1. WWII Battles

2. Objectives
Identify the characteristics and results of the major battles in WWII
Identify the Turning Points in WWII

3. WWII Begins Battle of Poland
Date: September 1, 1939
Location: Poland
Tactics: Blitzkrieg – fast moving planes and
tanks followed by infantry
Results:
Poland Surrenders
Sept. 27, 1939
Poland Split between Germany & USSR

4. Battle of Poland
What did the German air force do to Poland?

5. What happened after the Battle of Poland in the winter of 1939 and spring of 1940?

6. Phony War or Sitzkrieg Winter 1939-Spring 1940
France stayed at the Maginot Line, waiting for the Germans.
Neither side committed to a significant attack
British and France prepare for war.

7. Finland Soviet Union Early 1940-March 1940
Stalin forced the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia to accept Soviet military bases. When he tried to do that with Finland, war broke out.
Fins held out until March before the Soviets forced them to surrender.
As a result, the Soviets moved their frontier 70 miles west

8. Where did Hitler plan to attack next? Why?

9. Scandinavia Denmark and Norway Why?
Wanted to control the Baltic and North Sea for access to Atlantic
Claim France and Great Britain are planning to attack
Hitler’s Demands: accept “protection from the Third Reich”
Results:
Denmark accepts
Norway was defeated
Hitler gains access to the Atlantic
Neville Chamberlain (British Prime) Minister forced to resign
Winston Churchill new Prime Minister

10. Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium
May 10, 1940
Massive attacks on the land
First large-scale airborne attack in the history of warfare
Dutch surrendered five days later

11. Hitler Prepares to attack France
What are his options?

12. Maginot Line
Line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses along the French-German border

13. Maginot Line

14. Maginot Line

15. The Miracle of Dunkirk British Forces German Forces
300,000 British, French and Belgian troops trapped by German Panzers (Tanks) at Dunkirk
German Forces
The Miracle of Dunkirk

16. Miracle of Dunkirk
Citizen action - citizens of Britain bring 850 boats -yachts, fishing boats, tugs, trawlers, destroyers and cruisers to rescue the trapped soldiers

17. Battle of Dunkirk

18. France Falls Germans continue sweep toward Paris
French turn over Paris to the Germans, rather than see it destroyed

19. Results of Battle of France
Northern France - Nazi Occupied
Southern France –
Vichy Government = Puppet Govt. controlled by Nazi’s
led by French Traitor Henri Petain
Free French Government set up in Britain under
Charles de Gaulle (French General)

20. Hitler sets his sights on Britain
What 3 things did Hitler do to try and get the
British to submit?
What did Churchill offer the people of England?

21. Battle of Britain Operation Sea Lion
Hitler’s Plan:
Knock out British Royal Air Force
Land 250K soldiers on shores of England
Summer 1940 Luftwaffe bombs Great Britain’s factories and airfields
RAF 2000 planes vs. Germans 4500
British 3 secret weapons:
Radar
Enigma – German secret code machine
Blackout

22. The Blitz – Bombing of Civilians
Sept 7 – Hitler begins bombing London and other cities
Why? To break British Moral
Germans lose 2300 planes vs. British 600
British citizens are bombed day and then night
Hitler could not defeat the British

23. The Blitz Where did Londoner’s stay during the bombings?
How many civilians lost their lives?

24. Winston Churchill
“Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.”
Who is Churchill referring to?

25. Nazi Aggression (1940-1941) Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria
Joined the axis powers in Nov. 1940
Economically dependent on Germany
Provided troops for the invasion of Soviet Union
Allowed Germany to attack Yugoslavia and Greece
Yugoslavia and Greece
Delays invasion of Soviet Union by 6 weeks
April 1941 Yugoslavia and Greece defeated
British divert troops from North Africa to help– 2nd Dunkirk

26. What was the code name for the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union ?
Operation Barbarossa
Why?
Living Space, Oil, Wheat
When?
June 22, 1941
Who?
3 Million German troops attack along an 1800 mile front
What?
3 Pronged attack
1. Moscow Kiev
3. Leningrad
How?
Blitzkrieg

