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