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The Austrian Anchluss
This was the unification of Austria and Germany Hitler threatened to invade German speaking Austria unless austrian Nazis were given important gov’t post background information/significance of the event -
The Munich Conference
Britain and France gave into Hitler's commands Supports of appeasement believed that if they give in to his demands it will avoid war. Czechoslovakia had to give up Sudetenland or fight Germany on their own. Appeasement failed to preserve the peace in March 1939 Germany sent troops into Czechoslovakia and divided the country. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
Hitler demanded that the city of Danzig be returned to German control.It was part of Poland since WW1. Hitler also said he wanted a railroad and highway across Polish Corridor. On march 31, 1939 Britain said that if Poland went to war to defend its land that Britain and France would help. In may he readied his troops to attack and sent a foreign minister to negotiate with the USSR. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
Nonaggression treaty to the soviets best way to protect the USSR. Was to turn capitalist countries against each other. If the treaty worked, Germany would go to war against France and Britain , and the USSR would be safe. Signed on August 23, 1939 shocking because Nazism and Communism became united. Secret part of the treaty was that Poland would be split between USSR and Germany. -
The Invasion of Poland
On September 3 1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany WW2 had officially begun. Poland resisted Germany but their army was outdated using cavalry against German tanks. Introduced blitzkrieg or “lightning war”. Used large numbers of tanks to break through and trap enemy positions. Bomber would support the tanks and drop paratroopers to cut supply lines. The Germans captured Warsaw on September 27 -
The Fall of France
Britain and France were playing more defensively.The Maginot line was a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications .To get around the line Hitler would have to invade the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg first.On May 10, he launched a new blitzkrieg on those three countries. British and french troops moved in Belgium while Hitler's army moved from the Ardenne Mountains and broke through the French lines, the Germans went through the English channel and trapped the French and British troops. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
The allied units were trapped so instead of fighting they tried to escape Belgium, but the Germans took control of all ports except for one the Dunkirk in France. Hitler delayed his attack on Dunkirk and gave the British time to get out of there. Around 850 ships helped them escape, they save 338,000 by June 4. The people were saved but not the weapons :90,000 rifles, 7,000 tons of ammo, and 120,000 vehicles lost.The french surrender on June 22, 1940 and Germany occupied much of northern France. -
The Battle of Britain
In July 1940, the German air force called the Luftwaffe began to attack British ships in the English channel , in mid august the Luftwaffe launched an assault to destroy the royal air force, this battle lasted until the fall.