• 3/9 Focus: – Using the sudden mass attack known as the

Blitzkrieg, Germany was able to overrun much of Europe and North Africa.

• Important Terms:– Blitzkrieg

• Do Now:–What is appeasement?

The Axis Powers Advance

Blitzkrieg

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

• Hitler and Stalin signed agreement to not attack each other (Aug. 23, 1939)– Agreement was to

last for 10 years

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

• Pact contained secret agreement to divide Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union

Invasion of Poland• German troops invade

western Poland on Sept. 1, 1939– Britain and France (Allied

Powers) had pledged to help Poland

– Allies declared war on Sept. 3, 1939

– Poland fell within a number of weeks before they could get help from Allies

• Soviets invaded Poland on Sept. 17, 1939

Invasion of Poland

• Blitzkrieg- German word meaning “lightning warfare”–Military strategy

developed by Germany– Used tanks (panzers),

motorized vehicles, airplanes, and paratroopers to quickly mobilize troops and overwhelm enemy forces

The Phony War

• Period of calm after the invasion of Poland (Sept. 1939-May 1940) – Britain moved troops to

France to help with expected German invasion of France

• Hitler invaded Norway and Denmark in April 1940. – Wanted to avoid

possibility of a naval blockade of Germany

Invasion of France

• Germany launches attack on Belgium, Holland, and France on May 10, 1940

Invasion of France• France had believed

that Germany would attack across their Western border– Constructed a series of

forts known as the Maginot line after WWI

–Maginot Line did not cover the Ardennes Forest because it was thought that Germany could not attack through the thick forest

Invasion of France• British and French troops

became trapped by German forces at Dunkirk

• German forces slowed their advance – they did not want to

over stretch their supply lines

– Hitler decides to turn over the destruction of the allied forces at Dunkirk to the German Luftwaffe (air force)

Hitler with Luftwaffe chief Herman Goering

Invasion of France

• Operation Dynamo – The decision by Hitler to

hold back his army gave the British a chance to rescue their forces from Dunkirk

– British sent out a request for all available watercraft to head to Dunkirk

– 338,000 British and French troops were rescued by 800 ships

Invasion of France• Allied forces could not

hold back German advance

• France surrendered on June 22, 1940

Hitler made the French sign their surrender in the same railcar that Germany signed the armistice ending the fighting in WWI

Invasion of France

• France was divided – Occupied France

controlled by German military

– Vichy France controlled by “puppet” government that answered to Germans

Goering and the head of the Vichy French government Henri Petain

French Resistance• Charles De Gaulle

formed Free French gov’t in exile – Based out of Britain – Resisted German

control of France

Axis Powers Advance• Britain was left

alone to fight Germany in Western Europe– The Battle of

Britain

• Italian and German forces invaded the Balkans and North Africa

• 3/12 Focus: – The early years of the WWII went poorly for

the Allies, as Britain was left to fight the Germans alone in Western Europe.

• Important Terms:– Blitz, Isolationist

• Do Now:–What event is considered to be the start of

WWII?

Battle of Britain• After the taking France,

Hitler focused on trying to defeat Britain– Germans developed a

plan for invasion known as Operation Sea Lion

• Hitler launched an air war on Britain to take out British Air Force– Needed to be destroyed

before invasion could launched

Battle of Britain

• German Luftwaffe bombed British ports and cities– Known as the Blitz– Attacks on civilians

were meant to weaken British will to fight

Battle of Britain

• Leadership of Prime Minster Winston Churchill provide confidence for the British people

Battle of Britain

• British RAF were able to inflict major damage on the German Luftwaffe– Use of Radar gave

warning of incoming German attacks

• Hitler was forced to cancel invasion of Britain

Hitler Attacks the Soviet Union

• Hitler invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941– Known as Operation

Barbarossa

• German forces advanced rapidly into Russia– Got to the outskirts

of Moscow by Oct. 2, 1941

Hitler Attacks the Soviet Union

• Russians began counterattack as winter set in– Germans were not

prepared for Russian winter

– Harsh conditions slowed German advance

• Germany now faced a two front war

U.S. Neutrality

• Many American support an isolationist foreign policy– did not want to be

involved in European conflict

U.S. Neutrality

• President Franklin D. Roosevelt provided weapons to the Allies through the Lend-Lease Program

• 3/13 Focus: – The early years of the WWII went poorly for

the Allies but after the United States entered the war the Allies began to make gains against Axis armies

• Important Terms:– Total war

• Do Now:–What is appeasement?

Atlantic Charter

• Document signed by FDR and Winston Churchill– Stated a common

desire to end Nazi tyranny

– Self determination for all people

U.S. Entry in the War• United States had

placed economic sanctions on Japan – Response to

Japanese aggression in Asia

– Restricted sale of materials used for war

U.S. Entry in the War• Japan launched

surprise attack on U.S. military bases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941– Attack pulled the U.S.

into WWII• U.S Congress declared

war on Japan the next day• Germany and Italy

declared war on the U.S. three days later

Japan Advances• Japanese forces

rapidly conquered strategic islands in the Pacific and territory in Asia

Axis vs Allies• Allied Powers

• Axis Powers

Britain

Free French

Soviet Union

United StatesGermany

Italy

Japan

China

Total War• Axis and Allied

powers used total war during the war– Civilian population

was required to support the war effort

Total War

• Democratic governments exerted control over factories and manufacturing – Ordered factories

to produce war materials

– Rationed consumer goods

– Fixed prices and wages

Total War• Democratic

governments limited certain rights and used propaganda to influence public opinion – Ex. Japanese

Americans were placed in interment camps

http://www.americastory.gov/assets/aa/lange/aa_lange_relocation_2_e.jpg

Total War

• Women worked in factories to replace men who joined the war

• Some American and British women served in the armed forces– Non combat support

roles

Total War

• Public supported the war effort by buying war bonds

Theaters of War

• Two main theaters of the war – European theater• Allied effort led by

American Gen. Dwight Eisenhower

– Pacific Theater• Allied Effort in the

Pacific led by American Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Turning Points

Battle of Stalingrad

Invasion of Normandy

Battle of Midway