World War II: The inevitable war

Part I: Axis Aggression

Invasion of Poland

Blitzkrieg

FALL OF FRANCE

Fall of France• France & Great Britain stood by defensively while Germany conquered Poland, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands & Belgium

• “Sitzkrieg”

Fall of france• French & British troops were trapped by Germany’s rapid advance

• 300,000 French & British troops were evacuated at beaches of Dunkirk to Great Britain

Fall of france

Fall of france• June 14, 1940: Germany enter Paris & France surrenders

Fall of france• Germans occupy Northern France

• Vichy France: puppet government set up in Southern France

• Willingly collaborated with Nazi Germany

Fall of france

• General Charles DeGaulle led the government in exile – Free French

• French resistance fighters continued to try to disrupt German occupation of France with assassination & sabotage

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Battle of Britain • Britain is basically all alone!

• Winston Churchill = PM• Vows to never surrender!

Battle of Britain • Hitler plans invasion of Britain

• Summer 1940 Germany began a massive bombing campaign

• Sept: the “Blitz” (bombing) of London (57 consecutive nights!)

Battle of Britain • Luftwaffe (German Air Force) v. the Royal Air Force (RAF)

• British use RAF, radar, & code-breaking to resist the Germans!

• Hitler calls off attacks (no invasion of Britain!)

AMERICA’S SUPPORTING ROLE

• FDR = President• U.S. wants to remain neutral & avoid war, but FDR wants to strengthen Allies to resist Germany

America’s supporting role

• Cash & Carry: Allowed Allied nations to buy war goods from the United States

• PROVISIONS:• Required to pay in cash• Required to transport the goods on their own ships

America’s supporting role

America’s supporting role• Lend-Lease Plan: lend war equipment/goods to any country fighting against Germany

Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis• Tripartite Pact (1940):• Military alliance of the

AXIS Powers• Nazi Germany,

Fascist Italy & Imperial Japan

AXIS POWERS ON THE ATTACK

Axis Forces Attack North Africa

• Italy & Germany attacked French and British land holdings in North Africa

• Summer 1942: German forces under Erwin Rommel (aka “the Desert Fox”) drive British out of Libya

Axis forces in Balkans• Hitler invades Balkan countries to set up bases for attacking Soviet Union

Axis forces in balkans• Uses threat of force to get Hungary, Romania, & Bulgaria join Axis powers

• Yugoslavia & Greece resist but surrender quickly

Operation Barbarossa• Hitler’s plan for invasion of Soviet Union

• Hitler needed raw materials; oil & grain

• Planned a 3-pronged attack on the Soviet Union

Operation Barbarossa

• Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad

• Stalin responded with the scorched earth policy

• Russian winter + Soviet counterattack = German retreat

Japanese Aggression in Asia

• Japan attempted to take Dutch & French colonial land holdings in the Pacific

• The United States responded with a trade embargo against Japan (cuts off oil shipments)

• Dec 7, 1941 Japanese bombers attacked the US Pacific fleet based in Hawaii

• 2 hours = most US naval ships destroyed & more than 2,300 people killed

• BUT…aircraft carriers not in port!

Pearl Harbor

• Dec 8, 1941: FDR declares war!

Pearl Harbor

• Japanese attack Philippine islands defended by U.S.; Fall to Japanese in 1942

• Japan captures Hong Kong Singapore, Dutch East Indies, & Burma – sets sights on India

• Japanese forces treat conquered peoples & POWs brutally

Japanese Victories

WWII BELLIGERENTS

• Axis Powers: • Germany Hitler• Italy Mussolini• Japan Hirohito/Tojo

WWII BELLIGERENTS• Allied Powers:• Great Britain – Churchill• Soviet Union – Stalin• United States – Roosevelt• Government in Exile - “Free French” DeGaulle