War in Europe

Germany’s Lightning AttackNew military strategy

Blitzkrieg - “lightning war” fast moving planes and tanks Massive infantry forces

Poland falls quickly Germany annexes western half

Soviets move inSept 17

Stalin enters Eastern half of Poland Annexes Estonia, Lithuania, latvia Finland resists

Winter battles March 1940 sheer force of numbers

Finland surrenders

Phony war French and British mobilize along

Maginot line

Maginot Line

Phony War cont.April 9, 1940

“sitting war” ends Hitler attacks Denmark and

Norway Denmark falls in 4 hours Norway surrenders in 2 months

Build bases to attack Britain

Fall of France May 1940

Germans sweep throughNetherlands (Holland)BelgiumLuxembourg

Germany attacks France through Ardennes forestAvoided Maginot linePushed allied troops to port

city of DunkirkGermans stopped

Why?

Rescue at DunkirkGreat Britain sends fleet of

ships to evacuate allied forcesEvery ship availableAir supportMay 26 – june 4

Saved 338,000 soldiers

France Falls June 14 – Germans take Paris June 22, 1940 – French leaders surrender

Germans take control of Northern France Vichy government – puppet Charles de Gaulle

Sets up Free French army & gov’t in London

Battle of Britain Winston Churchill

“We shall never surrender” Hitler’s plan

1.Knock out Royal air force2.Land 250,000 soldiers

B. Of Br. Cont. Summer 1940

Luftwaffe – begins bombing British airfields and aircraft factories

Sept 7 – begin bombing London Break morale

British never waver

B. Of Br. Cont. RAf fights back

Radar Enigma – code breaking machine Germans turned to night bombings

Continued to May 10, 1941 Hitler decides to concentrate on

Mediterranean and Middle east Nazis could be blocked

MediterraneanFocus on Northern Africa

Mussolini vs. British in Egypt Feb 1941, Br. Swept across N.

Africa Taken 130,000 Italian prisoners

Afrikan Corps Erwin Rommel “Desert fox” Defeats British

BalkansHitler plans to invade soviet

union Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary join

Axis powers (’41) Yugoslavia, Greece resist April 1941 – Hitler invades both

Both fall within 3 weeks

Soviet unionOperation BarbarossaJune 22, 1941 Hitler invades

USSRSoviets not preparedScorched earth

Sept 8 – reach Leningrad

LeningradBy Nov. City cut off from rest

of soviet unionHitler to starve entire cityCity refuses to fall

1,000,000 died

MoscowHitler impatient

Turns to moscowCounterattacked by SovietsHitler orders “No retreat”

Lines dug in 125 miles west of moscow 1 ½ years

Back to AfricaBritish and MontgomeryAmericans and EisenhowerOperation Torch

Catch rommel’s Afrikan Corps in between

Defeated may 1943

Battle of Stalingrad Aug 23, 1942 Luftwaffe night bombings

Stalin refused to surrender Germans controlled 90% of city

Winter sets in Soviets outside city counterattack Feb 2, 1943

Germans surrendered

Italy Allied forces invade Sicily July 25 King Victor Emmanuel III orders

Mussolini arrested Sept 3 Italy surrenders April 27, 1945

Mussolini captured while trying to escape Shot and hung body in town square

Victory in EuropeOperation overlord

Invasion of FranceEisenhower commanderSet-up dummy army to look

like invasion at CalaisHitler convinced

D-Day June 6, 1944 Landed at Normandy Stormed fortified beaches

2700 Americans dies one day Held beaches

1,000,000 additional troops landed Led by Gen. George Patton allies reach

paris in month

Battle of the Bulge Finally German offensive Surprise attack at center of Allied lines –

Dec 16, 1944 Engulfed by allied army

Forced to surrender

Surrender Soviets surround Berlin Allies moving in from west April 30 – Hitler commits suicide May 7, 1945

Eisenhower accepts unconditional surrender

V-E DayMay 9, 1945