WWII Battles

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Where did Hitler plan to attack next? Why?

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

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  

Hitler Prepares to attack France What are his options?

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

Maginot Line

Maginot Line

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

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

Battle of Dunkirk

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

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)

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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 2. Kiev 3. Leningrad How? Blitzkrieg

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

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

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

Battle of Stalingrad Hitler Reasons - Destroy Russian Morale, Oil Stalin - Hold city at all costs Russians counterattack in Nov. 1942 – Why? “General Winter” Russians encircle German army Hitler refuses to allow troops to retreat

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

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

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.

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

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

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

North Africa Who: Vichy French controlled Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia Italy controlled Libya British controlled Egypt German forces American forces What 1940 - Italy attacked British in Egypt - 1942 Hitler sent Erwin Rommel a.k.a “the Desert Fox” to help

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

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

Battle of North Africa

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

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

End of Mussolini

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

Identifying the Jews Nuremburg Laws

Polish Ghetto

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

Concentration Camps

Images of Auschwitz Largest Concentration Camp 1 million die

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?

3rd Reich Before the D-Day Invasion

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

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

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

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

Images from D-day

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

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

Battle of the Bulge

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Images of Nagasaki and Hiroshima

Atomic Bomb

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

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