1. Hitler’s Lightning War Part 1 of 2
Chapter 16.1
Europe

2. Germany’s lightning attack
September 1, 1939, after signing nonaggression pact, Hitler Invades Poland.
France and Britain declare war on Germany September 3.
Poland fell before any help could arrive.

3. Blitzkrieg (lightning war)
Poland fell to Germany’s strategy, the blitzkrieg:
Fast moving tanks and planes
Invasion of massive infantry force
Idea was to surprise and overwhelm the enemy

4. Soviet Invasion September 17, Stalin invades eastern Poland
Annexes countries north of Poland.
Finland resists
Stalin sends 1 million troops to crush them

5. Phony War
After declaring war Britain and France station troops along Maginot Line.
Fortified positions along French/German border
Waited for Germans to attack
Nothing happens. Armies stare at each other
April , Hitler surprise attack on Denmark and Norway

6. Maginot Line

7. Fall of France
Hitler sends large tank force through the Ardennes in France
Sneak past Maginot Line
Cross France to north coast in ten days

8. Rescue at Dunkirk Germany traps Allies in Lille in North France
Allies outgunned with backs to the sea
Great Britain uses 850 ships to rescue the Allied army
May 26-June 4
Save 338,000 soldiers

9. France Falls After Dunkirk French resistance fails
June 14 Germany takes Paris
June 22 took control of northern France
Left puppet government in southern France
French government in Exile in London under Charles de Gaulle

10. The Battle of Britain Britain alone against Germany Churchill Speech
Summer 1940 Hitler bombs British aircraft factories and airfields
September begin bombing cities

11. Battle of Britain RAF outnumbered
Radar and German code making machine help RAF start to win
To avoid raids by RAF Germany gave up bombing during the day
October 1940 only night bombing
Called Battle of Britain

12. Allies Lesson Bombing ended May 10, 1941
Hitler stunned by British resistance
Taught Allies they could block Hitler’s attacks

13. SECTION 16.1: WORLD WAR TWO: Africa, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union

14. Germany invades Poland
USSR invades Poland
USSR invades Baltics
USSR invades Finland
Germany invades Denmark and Norway
Germany invades Benelux nations
Germany invades France
Battle of Britain and the Blitz
United Kingdom
Germany
Italy
USSR

15. Italy invades Egypt
British forces kick the Italians’ fascist backsides
United Kingdom
Germany
Italy
USSR

16. The British couldn’t lose the canal, or access to the oil fields in the Middle East (most of which they controlled). Of course, Hitler wanted it too.
Hitler sent Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, to take on the British in North Africa.

17. The Germans, of course, found the Lost Ark of the Covenant and if it weren’t for Indiana Jones, all would be lost….
… no, not really.

18. Rommel chases the British out of Egypt
They would go back and forth for some time
Eventually, the Americans under General Patton show up and get rid of the Germans for all
United Kingdom
Germany
Italy
USSR

19. Of course, Hitler didn’t care that much about Africa – he told the whole world in Mein Kampf that his goal was to invade the Soviet Union.
He wanted lebensraum.
But first he had to build some bases to supply the massive armies he would need.

20. Germany “persuades” Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania to join his cause.
They didn’t like the Soviets much either.
Germany and Italy invade Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece – countries that weren’t willing to go along with Hitler’s plan.
United Kingdom
Germany
Italy
USSR

21. On June 22, 1941 Operation Barbarossa was launched.
Stalin’s top advisers had warned him of an attack.
The Red Army was unprepared, poorly equipped, poorly trained, and poorly led. It was a complete disaster for the USSR.
Uncle Joe was TIME’s Man of the Year in 1940

22. Army Group Center tried to reach Moscow and force Stalin to surrender.
Prisoners and troops from Siberia were shipped in to stop the Nazis some 20 miles from Moscow, saving the city.
Army Group South tried to push into the Caucasus region – rich with oil.
Hitler decided he needed to take the city of Stalingrad on the way.
Army Group North surrounded Leningrad for nearly 700 days.
Hitler tried to starve the city to death, but they hung on.
Most of the Soviet Air Force was destroyed on the first day while still on the ground.

23. Stalingrad didn’t work out so well for the Germans…
(more on that later)

24. Lend-Lease Act (March, 1941) Atlantic Charter
So… what’s going with the USA anyway??
isolationism
Neutrality Acts (1935-7)
Lend-Lease Act (March, 1941)
Atlantic Charter
Undeclared naval war with Germany