World War II

The Evolution of Conflict

OVERVIEW

In this lesson, you will examine:• The concept of “total war”• The use of technology in war through

“blitzkrieg”• The effects of “blitzkrieg”• The events leading up to the defeat of

France

“Total War”

WWII was the evolution of international conflict as whole populations were

mobilized for and directly affected by warHighly political

Direct attacks on civilians

Large degree of civilian involvement

In both wars, rationing, propaganda and censorship affected civilian societies but more so in WWII

Prior to WWI, civilians were often indirectly affected by fighting – in WWII, civilians were targeted in the attempt to demoralize and destabilize economies supporting the war effort

London: The “Blitz”

Dresden: Firebombing Tokyo:

Firebombing

In the wars up to WWI, most fighting would often be on battlefields away from cities – in WWII, civilian deaths often outnumbered military deaths

The first “total war”

The Spanish Civil War was a “preview” of the effects of “total war”:

• Involvement of civilians in terrorism and guerilla fighting

• Direct bombing of civilians in Guernica

• High civilian casualties – 500,000 dead

“Lightning War”

“Blitzkrieg” was an important military strategy made possible by the

manipulation of key technologies

Wireless communications

Mechanization

Aircraft

The French Maginot Line was built under this defensive philosophy

Static warfare

The machine gun and artillery turned WWI into a contest of trenches and fixed lines of defenseInfantry were supported by tanks

Combined operations

Blitzkrieg was characterized by the combined use of communications, coordination and mobility:

• Airplanes attacked transportation, supplies and artillery behind enemy lines

• Tanks led attacks against the enemy

• Infantry was transported in vehicles and supported the tanks

• Pincer movements encircled smaller enemy units and cut them off from support

Fast moving armoured units would encircle and prevent forces from retreating

ENEMY FRONTLINE

ENEMY COMMAND

POST

ENEMY SUPPLY LINES

Tanks would thrust against forward lines supported by infantry and artilleryAircraft would attack behind enemy lines and destroy supply lines

Blitzkrieg in actionThe effectiveness of “lightning war” was immediately obvious in the German campaign against Poland:

• The German Luftwaffe (“Air force”) destroyed the Polish railways and air force

• German armoured “panzer” tank divisions punched through Polish defences and began to encircle them

• Poland was defeated in roughly 4 weeks

DunkirkAfter the “phoney war” Germany marched against the Netherlands and Belgium beginning in May 1940:

• British forces were concentrated in Northern France and Belgium

• German forces avoided the Maginot Line and punched through the Ardennes forest, cutting off the BEF from French forces

• British soldiers abandoned their equipment and retreated across the English Channel by the end of May

The Fall of France• France had a modernized

army that was of equal size and had comparable equipment to that of Germany

• Blitzkrieg tactics cut off Paris from French forces by June 1940

• Italy declared war against Britain and France on June 10, 1940

• An armistice was signed on June 22, 1940

• After the defeat of France, the southern part of the country became a Nazi satellite ruled by Marshall Petain

• British forces destroyed the French navy to prevent it from falling into Axis control

SUMMARY QUESTIONS

• In what ways was the Spanish Civil War an example of “total war”?

• What were the major differences between WWI strategies and “blitzkrieg”?

• Why were the British forced to retreat from continental Europe?

• What were the causes and effects of France’s early defeat in WWII?