World War II. Germany goes to war On September 1 st, Germany declares war and attacks Poland ...
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Transcript of World War II. Germany goes to war On September 1 st, Germany declares war and attacks Poland ...
World War II
Germany goes to warOn September 1st, Germany declares war and attacks PolandClaims that the Germans living in Poland have
been harassed and that Polish forces had attacked Germany
Great Britain and France declare war on September 3rd, Canada follows on September 9th
Nobody is in a position to help PolandModern German forces quickly overrun the Polish
forces Warsaw surrenders on September 23rd
Germany offers peace terms but they are rejected by the UK
Soviet Union forces the Baltic states to allow it to station troops there. Finland refuses and the USSR invades in Nov. 1939
In 1940, Germany invades Denmark and Norwaythe British please PM Chamberlain with Neville Churchill
The Phony War The period between the invasion of Poland and France is sometimes called the Phony War
German forces stayed behind the Siegfried Line, French behind the Maginot Line
Huge line of fortifications, 20-25 km deep in places
Constructed in the 1930s, at the cost of 30B francs So expensive, other areas of
the military were underfunded
While the British ExpeditionaryForce settled in to help defendFrance, the first CanadianForces arrived in BritainThe 1st Canadian Infantry
Division arrived on Jan. 1, 1940The Hastings and Prince
Edward regiment are deployedin June, 1940
May 1940Germany launches their attack,
cutting through neutral Belgium and Luxembourg
Bypasses the Maginot Line through the Ardennes forest
The allies are completely ovewhelmed by the German blitzkrieg (lightning war) This tactic involved the use of tanks and aircraft rushing
ahead of the infantry and punching a hole in enemy lines, cutting deep into enemy territory
The French and British retreated to Dunkirk, on the English Channel and were caught against the water
The British Expeditionary Force and French troops are completely vulnerable to German aircraft
In order to consolidate their territorial gains and to allow the infantry to catch up with the tanks, German tanks stop advancing for 3 days
As a result of this break, the British request help from any sea-worthy vessel available
Operation Dynamo May 27th – June 4th
Fishing boats, merchant marine ships, pleasure craft took part ferrying troops from shore to the larger ships
338, 226 soldiers saved as a result