German Blitzkreig Overran Western Poland in one month One million men Armored and motorized...
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Transcript of German Blitzkreig Overran Western Poland in one month One million men Armored and motorized...
PRACTICES OF WWII
THE YEARS OF AXIS TRIUMPH
Nazi Europe, 1939-1940: Poland and the Fall of France
German Blitzkreig Overran Western Poland in one month One million men Armored and motorized divisions supported by
massive air power (Lutwaffe) Soviet Occupation of Poland
Began 2 weeks after German invasion Soviets established military bases in independent
countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Finland resisted Soviets and Soviets attacked (Winter
War) Resistance effective at first, but Finns are defeated in
March of 1940 Cede some territory, but not their independence
Nazi Europe, 1939-1940: Poland and the Fall of France
The “phony war” No action in winter of 1939 British had few troops, French were behind the
Maginot Line (series of forts along French-German border)
Germans attacked Norway and Denmark on April 9, 1940 Denmark quickly overrun Norwegian army surrenders on June 10th
On May 10th, the Germans struck at the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France
Nazi Europe, 1939-1940: Poland and the Fall of France
The Fall of France Allies expected
German advance to be through Belgium
Germans instead went through Luxembourg and Ardennes forest, long thought to be impassable to tanks
Nazi Europe, 1939-1940: Poland and the Fall of France
The Fall of France Germans drove deep
into Northern France and raced towards the English Channel, cutting off Allied armies in Belgium Dutch, Belgian and a
large portion of the French army surrender
British fell back upon Dunkirk
Nazi Europe, 1939-1940: Poland and the Fall of France
The Fall of France 330,000 Allied
troops evacuated from Dunkirk to GB May 27th to June 4th 1940
Germans drove South and occupied Paris on June 13th
Nazi Europe, 1939-1940: Poland and the Fall of France
Vichy France Germans occupied the Northern two-thirds of
the country Southern third became a fascist dictatorship
under Marshal Petain Collaborated with Nazis by providing slave labor
and identifying French Jews
The Battle of Britain and American Aid
Britain remained alone against Hitler in 1940 Churchill replaced Chamberlain in May American “neutrality”
The U.S. was divided into two camps: isolationist and interventionist
Roosevelt was a definite interventionist “The Great Arsenal of Democracy”
In June, 1940, U.S. sent small initial arms shipment to GB
A few months later, U.S. sent 50 destroyers in return for right to maintain American bases on British territory
In 1941, Lend-Lease is adopted During this time, U.S. introduced conscription
The Battle of Britain and American Aid
Air War over Britain German victories so
quick that Nazis had no plan for invasion of GB
Hitler hoped that GB would sue for peace, or become an ally
Germans began bombing Britain in summer of 1940 and climaxed in autumn Germans needed control
of the skies to land an invasion force
The Battle of Britain and American Aid
British RAF (Royal Air Force) held off the Nazi air force (Lutwaffe) Used new radar devices to detect Germans Tens of thousands of people killed
Hitler called off attacks in late October to concentrate on invasion of Russia
The Nazi Invasion of Russia: The Russian Front, 1941-1942
Russians subjugated the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) and seemed intent on driving south towards the Balkans.
Hitler takes the Balkans Germans checked Russian advance by:
Convincing Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary to join the Axis (becoming lesser partners and occupied by German troops)
Serbia was occupied b/c it resisted, but Croatia became collaborationist
Greece was subjugated too
The Nazi Invasion of Russia: The Russian Front, 1941-1942
The Nazi Invasion of Russia After securing the Balkans against Russia
expansion, on June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the U.S.S.R.
German army consisted of 3 million soldiers along a 2,000-mile front
By autumn, Germans controlled most of Ukraine and began murder of Jews and Bolshevik gov’t. officials
Leningrad in the North was under siege, Crimean peninsula in the South was occupied and the Nazis were 25 miles from Moscow
The Nazi Invasion of Russia: The Russian Front, 1941-1942
The Nazi Invasion of Russia Stalin recovered from the initial shock, fired
some of his commanders and rallied the troops to the defense of the Russian motherland
Germans were overextended and bitterly cold winter set in early
Red Army counteroffensive in winter of 1941 saved Moscow
The Nazi Invasion of Russia: The Russian Front, 1941-1942
The Nazi Invasion of Russia Disgusted Hitler decided to take over
command of the military himself Focused on the Southern front to gain control of
Caucasus oil fields Within this push, the city of Stalingrad was
besieged Hitler, realizing that the war would not be
quickly won decided to put German economy on a more permanent war footing Hires Albert Speer, as head of armaments and he
quickly triples armaments production
1942, The Year of Allied Dismay
The Desert Campaigns Started in 1940 w/Italian invasion from Libya
into Egypt Control of Mediterranean/Suez Canal at stake
British counterattack swept Italy out of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia by early 1941
In spring of 1941, German elite force (Afrikacorps) under General Rommel attacked in Libya and drove British back to Egypt
1942, The Year of Allied Dismay
The Desert Campaigns British again pushed
back to Libya By mid-1942, Rommel
had pushed back the British and penetrated Egypt British took a stand at El
Alamein w/backs to the Suez
Real concern that Nazis would close Middle East in a vise.
1942, The Year of Allied Dismay
Japan and the Pacific In 1941, Japan had been at war w/China for
ten years In 1940, allied themselves to Germany and
Italy In 1941, signed neutrality treaty w/the Soviets U.S. placed embargo on export of scrap iron
and steel to Japan Tojo, the Japanese PM declared that GB and US
influence in Asia was to be eliminated December 7, 1941, Japanese attacked Pearl
Harbor, the Philippines, Guam and Malaya
1942, The Year of Allied Dismay
Japan and the Pacific Japanese captured Singapore, and the Philippines by
1942. Captured New Guinea, thus threatening Australia Threatened India
To many Asians, Japanese anti-imperialist, pan-Asia rhetoric was welcome Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
The Year of Dismay By autumn 1942, Germans at Caucasus, and almost at
Nile, u-boats were sinking Allied ships at a disastrous rate
Worst period of war, yet no unified Japanese-German strategy