16.1 Hitler’s Lightning War
Alex Anderson
Justin Abarquez
Eric Bonfadini
Germany Sparks A New War in
Europe
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1936-39 Hitler takes Rhineland,
Austria and Czechoslovakia.
Hitler Demands Polish Corridor
Germany’s Lightning Attack on
Poland
–
Great Britain and France resist
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Previously, U.S.S.R. had signed
non-aggression pact with
Germany. Publicly, they agreed
not to attack each other, but
privately they agreed that the
U.S.S.R. could take over Finland
and the Baltic Countries.
Germany’s Lightning Attack on
Poland
–
Hitler launches surprise attack on
Poland on September 1st, 1939
•
Hitler overwhelms Poland
with troops
•
Used “Blitzkrieg” or lightning
war. Used fast planes and
tanks, followed by massive
infantry forces to take the foe
by surprise.
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•
•
On September 3, Great Britain and
France declare war on Germany,
beginning WWII
The Soviets Make Their Move
– September 17, Stalin sends troops
to occupy eastern half of Poland and
begins annexing the regions in
second part of agreement
• All fall without struggle except
Finland
– Stalin sends one-million
troops, but does not
consider winter. Finnish
put up good fight though
greatly outnumbered.
They lose eventually
The Phony War
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–
All is calm for seven months after Poland
Falls.
April 9, 1940 Hitler Launches Surprise
attack on Denmark and Norway
• Denmark Falls after four hours.
Norway follows two months later.
The Battle for France and Great
Britain
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•
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May 1940, Hitler sweeps though Holland,
Belgium, nad Luxembourg
– Strategy to strike at France
– While Allies are distracted, Hitler sends
and even larger force through the
Ardennes towards France.
France Battles Back
– Nazi Troops sweep up French coast and
meet up with more troops at Belgium
Border.
• Belgium Surrenders
– Allies retreat to Dunkirk, a French Port
City where they are trapped
• Great Britain rescues over 338,000
soldiers with 850 ships
France Falls
– June 10 Mussolini Joins Hitler
– June 14 Paris Falls
– June 22 France Surrenders
– Charles De Gaule Flees to London and
forms the Free French military forces to
fight Germany
•
Germany Attacks Great Britain
–
Winston Churchill says his nation will never back
down
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Hitler initiates Operation Sea Lion. This plan
involved first taking out the Royal Airforce (RAF)
and then landing 250,000 troops on England’s
shores
–
Summer 1940, Hitler begins bombing Great Britain
• RAF is badly outnumbered with 2,900 planes
to the Luftwaffe’s (German Airforce) 4,500
• Germans first attack airfields and Factories,
Then begin to focus on cities, especially
London, to break morale.
• With pressure of airfields, the RAF strike
back, two things help turn the tide in their
favor
– Radar
– German code machine called Enigma
• Germans give up daylight raids
• Battle of Britain continues until May 10, 1941
when Hitler calls of attacks and turns focus
to Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean
• Allies learn that Hitler is not unstoppable
The Eastern Front and the
Mediterranean
•
•
Germany and Italy Attack North Africa
– During Battle of Britain, Mussolini attacks
British-controlled Egypt.
Great Britain Strikes Back
– British attack and crush Italy taking over
130,000 troops as prisoners
– Hitler steps in to save Italy
– Sends General Erwin Rommel, later known
as the “Desert Fox” to Libya. He is to
command a new tank corps called the
Afrika Korps. Rommel atacks the British
at Agheila on March 24.
• British Retreat 500 miles east to
Tobruk
– Mid-January 1942 British forces Rommel
back again to where he started,
– June, tide turns AGAIN and Rommel
pushes Britain back across the desert and
takes Tobruk
• Shattering loss because Tobruk was
a symbol of British resistance.
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The War in the Balkans
– Hitler eventually plans to take the Soviet
Union
• Balkans are part of his plan
• Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary join
Axis
• Yugoslavia and Greece resist
– Yugoslavia falls in 11 days,
Greece in 17
Hitler Invades the Soviet Union
–
Operation Barbarossa – Hitler invades Soviet Union
using Blitzkrieg
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The Red Army is the largest in the World at the
time, containing over 5 million men, though they
are neither well equipped nor well-trained.
Germans push for weeks over 500 miles inside the
Soviet Union. Russians burn everything as they
retreat like they did against Napoleon
Leningrad is cut-off from the world, over 1 million
people starve. Though Leningrad refuses to fall
Hitler turns to Moscow, but Soviets counter-attack,
using new troops from Siberia and the harsh winter
Nazis have summer uniforms, so they retreat, their
vehicles and fuel freeze, but the still dig in 125
miles west of the capital. Germans lose 500,000
lives.
The United States Aids Its Allies
• Due to neutrality acts passed by congress, the U.S. does
not go to war, though they do lend arms to their allies
• President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet secretly
on a battleship off Newfoundland on August 9 1941.
– They issue joint declaration called the Atlantic Charter
• Upheld free trade among nations and the right of people to choose
their own government.
• September 4, a German U-boat fires on a U.S. destroyer
in the Atlantic.
– Roosevelt orders all German subs to be shot on sight
– Undeclared Naval war with Germany
Key Terms and Important Names
• Nonaggression pact: an agreement in which nations agree to not
attack one another
• Blitzkrieg: Germany’s military strategy (“lightining war”)
• Charles de Gaulle: French general whom after France fell fled to
London to set up a government-in-exile which was comitted to
reconquering France
• Winston Churchill: British prime minister who declares that Great
Britain will never give up
• Battle of Britain: Hitler’s invasion on Great Britain; Hitler calls of
attacks and turns focus to Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean
• Atlantic Charter: joint declaration between Churchill of Great Britain
and Roosevelt of the United States that upheld free trade among
nations and the right f people to choose their own government
– would later serve as the Allies’ peace plan at the end of WWII
Jeopardy
– Vocab
Battles
Miscellaneous
– 100
– 200
– 300
– 400
– 500
100
200
300
400
500
100
200
300
400
500
Vocab-100
• The nonaggression pact was signed by
which two people?
• Joseph Stalin and Hitler.
Vocab-200
• What is “lightning war”?
• blitzkrieg
Vocab-300
• Who was the French General that fled to
London?
• Charles de Gaulle
Vocab-400
• With the fall of France, the British stood
alone against the Nazis, who was the
British prime minister at this time?
• Winston Churchill
Vocab-500
• What was the joint declaration between
Roosevelt and Churchill called?
• The Atlantic Charter
Battles-100
• After signing the nonaggression pact, on
September 1, 1939 Hitler attacked which
country?
• Poland
Battles-200
• Which half of Poland was Russia’s in the
nonaggression pact?
• Eastern
Battles-300
• For seven months the allies waited and
defended, while the Germans did the
same. What was this period called?
• The Phony War
Battles-400
• On June 22, 1940, which country
surrendered to the Nazis?
• France
Battles-500
• From this battle, the allies learned that
Hitler’s advances could be blocked.
• The Battle of Britain
Miscellaneous-100
• What act allowed the United States to lend
and lease weapons to allies at war?
• The Lend-Lease Act
Miscellaneous-200
• Which country rescued over 338,000
troops with 850 ships?
• Great Britain
Miscellaneous-300
• The United States were drawn into the war
after which country fired on a U.S.
destroyer?
• Germany
Miscellaneous-400
• The attack on the U.S. destroyer by a
German U-Boat was actually from which
country?
• Japan
Miscellaneous-500
• Which Country broke the nonaggression
pact?
• Germany