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The Non-Aggression Pact was signed Aug. 23 1939 between Germany and the USSR.

Hitler and Stalin both agreed to not attack each other.

Land was promised to Stalin by Hitler.

They secretly agreed to divide up Poland.

Also secretly agreed that the USSR can control Finland and the Baltic countries.

Germany launched surprise attacks in Poland on Sept. 1, 1939

Planes invaded Poland’s airspace with bombs and terror

Hitler mercilessly bombed Warsaw (Capitol of Poland)

Poland fell three weeks before Sept 3, 1939

On Sept 3 – France and Britain declared war on the Axis Powers.

Hitler annexed western half of Poland, leaving eastern half for Stalin.

“Blitzkrieg” were named so because they

were fast moving

Hitler swept Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg and sent larger troops to the Ardenries (all apart of a strategy to strike at France)

Germans squeezed through the Maginot Line in 10 days.

May 26 1940 – Allied troops trapped in Lille

Allies escaped to Dunkirk, where Britain sent rescue ships from May 26 to

June 4 to save the Allied troops from the Axis powers.

June 10 – Italy joined the Axis powers and attacked France from the south.

June 22- France surrendered

French general Charles de Gaulle escaped to London to set up government in

exile committed to the liberation of France

France was eventually liberated in 1944

Germany planned to destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF) of Britain and land

250,000 soldiers on its shore

Hitler ordered bombings of Britain

British were outnumbered by almost 2:1

Sept. 7, 1940 – Germany raided cities with bombs (esp. London)

In 1938, Britain had acquired the technology of radar and a machine German code cracker called Enigma

The British fought back hard and refused to surrender

Eventually, Hitler turned to night raids instead in Oct 1940

On May 10, 1941, Hitler called off the attacks on Great Britain

June 22 1941 – Germans announced the Blitzkrieg attack upon the USSR.

USSR was unprepared and not all well equipped

Germans destroyed and burned everything in their path

Sept. 8, 1941 – Germany surrounded the city of Leningrad, which refused to surrender despite the starvation of the civilians

Oct. 2, 1941 – Nazis started to move towards Moscow

USSR General Georgi Zhukov counterattacked

The Soviets had the harsh winter and 100 fresh Siberian troops on their side

Germans were in their summer uniforms and their fuel and oil froze

Germans refused to retreat and lost the battle.

Passed March 1941 by Congress

President can lend or lease American arms and other supplies to any country vital to the USA.

Summer of 1941 - the US Navy escorted British ships which carried US arms

Britain would pay cash and then carry the arms on their

own ships

Hitler ordered submarines to sink cargo ships

On Aug 29 1941 – President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill secretly met on a battle ship off Newfoundland

They drafted the Atlantic Charter which upheld free trade among nations and the right of

people to choose their own government

This charter later reused as the Allies peace plan at the end of WWII

Japan believed that Pearl Harbor was a “dagger pointed at [their] throat” that has to be destroyed.

December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor was bombed under the Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

The Japanese had sunk and damaged 18 ships, eight of which were battleships. – which was nearly the whole US Pacific fleet

2400 American were killed and over 100 people were injured.

Congress then declared war on Japan the next day.