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The Austrian Anschluss
In February 1938 Hitler threatened to invade German-speaking Austria unless Austrian Nazis were given important government posts. Austria's chancellor gave in to this demand, but then tried to put the matter of unification with Germany to a democratic vote. Fearing the outcome, Hitler sent troops into Austria in March and announced the Anschluss, or unification, of Austria and Germany. -
The Munich Conference
Hitler announced German claims to the Sudetenland, an area of Czechoslovakia with a large German - speaking population. France threatened to fight if Germany attacked Czechoslovakia. Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany agreed to meet in Munich to decide Czechoslovakia'a fate. At the Munich Conference, on September 29, 1938, Britain and France agreed to Hitler's demands, a policy that came to be known as appeasement. -
The Fall of France
After World War I, France built a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications called the Maginot Line along the German border. Rather than risk their troops by attacking, the French preferred to wait behind the Maginot Line for the Germans to approach. This decision allowed Germany to concentrate on Poland first before facing the British and French. It also led Hitler to decide to go around the Maginot Line, which protected France's border with Germany but not France's border with Belgium. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
As German forces closed in on Dunkirk, Hitler suddenly ordered them to stop. No one knows why Hitler gave this order. Historians know that Hitler was nervous about risking his tank forces, and he wanted to wait until more infantry arrived. Whatever Hitler's reasons, his order provided a three-day delay. This gave the British time to strengthen their lines and begin the evacuation. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
When German officials proposed a nonaggression treaty to the Soviets, Stalin agreed. He believed the best way to protect the USSR was to turn the capitalist nations against each other. The nonaggression pact was signed by Germany and the USSR on August 23, 1939. Leaders in Britain and France understood that Hitler had made the deal to free himself from against their countries. They didn't know that the treaty also contained a deal to divide Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
A month after the Munich Conference, Hitler demanded that the city of Danzig be returned to German control. Although Danzig was more than 90 percent German, it had been part of Poland since World War I.Hitler's demands convinced Britain and France that war was inevitable. On March 31, 1939, Britain announced that if Poland went to war, they would help. This encouraged Poland to refuse Hitler's orders. In May 1939, Hitler ordered the German army to prepare to invade Poland. -
The Invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. World War II had begun. -
The Battle of Britain
In June 1940, the German air force, called the Luftwaffe, began to attack British shipping in the English Channel. Then, in mid-August, the Luftwaffe launched an all-out air battle to destroy the Royal Air Force. This air battle, which lasted into the fall of 1940, became known as the Battle of Britain.
