell within two weeks.• After protecting their Eastern borders, France was weak in the North.• The German Army ‘blitzkrieg-ed’ across Northern France raping the French armies.

• Days after the invasion of France, Paris is declared an open city in an effort to avoid destruction.• Officially surrendered June 21, 1940.• Accomplished in 6 weeks what they failed to do in 4 years during the first war.• Germany occupied Northern France.

- One of history’s most powerful nations, France, would be controlled by the German armies from July 1940 to August 1944.

• Britain was left to fight on its own. - A massive aerial war began with Germany.

• Britain suffered air raid bombings... Every night.- Germany tried to get England out of the war early.- In London, it was 100 straight days of chaos.

• It was Hitler’s goal to destroy England but not necessarily conquer it. Why?• This battle marked Hitler’s first major defeat.

"The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin...“ - Winston Churchill, 1940

• Nazis wanted a plan for Jewish containment.•All Jews were relocated to specific areas of large cities controlled and identified.

• Creation of the Council of Jewish Elders.- Known as Judenrat.

• Creation of Jewish police force.- Incorporated Jews themselves into the control tactics.

• Ghettoes were physically separated and established in run down parts of town.

• Overcrowding in the ghettoes was severe.- Multiple families living in single rooms.

- Unsanitary conditions.- Diseases begin to spread.

• Nazi propaganda the ghettoes were created for the protection of everybody.

- “Jews carried diseases”.• Mass starvation developed in the ghettoes.• Black markets developed.

Survivors

• ..Codename for German invasion and betrayal of the Soviet Union.• By 1941, it was obvious Hitler intended to attack the USSR.

- Initially planned to invade on May 15, 1941… Mid-Spring.

• However, because of Mussolini, his plan was delayed 6 weeks.• Thus, the Operation started in late June… in the midst of summer. • By November the Germans were about to capture the three biggest cities in Russia. • Germany would be halted by Russia’s three greatest defenses.

- Winter, land and people.•As the Germans acquired more land they also acquired more Jews and other “undesirables”. The Holocaust intensifies.

• The Nazis started using the Einsatzgruppen. - SS mobile killing squads. - Focused on the influential Poles

during the invasion of Poland.- Slaughter and deportation of Jews

The Final Solution

•After the ghettoes, there will be a systemic evacuation of Jews from the cities into Concentration Camps the “final solution” to the Jewish problem.

•The Camps ranged from work camps, hostage camps, “re-education” camps, and Extermination camps.

“Labor Camp”

Concentration Camps•Individuals arrived and were “sorted” by SS officers. • Those fit to live were taken one

way, those that were too old, too young, children, the sick, the mentally handicapped, and others were taken to the gas chambers.

•Prisoners were told to strip, separate valuable items, and take off their shoes thought they were going to be given baths.

•The ones that were “fit” were starved, put to hard labor, mentally and physically abused, beaten, and killed without cause.

•Dachau, Ravensbrueck, and Buchenwald

“Selection”

“Auschwitz”

Extermination Camps

•There were four extermination camps, including Treblinka and Chelmno. • These had the systematic killing of all new

arrivals. •Two others, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek were concentration/extermination camps.

Arbeit macht frei!

“Ruins in Auschwitz”

“Auschwitz Gas Chamber”

Largest number dead with 1.1 million

“Treblinka Mass Graves”

“Auschwitz Death March”

•At the end of the war, Himmler ordered the destruction of gas chambers and camp evacuations•60,000 prisoners were ordered on Death Marches across Germany.

NAZI Experimentation •Nazi experiments ranged from • Racial Experiments• War-injury exp. • Pharmaceutical drug testing exp.

•Dr. Josef Mengele, head doctor at Birkenau tested to prove the “superiority” of the Nordic race.

•Started first with small groups• Gypsy children• Twins• Dwarfs• People with abnormalities

•Later moved on to help the Luftwaffe with army experiments.

•Any survivors were then executed to study their bodies post-mortem.

“Post-Op Children with TB”

“Liberation of Buchenwald”

“Nazi death Trains”

“Survivors of Dachau”