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The Austrian Anschluss
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 democratic vote. Hitler was scared so he sent troops into Austria in March and announced the Anschluss (unification) of Austrian and Germany. -
The Munich Conference
Britain and France agreed to Hitler's demands, a policy that came known to be as an appeasement. Meaning they made concessions in exchange for peace. People supported this so that they could avoid war with Hitler. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
Poland refused to give into Hitler's demands, Hitler ordered the German army to prepare to invade Poland. He also ordered his foreign minister to begin negotiations with the USSR. If Germany was going to fight Britain and France, Hitler did not want to have to fight the Soviets too. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
A non-aggressive treaty proposed by Germany to the Soviets. Stalin agreed believing it was the best way to protect the USSR was to turn the capitalist nations against each other. If the treaty worked Germany would go to war against Britain and France and the USSR would be safe. The pact shocked the world -
The Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland starting up World War II. Poland bravely resisted Germany's onslaught, but its army was outdated. Germans had modern warfare while Poland was still riding horses. Poland could not stop the Germans, Warsaw the capital fell to the Germans on September 27. By October 5th, the Germans defeated the Polish Military. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
Britain and France evacuate their surviving troops by sea but the Germans had captured all but one port, Dunkirk in northern France by the Belgian Border. Hitler called off the attack, and ordered a three day delay to get the troops out, for an unknown reason till this day. An estimated 338,000 British and French troops had been saved. Came to be known as the "Miracle at Dunkirk" -
The Fall of France
After World War 1 the French had built a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications called the Maginot Line. They sat by the line waiting for Germans to approach. The Germans went around the line and on May 10th they launched a new blitzkrieg. Germans easily smashed through the French lines trapping them in Belgium. -
The Battle of Britain
Germany had to defeat the British Royal Air Force. June 1940 the German air force called the Luftwaffe, began to attack British shipping in the English channel. Launched an all out air battle to destroy the Royal Air Force, lasted into the fall of 1940.
