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The Austrian Anschluss
Hitler called for the unification of all German-speaking people. He believed that Germany could expand its territories only by "resorting to force with its attendant risks." Hitler threatened to invade German-speaking Austria unless Austrian Nazis were given important government posts. In fear of the democratic vote Hitler sent troops into Austria and announced unification of Austria and Germany. -
The Munich Conference
Hitler began openly to support the demands of German-speakers living in the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia for closer ties with Germany. The conquest of Czechoslovakia was the next step in his plan of creating a “greater Germany". Chamberlain and French Prime Minister Daladier unprepared for the outbreak of hostilities traveled to Munich where they gave in to Hitler’s demands. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
By 1933, 38% of the Danzig parliament was consisted of Nazi Party members, and a similarly significant percentage of the population expressed their wish to become a part of Germany. Within Danzig, Germany built support both politically and militarily. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop carried a proposal from Hitler that both countries commit to a nonaggression pact that would last 100 year. Joseph Stalin the dictator of the USSR Republics replied that 10 years would be sufficient, it also stipulated that neither country would aid any third party that attacked either signatory, and it contained a secret protocol specifying the spheres of influence in Eastern Europe both parties would accept after Hitler conquered Poland. -
The Invasion of Poland
German forces bombard Poland on land and from the air, as Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. The invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war–what would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy. This was characterized by extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps, followed by a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops, tanks, and artillery. -
The Fall of France
Although Hitler's armies were smaller than those of his opponents, the Germans had both air superiority and imagination. More than half of France's 800,000 troops were confined to manning the defensive Maginot Line, a line of fortifications facing Germany from the Swiss to the Belgian frontiers. German forces advanced into neutral Holland, with parachutists capturing strategic bridges and landing at airfields around The Hague. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
After holding off an SS company until their ammo was spent, 99 Royal Norfolk Regiment soldiers retreated to a farmhouse in the village of Paradis, just 50 miles from the Dunkirk port. Ships waited there to carry home the British Expeditionary Force, which had been fighting alongside the French in its defensive war against the German invaders. Agreeing to surrender, the trapped regiment started to file out of the farmhouse, waving a white flag tied to a bayonet. -
The Battle of Britain
120 German bombers and fighters struck a British shipping convoy in that very Channel, while 70 more bombers attacked dockyard installations in South Wales. But in the opening days of battle, Britain was in immediate need of two things: a collective stiff upper lip–and aluminum. A plea was made by the government to turn in all available aluminum to the Ministry of Aircraft Production. “We will turn your pots and pans into Spitfires and Hurricanes,” the ministry declared.
