World War II Begins
Main Idea -World War II officially began with the Nazi invasion of Poland and the
French and British declaration of war on
Germany in September 1939.

• March 1938Hitler announces German-Austrian unification
• August 1939 Hitler and Stalin sign Nazi-Soviet Pact
• September 1939 World War II begins
• June 1940 France Surrenders to Germany
• August 1940 Battle of Britain begins

• Anschluss - unification of Germany and Austria
• Appeasement - policy of giving concessions in exchange for peace.
• Blitzkrieg -lightening war –used planes, tanks, and men to rapidly encircle enemy positions.
• Winston ChurchillBritish prime minister after
Neville Chamberlain (signed Munich agreement appeasing Hitler-did not work).
• Battle of BritainAir battle between RAF and
German Luftwaffe in 1940.

Austrian Anschluss
• What was Hitler’s justification for wanting to unite Germany with Austria?
• Unite German speaking people
• Did he give Austria a choice?
•
No, Hitler did not allow the Austrians to vote on whether Austria should unite with Germany, instead he invaded prior to the vote. Anchluss- unification
• Did he ask for approval from the German people?
• No, he is a dictator. Remember Mein Kampf, …rule from the top down.
• Did anyone (countries) stop him?
• No, Europe’s leaders thought if they gave into Hitler’s demands then it would prevent another war in Europe. They thought it was reasonable to unite German speaking people but ultimately appeasement was NOT going to work.

• What areas did Hitler claim after taking over Austria?
• A part of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudetenland with a large German speaking population.
• Why did he claim this territory?
• They spoke German
• What did the British do to prevent war?
• Nothing, instead they met in Munich in Sept. 1938 to discuss the issue and decided to give in to Hitler’s demand. By the March of the next year Hitler ignored the agreement and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia.
• How did the Czech people feel about the Munich agreement?
• They felt betrayed by Britain and France who had promised to support them in case of attack. They did nothing and instead gave the Sudetenland to Germany.
• Was Hitler satisfied with what he gained in the Munich agreement?
• No, he went on to take the rest of Czechoslovakia the next year.
• What else did he take?
Czech, then onto Poland

• What did Hitler want from the Polish government? Why?
• He wanted a railroad and highway across the Polish corridor
• How did the British government respond to Hitler’s demands?
•
•
Hitler’s demands convinced the British that appeasement had failed and they announced if
Poland went to war Britain and France would come to there aid.
• What was Hitler’s ‘reply’ to the British statement?
He ordered his troops to prepare to invade Poland and began negotiations with
USSR.

Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
• Why did Stalin agree to this Pact?
•
He thought the best way to protect the USSR was to let the capitalist fight each other and keep the USSR safe .
• What was the secret deal made between Hitler and Stalin?
• The secret part in the non-aggression pact was that Poland would be split up between Germany and the USSR. Soviet troops were sent into the
Eastern portion of Poland that they now claimed.
• Did the Pact work for the long term?
• No, how do you ever trust either of these dictators? Hitler who had stated how much he hated Communism many times in the past would eventually invade the
USSR when he was ready.

• What is a Blitzkrieg and how did it differ from the way the war was conducted in WW I?
•
Lightening war , the method used planes to bomb enemy positions with masses of tanks to conduct the invasion with the troops to follow. WW I was static.
• Was Poland able to stop Germany? Why or Why not?
• Poland was ill-equipped to deal with the German invasion. Poland had not spent the money to build its military up as Germany had. Blitzkrieg was too quick and effective for the Polish Army to contain.
• What was next for Germany and Hitler?
•
If Hitler were to invade France the best route would take him through Belgium. The French expected him to go through a reinforced area adjacent to Germany in France- Maginot Line--.
British and French troops waited for the invasion but instead Hitler went North and took
Norway and Sweden in quick order. Next, France, but not through the Maginot line but instead through Belgium.

• What did the French build to protect themselves from
German invasion? When did they build it?
•
Maginot Line – fortified bunkers with large guns pointing towards German soil built after WW I to protect from a possible
German invasion.
• Did Hitler attack France right after defeating Poland?
•
No, he went north into Norway and Sweden.
•
• Where did Hitler attack prior to France? Why?
He took Norway and Sweden to protect his Northern flank and then into Belgium.
•
• Did the French defensive fortification work?
No. Hitler simply went around the fortifications. Into Belgium and also through the Ardennes Mountains with his tanks.
•
• What happened to the British and French troops in this engagement?
The British and French were caught in Belgium when German troops went through Northern France straight to the English
Channel. They stuck in Dunkirk where they were able to escape.

• Why was Dunkirk important to the British and the French?
• While it was NOT a victory for the B & F’s it did allow them to save over 300K troops to fight again another day.
• Was Dunkirk a victory for the British and
French?
• No

Britain Remains Defiant
• Who was the leader of Great Britain in June of
1940? What did he do to rally the people?
• Winston Churchill, prime minister of G.B., he delivered a powerful speech to inspire the British people to continue to fight to defend civilization.
• Before Hitler could invade England what must he do? Why?
• He must cross the English Channel without losing his invasion forces to enemy aircraft bombardment. He needed to control the skies over the English Channel and England to invade.
• Hitler also bombed English cities-Why?
• The Battle of Britain had Hitler’s air force, Luftwaffe, destroying English ships, the British Air Force (RAF), and when the British began to bomb Germany then Hitler bombed English cities to terrorize them into surrendering.
• What device allowed the British to detect
German planes before they arrived?
• Radar
• Who help save the British people from invasion?
• RAF- British Air Force. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Churchill