Download - 16.1 Hitler’s Lightning War
16.1 Hitler’s Lightning
WarMs. BielefeldSpring 2012
Germany Sparks a New War in EuropeStalin signed 10 year
agreement: Non-Aggression Pact—with Germany saying they wouldn’t fight
Using a sudden mass attack, Germany overran much of Europe & North Africa
Hitler’s actions began World War II
Hitler calls for war against Poland.
Germany’s Lightning AttackSurprise attack on September 1, 1939
Blitzkrieg—lighting war
Used planes, tanks, & massive amounts of troops
Defeated Poland in 3 weeks
France and Britain declare war on September 3
Fast moving tanks headed for Poland
Soviets Make Their MoveSept. 17, 1939--
Stalin sent Soviet troops to occupy the Eastern half of Poland
Stalin then attacked Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland (Finland resisted)
A Phony WarAfter Poland fell, there was a 7 month stop in
fighting
French & British stationed troops along the Maginot Line—system of fortifications along France’s border with Germany
Nothing happened & referred to as a “phony war”
April 9, 1940—Hitler launched a surprise attackDenmark fell in hoursNorway fell in two months
Germany began to build bases along the coast to launch strikes on Britain
Maginot Line
The Fall of FranceHitler sends tanks through the Ardennes—heavily
wooded area in Northern France, Luxm., & BelgiumGermans squeeze between the Maginot Line &
moved across France
June 22, 1940—France surrenders
Rescue at DunkirkGermans trapped Allied forces around the Northern
French city of LilleAllies retreated to the beaches of Dunkirk, French
PortGreat Britain set out to rescue the ArmyShips crossed the English Channel & carried 338,000
soldiers to safety
British troops on the beaches of Dunkirk
Rescue at
Dunkirk
British soldiers aboard ship during mass evacuation at Dunkirk
A Belgian mother & her children
The Fall of France Cont.Resistance in France crumbles after
DunkirkGermans take ParisFrench leaders surrenderGermans take N. France & leave S. France
to a puppet government called Vichy FranceCharles de Gaulle—French general set up
exile gov’t in London & commits to taking back FranceWill battle Nazi’s until France was liberated in
1944
German troops in Paris
French surrender to Germany, June 22, 1940
The Battle of BritainBritain stood alone against the Nazis
Winston Churchill—new Prime Minister of BritainHitler wanted to destroy R.A.F.—Royal Air Force,
then land troopsLuftwaffe—German air force, began bombingBritish fight back
Technological advances help BritainRadar—could tell #, speed, & direction of
LuftwaffeEnigma—decoded German messagesStunned by British resistance, Hitler calls off the
attack
Key to this battle: Hitler could be defeatedR.A.F. pilots
Luftwaffe MC-202 Trainer
R.A.F. Pilots
Radar
The Enigma
The Eastern Front & MediterraneanHitler turned attention to the
Mediterranean, Balkans, and USSR
Axis forces attack N. Africa Mussolini orders attack on EgyptSuez Canal was key to oil in Middle East
Britain strikes backHitler sends in Afrika Korps—German tank
forces led by Erwin Rommel—later called the Desert Fox for his success
German tanks move into Greece
Erwin Rommel The Desert Fox
War in the BalkansHitler was planning to attack USSR from the
BalkansHitler persuaded Bulgaria, Romania, & Hungary
to join the Axis
June 22, 1941—Germany invades the USSROperation Barbarossa—plan to invade the USSRTried to starve out LeningradWinter stopped them as they pushed toward
MoscowGermans retreatHitler will gain nothing but 500,000 German
deaths
German tanks roll into the USSR
Harsh WinterConditions
U.S. Aids AlliesDespite isolation, Congress passed Lend-
Lease ActU.S. would sell goods & weapons to our alliesEnriched U.S. economyU.S. called the “Arsenal of Democracy”
German U-boats attacked ships
FDR & Churchill passed the Atlantic CharterUpheld free trade, right to choose own gov’tU.S. in undeclared naval war with HitlerPost-WWII peace plan
Tank headed to the Allies