Revision: Course of WWII

Europe at War•On September 1st 1939 Hitler invades

Poland and conquers it in 4 weeks•Germans use a new form of fighting

called Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) which uses surprise and overwhelming force to crush its enemies•After the invasion of Poland, Britain

and France declare war•WWII had begun

Europe at War Hitler quickly conquers Denmark, Norway,

Netherlands, Belgium, and France

France builds the Maginot LineGermans bypass the line by

passing through the Ardennes forest

Cut off Allied soldiers had to escape they use the French port of Dunkirk to cross English Channel to Britain

Paris falls in June 1940

Britain Alone• Hitler now controls much of Europe• Britain asks U.S. for help• U.S. had a strict policy of Isolationism and didn’t want to get involved• President Roosevelt worked to convince America to give aid to Britain • Slowly U.S. begins to send food, ships, planes, and weapons

Battle of Britain•Hitler begins to plan the invasion of

Britain and unleashes the Luftwaffe•Hitler felt Britain would surrender•Churchill refuses•Bombed England day and night for 10

months•People sleep in subways to avoid the

bombs•RAF fought around the clock •Defeats the German Air Force

Eastern Front•With in two years Hitler breaks the treaty

with the Soviet Union and opens second front on June 22, 1941•Wanted natural resources and land •Soviets join Allies•Germany captures huge amounts of land•Soviet army loses millions of soldiers over 2

million captured •By December Germans were within 25 miles

of Moscow

Japan at War December 7th 1941 a date which will live in infamy Japan launches a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor

Hawaii Japan quickly conquers the Philippines, Malaya,

Dutch East Indies, and other islands Japan thought their attack on the U.S. Fleet would

destroy the U.S. Navy and led to America accepting the Japanese domination of the Pacific

They were wrong, instead they awoke a sleeping giant

The Allies Advance Allies included Britain, U.S., and Soviet Union Axis Powers included, Germany, Italy, and

Japan Allies begin the assault in Africa and defeat the

Germans and Italians in Africa within a few months

On the Eastern Front Hitler attacks Stalingrad in Nov. 1942 by Feb. 1943 the Soviets counter-attack

The combination of Russian troops and the Russian Winter defeat Hitler’s troops

Pacific Front• After Pearl Harbor, U.S. Carrier planes destroys 4

Japanese Aircraft Carriers at the Battle of Midway• This is the turning point of the U.S. war in the

Pacific• Afterwards the U.S. would island hop across the

Pacific until they were within striking distance of Japan

Last Years of the War•After Africa, the Allies invade Italy•Mussolini is defeated and executed •Next Allies invade France on D-Day June 6,

1944•Gen. Eisenhower leads the invasion•Despite heavy Germany resistance the

Allies establish a beachhead

Germany Surrounded• After D-Day Paris is quickly liberated as Allies continue to push East• The Soviets Continue to defeat the Germans and push West toward

Berlin• Hitler moves to a underground bunker• In the end he blames the Jews and commits suicide

Japan Surrounded Allies move within striking

distance of Japan President Truman orders the

use of a new super weapon the Atomic bomb

On August 6 1945 Hiroshima was destroyed

August 9 1945 another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki

August 14, 1945 Japan surrenders

WWII is over. 50 million people died during the war