The Invasion of Poland

Soviet Invasion of Finland

The ‘Winter’ War, Finland

The ‘Winter War’, Finland

Invasion of Scandinavia, 1940

The Maginot Line

Underground plan of Maginot Line

Invasion of Low Countries, France

The Bombing of Rotterdam, 1940

The encirclement at Dunkirk

Encirclement at Dunkirk

Troops awaiting evacuation, Dunkirk

Evacuation at Dunkirk, 1940

The Defeat of France, May – June 1940

• French inferior air force, lack tank mobility (all panzers have radio communication) despite build-up since 1936.

• Yet German strength overstated – surprised by own success• French general Maurice Gamelin ignores Belgian and Swiss warnings of

attack between Meuse and Moselle.• French DO fight (85,000 killed in 6 weeks; 1.5 million captured) Prime

Minister Paul Reynaud resigns on June 18• Field Marshal Philippe Pétain signs armistice 4 days later• Gen. De Gaulle flees to London; organises Free French• New government established in Vichy ‘free zone’ in south• Northern France under direct Nazi occupation• About 600,000 French will die in WWII, (about half WWI losses)• A third of Luftwaffe’s planes destroyed or damaged in campaign

Hitler in Paris

The Battle of Britain, 8 – 11/1940

• Royal Air Force has 2500 pilots and 2,000 planes– 1900 Brits, 1100 Commonwealth pilots, 7 US– 220 Poles and Czechs; 40 Belgians and Free French– 1000 casualties (550-600 dead)

• Germany has 2500 planes but suffer greater losses• More critically, British able to outproduce them• Radar gives warnings of coming German attacks• Hitler switches targets from airfields to London• Ends German threat of invasion of Britain

Battle of Britain map

Always good for a quote, Churchill

Air raid shelter, The ‘Blitz’