27. Soviet Invasion
Scorched earth policy - Stalin’s order to destroy anything of value (land, materials )that can be used by the Germans
By November - Nazis control 40% of Soviet population and are near Moscow
Hitler’s Big Mistake
Generals say take Moscow
Hitler spits his troops and sends
some to Leningrad and Stalingrad

28. Soviet Invasion
Stalin’s Plan: 3 Russian Generals - Time, Winter, Distance
Nazi Problems: Thin Supply lines, Exhausted troops
Lack of winter clothing
By December Nazi’s are 20 miles from Moscow
General Zhukov arrives with reserves (freed prisoners) from Siberia & winter sets in
Nazis unable to take Moscow

29. Soviet Union Siege of Leningrad ( Nov. 1941-Jan. 1944)
1 Million Russians trapped inside Leningrad die of starvation, cold, disease

30. Battle of Stalingrad Hitler Reasons - Destroy Russian Morale, Oil
Stalin - Hold city at all costs
Russians counterattack in Nov – Why?
“General Winter”
Russians encircle German army
Hitler refuses to allow troops to retreat

31. Battle of Stalingrad Turning point 1st major defeat for Hitler
broke the German Military - lose 20 Generals, best soldiers and equip.
Germany no longer on the offensive on
Eastern Front

32. U.S. Involvement - Europe
Neutrality Acts (1937) – prohibited sale of arms to warring nations
Destroyers for Bases (1940) – gave England WWI destroyers in exchange for naval bases
Cash-n-Carry (1940) – cash for supplies
Lend Lease (1940) – lend war equipment to Britain
Atlantic Charter (1941) – FDR & Churchill called for destruction of Nazi’s

33. Pacific
Japanese Attack French (Indochina) and British (Singapore) Colonies in SE Asia.
Why? French and British occupied with Hitler
U.S. Retaliates
Bans sale of scrap metal, oil, and freezes Japanese Assets in U.S.

34. Why did the Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor?
To retaliate for cutting off oil supplies
U.S. will try and prevent Japanese Expansion
Destroy U.S. Pacific Fleet and avoid US naval interference in the Pacific
Yamamoto - masterminded surprise attack

35. Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 6am on a Sunday Morning Surprise Attack
19 American ships destroyed
188 Airplanes destroyed
2400 people killed
USS Arizona – 1100 die

40. North Africa Importance
Control of Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Straights of Gibraltar
Access to oil fields in the Middle East
Open a Second Front

41. North Africa
Who:
Vichy French controlled Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia
Italy controlled Libya
British controlled Egypt
German forces
American forces
What
Italy attacked British in Egypt -
1942 Hitler sent Erwin Rommel a.k.a “the Desert Fox” to help

42. Battle of El Alamein
El Alamein – British (Montgomery) attack German’s (Rommel)
German’s are pushed out of Egypt to Libya and defeated in Jan. 1943
Turning Point – beginning of the end for Nazi in N. Africa

43. Operation Torch
Allies “Pincer Strategy” – Advance from east and west to squeeze the Nazi’s out of North Africa
US (Eisenhower) from the west; British (Montgomery) from the east
May 1943 – Allies have all of N. Africa
What does this set up?
**Allied Control of Mediterranean Sea - Can launch attack on Southern Europe

44. Battle of North Africa

45. Invasion of Italy Allies attack Sicily
King Victor Emmanuel III fires Mussolini and has him arrested
New Italian government signs armistice
Allies meet tough resistance from Germans on Italian Peninsula

46. End of Mussolini
Mussolini tries to escape to Switzerland, but instead….

47. End of Mussolini

48. The Jewish Problem First Solution – Emigration
1933 Boycott of Jewish Business – purpose to isolate Jews socially and economically;
1933 Camps and Deportations of German Jews - forced emigration of Jews from Germany begins
1935 Nuremburg Laws – Deprived German Jews of Citizenship ; identification of Jews through yellow star of David
1938 Kristallnacht – campaign of terror against German Jews
Second Solution - Isolation
Ghetto’s – designated/isolated areas in towns and cities
Deportations of Jews throughout Europe

49. Identifying the Jews Nuremburg Laws

50. Polish Ghetto

51. The Final Solution
Final Solution - code word for destruction of all European Jews
Genocide – deliberate destruction of a race, religious, or ethnic group
concentration camps
Mass Shootings
Starvation
Poison gas

52. Concentration Camps

53. Images of Auschwitz Largest Concentration Camp 1 million die

54. 6 Million Die – Only 4 Million Survive
Country
Killed
Survive
Original
Poland
3 M
10%
3.3M
USSR
1.3 M
30%
2.85M
Germany &
Austria
200K
16%
240K
Netherlands
104K
25%
140K
Czech
271K
14%
315K
Which country lost the most Jews?

