GERMAN AGGRESSION IN WW2 _____ – Hitler re-arms Germany _______________ limited Germany’s army Hitler openly began building up the military US, Britain and France did nothing! (______________)

March of _____________ Unification of Germany and ___________ The Munich Conference

The Start of WWII _______, 1939, Hitler declares war on _____ The first ____________ (Lightning War) “_______________________” (large groups of tanks) punch holes in Polish defenses, drive deep into enemy territory ________ (foot soldiers) follows through gaps Dive bombers strike deep inside Poland, attack ___________ and ________________

The fall of __________ The Polish military is large but outdated Poland was allies with Britain and France. ___________, Britain and France declared war on Germany, but they ____________________ ___________________________________ ! Sept. 17 th, _____invades Poland from the east! Hitler and Stalin had signed a non-aggression pact in 1939 and had secretly agreed to divide Poland between them. Poland surrendered in __________

Denmark and Norway Hitler wants control of the _____________ Attacks Denmark with bombers and paratroopers Denmark surrenders in ___________! Norway is protected by water, harder to attack Germany invades by air and sea Norway surrenders in _____________

Netherlands and Belgium Both have small armies and want to stay _______________ Hitler wants to control the “_______________” (the entire Atlantic coast of Europe) Hitler attacks. Minor resistance, but both fall within ____________

___________ The French army was as large and as strong as Germany’s France had built a huge system of defenses along the border called the __________________ British troops protected the _____________ border

France Only one gap existed in the defenses – the ___________________… Germany attacked through the __________! Attacked the Maginot Line from ________, cutting off most of the French army __________________the British and remaining French troops in the north

France France surrendered in ______________ General ____________________escaped and organized the French Resistance

Battle of __________ Hitler wanted to invade Britain, but Britain was an _______protected by the British Navy Hitler’s Plan Step 1: destroy Britain’s ___________ (RAF); Step 2: use the German air force (_________) to chase away the British ________ Step 3: invade Britain across the __________ _____________

Battle of Britain Luftwaffe outnumbered the RAF _____ Britain built planes and trained pilots as fast as possible ____________ rallied the British people “We shall defend our __________, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the ____________, 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 _______________.”

Battle of Britain The Luftwaffe ______________________; Hitler calls off the invasion Churchill: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” But, Germany continued _______________ British cities for ______ more years! (“________________”)

USSR ____________, Hitler broke his non- aggression pact with ____________ and launched the largest invasion in history (_______________________!) “________________________________” Germany _________ captured hundreds of miles of Soviet territory, killed and captured millions of Russians…

USSR, cont. Stalin makes an alliance with ____________, but there is little __________ can do to help Stalin ordered his army to stop the Germans at all cost, but the Germans still advanced By ___________, the German army was just a few miles from capturing ____________…

December 1941 The Allies are in ____________; Hitler appears __________________ The only country strong enough to stop Hitler is the ______, but most _____________ are ____________ Churchill goes to _____________ and begs Roosevelt for help, but FDR says the US will ________________________________________ Then, on _______________________, Churchill’s prayers are answered in an unexpected way…