Vocabulary Words blitzkrieg: lightning war amphibious: operating on land or water Luftwaffe: German Air Force

WWII in Europe and Africa September 1939 – May 1945

The War Begins 1939: Soviet Union and Germany sign a nonaggression pact. Keeps Soviets out of Germany’s conflicts. Agree to divide Poland. September 1, 1939: Hitler launches blitzkrieg on Poland. War begins.

Spring 1940: Hitler conquers Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. June 22, 1940: France surrenders to Germany. France under German control and occupation.

Battle of Britain AKA London Blitz Began August 1940. Operation Sea Lion. Hitler was afraid of launching an amphibious attack. To work, the Luftwaffe had to defeat the RAF (In other words, the German Air Force had to defeat the Royal Air Force). London bombed every night for 9 months.

I. Battles in Africa and Italy Thursday, March 3, 2011 I. Battles in Africa and Italy Benefits of driving the Germans from North Africa: Helped the Allies gain control of the Mediterranean. Would allow the Allies to invade Europe through Italy.

B. Battles in Africa June 1942 – May 1943 1. General Erwin Rommel (Germany) approaches the Suez Canal. 2. Allied Forces stopped Rommel’s forces in El-Alamein Egypt and pushed him into Tunisia.

3. May 1943: Axis forces in North Africa surrender.

Closure Write down 3 different facts you learned today. Use the vocabulary words from your Bell Work: blitzkrieg, amphibious, and Luftwaffe.

Bell Work Battle of Britain Poland Operation Sea Lion Matching: blitzkrieg Rommel c. France d. amphibious e. Luftwaffe f. North Africa Battle of Britain Poland Operation Sea Lion

Short Answer: 4. What happened to France at the beginning of WWII? 5. Name 1 reason North Africa was important to the Allies and 1 reason it was important to Germany.

C. Invading Italy July – September 1943 Liberating North Africa allowed the Allies to invade Italy. The Allies invaded Italy through Sicily.

3. The Allied forces swept through Italy and won. Thursday, March 3, 2011 3.  The Allied forces swept through Italy and won. 4. Mussolini was captured after a month of fighting.

Dwight Eisenhower Mastermind at strategic military planning. As a General, he seldom led troops on the battlefield. Planned most of the invasion of Italy. http://www.army.mil/d-day/message.html

II. D-Day June 6, 1944 Operation Overlord Allied invasion of Nazi occupied France.

C. Allied troops invaded the Normandy region from the English Channel.

Omaha Beach The Longest Day Most difficult landing. Over 2,000 men dead. The Longest Day By the end of the day, approximately 10,000 Allied soldiers had fallen.

D. Hitler believed the outcome of the attack would decide the war…

He was correct… E. Allied troops push through Normandy towards Paris. F. Paris liberated August 1944.

III. The Battle of the Bulge December 1944 Germany losing to Soviets in the East. Hitler orders his troops to attack Allies near Belgium and Luxembourg.

C. By the end of January 1945, Allied troops regained their losses and German defeat was imminent. D. Approximately 120,000 German casualties and 80,000 American casualties.

IV. Victory in Europe Yalta Conference Feb. 1945 Allies meet to plan for the end of war and Europe’s future. 2. Churchill (Britain), Roosevelt (U.S.), and Stalin (U.S.S.R.)

Spring 1945: B. April 12: President Roosevelt dies. Replaced by Harry S. Truman. C. April 20: Battle of Berlin begins. D. April 30: Hitler commits suicide. E. May 2: Soviets capture Berlin. F. May 8: German leaders surrender. Declared “Victory in Europe Day.”

Closure Explain why D-day and the Battle of the Bulge were significant to the Allied victory in WWII.