55. 3rd Reich Before the D-Day Invasion

56. Invasion of France Challenges
Atlantic Wall – series of coastal fortifications along the Atlantic coast built by the 3rd Reich to prevent invasion
English Channel

57. Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord - Code name for Invasion of France
Purpose – open up the Western Front and drive the Nazi’s out of France
Date – June 6, 1944

58. Deception at Calais
Elaborate Plan by Allies to Deceive Hitler into thinking attack would be at Calais, France, NOT Normandy
Discouraged Germans from reinforcing troops at Normandy
Sherman Tank made of Inflated Rubber

59. D-Day Invasion Why? __________________________
June 6, 1944 D-Day Invasion on the Normandy coast of France.
Allied paratroopers dropped in behind enemy lines to help secure the beaches.
176,000 allied troops landed on Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword and Juno beaches marking the largest amphibious assault in history

60. Images from D-day

61. D-Day Results 3,000/150,000 Americans die on 1st day .
1 Million additional soldiers arrive within 1 month
September 1944, France is Liberated

62. Battle of the Bulge Significance - Last German Offensive
Germany army tries to break through Allied forces which creates a “bulge” in the Allied defenses

63. Battle of the Bulge

64. V-E Day Victory Europe V-E Day – May 8, 1945 End of War in Europe
Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in his command bunker.
April 12 Roosevelt died - Who was president?

65. Japanese Take the Pacific
Why? Need supplies, raw materials and oil
What? Dutch East Indies, Malaysia, Burma, Hong Kong, French Indochina and the Philippine Islands.
U.S. chooses to make
Hitler a Priority
Strategy in Pacific –
Defensive not Offensive

66. Battle of Midway U.S. Secret Weapon U.S. Ambush Turning Point –
Broke Japanese Code
U.S. Ambush
Japanese lose aircraft carriers and planes
Turning Point –
1. Japanese defeat
2. Ends Japanese Control of Pacific

67. What is Island Hopping
Island Hopping - Attack only strategic locations to get closer to Japan
By-passed Japanese islands would be cut-off from supply lines

68. Iwo Jima March, 1945 660 Miles from Tokyo
Japanese start with 23,000 troops, end with 1,000
U.S. losses high
Indicated - expected results of invasion on Japanese mainland

69. Okinawa June 1945 350 Miles from Tokyo
Close enough to launch an invasion of
Japan
One of bloodiest battles in the Pacific
U.S. losses – 12,000
Japanese losses – 110,000

70. What happened at the Yalta Conference?
Who - Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill
When - February, 1945
What - Discuss Post War World
Divide Germany and Berlin between Allies
Soviets agree to help defeat Japan in exchange for territory
Soviets agree to join UN

71. What happened at the Potsdam Conference?
Who? Churchill, Truman Stalin
When? August, 1945
What? Discuss post war world
Ultimatum to Japan - Unconditional surrender
Divide Germany and Berlin into 4 zones
Demilitarize Germany

72. Truman’s Choices Invasion of Japan Get Russia to attack
Continue bombing Japan
Change conditions of surrender
Drop the Atomic Bomb

73. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Estimates of Casualties
Hiroshima
Nagasaki
Pre-raid population
255,000
195,000
Dead
66,000
39,000
Injured
69,000
25,000
Total Casualties
135,000
64,000

74. Images of Nagasaki and Hiroshima

75. Atomic Bomb

76. V-J Day Victory Japan
V-J day August 15, 1945 – End of fighting in Pacific
Emperor Hirohito Quits - Symbolic to get military to stop fighting
No longer need to fight to the death for him
Japan Surrenders to MacArthur – September 2, 1945

77. Effects of WWII
Largest Civilian and Military Casualties in History – 55Million, 22M Russians
Most Costly War in History
Map of Europe Re-drawn
War Crimes Trials
Nuremburg
Japan
12 Million homeless
More Destruction than any other war