Signs of War: Hitler’s First
Moves
Hitler’s Demand for More
• 1. The Search for “Lebensraum”
Lebensraum = Room to
live!
• 2. Hitler called for unification of
German speaking people!
• 3. Wanted to unite with Austria
• 4. Demanded Danzig back – port city –
Lost during World War I
• 5. Demanded the “Polish Corridor” –
Area between Germany and East
Prussia
Hitler Violates the Treaty of
Versailles
• 1. October 1933, Hitler quits the League of
Nations
• 2. October 1934--begins to increase the size of the
German army.
• 3. 1936--Hitler sends the army into the Rhineland.
The French do nothing, so he’s emboldened.
• 4. 11 March 1938 (Anschluss) -German forces
enter Austria unopposed, resulting in that
countries annexation
• 5. England and France again do nothing
Appeasement of Hitler
Mussolini proposes a meeting…
• France, Germany,
Britain, Italy meet in
Munich
• The Czechs are not
invited
• Hitler can keep the
Sudetenland, but
promises to respect
Czech’s new borders
The Munich Conference, Sep ‘38
Czechoslovakia Crisis
• 1938 Hitler demanded the Sudetenland • led to the Munich Pact between France, Britain,
Italy and Germany. “Peace in our time.”
• But not for long. Britain’s Neville Chamberlain
followed the policy of Appeasement: Making a
deal with an aggressor to preserve peace
• "Germany can have Sudetenland, so long as that's
enough"
• Soviet Union distrusted Hitler, opposed him, but
wouldn't fight yet
• Poland supported Hitler; Why? It wanted a piece
of Sudetenland - Teschen .
• US proclaimed neutrality.
Appeasement-giving in to an aggressor
in order to keep peace
“…peace in our time..”
-Neville Chamberlain, 1938
The Invasion of Poland
• Germany used its new Blitzkrieg, or “lighting war” tactic and
invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
• France and Britain declared War, but took no direct action. The
“Phony War” began.
• In August 1939 the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact
with Germany (pledging not to attack each other in the case of
war). So… the Soviet Union also invaded Poland, as well as
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland
• US remained neutral but showed support for
the Allies.
• Poland fought, lost quickly, but a gov't in exile
was set up in Britain
September
rd
3 ,
1939
• The British and
French honored
their ally system
by declaring war
on Germany
• World War II has
begun……….
Poland – Result of Pact
• A week after the pact
German forces
entered Poland.
• September 1939,
Poland was occupied
in the west from
German forces and
from the east by
Soviet forces.
Invasion of France
• May 10, 1940 Germany turned westward, attacked and
quickly conquered Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
• In late May, British fishermen helped rescue 338,000 Allied
soldiers from the clutches of the German army at Dunkirk,.
• Britain fought Germany wherever possible, but France
quickly surrendered on June 22, 1940.
• Germany controlled 60% of France (North and West) A
French government (Vichy) controlled the rest – it was a
puppet gov't of Germany (French who worked with the Nazis).
• Charles de Gaulle, refuses to accept Vichy gov't; sets up “Free
French” gov't to fight Germans wherever possible. He is based
in England.
Hitler in Paris, June 23, 1940
Battle of Britain
• Battle of Britain (August-October 1940)
Operation Sea Lion
• 1,500 German planes bombed Britain each day. Britain lost
40,000 troops and 16,000 civilians in 3 months. However,
Germany lost 1,700 planes by Oct 31.
• The air assault was a failure, so Hitler called off his plans for
an invasion.
• Soviet Union still supported Germany
• France was confused: two French gov'ts split their
allegiances Vichy = German; Free French flee to
Britain where they set up base
• US didn’t fight, but sent supplies and loaned
money.
Junkers Ju 87B “Stuka” divebombers
Great Use of the Metro