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WWII. THE FIRST BATTLES. The Invasion of Poland . Begins September 1, 1939 Britian and France declare war on Sept. 3 Canada declares war on Germany on Sept. 10 Polish Army is crushed by the German Blitzkrieg - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
WWIITHE FIRST BATTLES
The Invasion of Poland Begins September 1, 1939 Britian and France declare war on Sept. 3 Canada declares war on Germany on Sept. 10 Polish Army is crushed by the German Blitzkrieg On Sept. 17, Soviet Army attacks Poland from the East
(part of the secret “Nazi-Soviet Pact” Poland is divided into three parts
1. Incorporated into the Soviet Union2. Incorporated into Germany (Poles are removed)
3. General Government: Controlled by Germany, A place for the Poles to live, also used for slave labor, concentration camps and natural resources
The Nazis in Poland The Poles were considered
“sub-human” by Hitler The Nazis were brutal to the
Polish people Executions, thievery and the
kidnapping of children were common
A special group of the S.S. (Einsatzgruppen) were sent into to destroy unwanted elements of the Polish population – the travelled behind the army, searched for and killed government officials, communists and Jews
Sitzkrieg – The Phony War Rather than attacking
Germany, the British and French prepare for WWI style battles
They rely on fortifications & trenches and simply wait for the Germans to attack first
Germany uses this time to go after the weaker countries of Europe
They capture Norway, Holland, Denmark and Belgium
The Nazis oppress these people install dictatorships
The Invasion of France France is invaded on May 12, 1940 The Britsh and French defender divide into two separate lines
(1st along the Belgian border, 2nd along the German border) Between the two lines is the Ardennes Forest, which was
lightly defended because it was believed the Germans wouldn’t be able to travel trough it
However, the Germans did go through the Ardennes and took the Allies by surprise
The British and French could not recover and were soon beaten
France surrenders – Northern France is controlled by Germany, Southern France is still controlled by the French in exchange for becoming and ally of Germany (The Vichy Regime)
The Miracle of Dunkirk After the French surrendered, the British Army was
severely outnumbered and quickly retreated back to the coast city of Dunkirk
However, it seemed like the German Army would destroy the British before they could bring enough ships to get them back to England
The British population came to the aid of the Army and average people took boats across the English Channel and picked up soldiers
From fishing boats to battleships, almost every boat in England contributed to the effort and the British Army was saved from destruction
The British promise to fight to the end!
Winston Churchill rallies the British
Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender
Key Points Poland is taken by the
Nazis and the Soviets The Nazis capture most of
western Europe The Nazis defeat France
and France is forced to join Germany
The British Army is saved at Dunkirk and Britain promises to fight to the end
Winston Churchill is awesome!