War in Europe
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Transcript of War in Europe
War in EuropeThe German Offensive
The Need for Lebensraum Hitler desperately wanted new territory for
his people He sought the land of his closest neighbors
Austria and Czechoslovakia Met in November of 1937 to plot and plan Austria was predominately German in
ethnicity On March 12, 1938, German troops take
Austria On March 13th, they became part of the Third
Reich
Map of Western Europe
Invasion of Austria
Invasion of Austria
The Sudetenland The Sudetenland are ethnic-German regions of
Czechoslovakia (western) Nearly 3 million German-speaking people Living space and resources
Hitler used propaganda and media to spew lies about the Czech’s treatment of Germans
France and Great Britain vowed to protect Czechoslovakia
Chamberlain meets with Hitler and Munich Hitler says this will be his last territorial demand
The Munich Agreement is signed on September 30, 1938 Gave Germany the Sudetenland with any violence
The Sudetenland
Germans in the Sudetenland
The Munich Agreement
Winston Churchill He is Chamberlain’s
political opponent Churchill did not agree
with this appeasement of Hitler
He knew Hitler would not stop adding territory
On March 15th, 1939, Hitler takes the rest of Czechoslovakia
The Soviets and Germany
Hitler turned his attention to Poland
Provoking the Soviet Union was a bad idea
Attacking Poland would open a two front war France and Britain on west Soviet Union on east
Stalin signs a nonaggression pact with Germany on August 23, 1939 (no two front war)
Poland would be split in two Eastern Europe would have
“sphere's of influence”
Hitler and Stalin
Blitzkrieg in Poland On September 1, 1939, the
German Army debuts a new strategy Blitzkrieg or “lightning war”
Used planes and tanks to overwhelm the enemy
France and Britain declare war on Germany on September 3
Major fighting is over in three weeks To quick for France or Britain to
prevent the fall of Poland Soviet Union grabs some
lands in Eastern Poland World War II has started
The Blitzkrieg
The Blitzkrieg
The Phony War French and British troops
patrolled the Maginot Line German troops patrolled the
Siegfried Line They were waiting for something
to happen Germany annexes Baltic
countries Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
The Soviets overrun Finland in three months
On April 9th, 1940, they invade Denmark and Norway “Needed protection”
The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg fall next
The Maginot Line
Retreat at Dunkirk
Retreat at Dunkirk
Surrender at Compiegne
France Falls Hitler sends troops through the Ardennes They begin their march towards Paris Nearly 400,000 British and French soldiers are
trapped in Dunkirk 330,000 are evacuated to Britain Italy invades from the south On June 22, 1940, Hitler gives his demands for
surrender of the French Germany would occupy the north Puppet government in the south (Vichy)
Charles de Gaulle sets up government in exile in Britain “France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war”
The Battle of Britain Germany starts to amass an invasion force along the French
Coast Britain still has a great navy
Hitler turns to the skies The Luftwaffe will continually bomb London for two months
They first targeted airports and military bases Turned their attention to cities
Radar helped turn the tide of the battle Allowed British pilots to track German planes
The RAF fought valiantly to protect and defend Britain German offensive continues but full scale invasion is
cancelled by Hitler http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/07/world-war-ii-the
-battle-of-britain/100102/