-
Period: to
Duration of World War II
-
Declaration of War
Britain, France and soon to follow, the Commonwealth countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand) declared war on Germany for invading Poland. Pre-war, Britain had made a treaty with Poland to back them up if their independence was ever threatened forcefully, leading up to WWII. For 7 months due to the lack of Allied preparations, the Allies were inactive defensively against the Axis. This would be called as the "Phony War" because no Allied actions were made until April 1940. -
Blitzkrieg!
Germany had modernized their style of warfare--the blitzkrieg ("lightning war") that made great use of their tanks and aircrafts. The blitzkrieg was a tactic that used speed, surprise, and power against the opponent, helping the Germans conquer Denmark and Norway. They used paratroops and air forces to secure key areas and allowed troops to advance quickly. After this, Germany overran the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium within weeks. -
Dunkirk Evacuation
During the attacks on eastern France, the remaining forces of the French and British could not hold on to Germany for much longer. The Allies were ordered to withdraw to Dunkirk on the English Channel coast, and the British navy gathered every boat capable of navigating the channel and the evacuation began. About 340,000 troops were saved from Dunkirk when the Luftwaffe bombed the port 2 days later. -
North-African Campaign
A three-year campaign in North African over the control of valuable resources and strategic positions, otherwise known as the Desert War. When Italy joined the Axis in June 1940, the British immediately invaded Libya. Italy invaded Egypt in return and targeted the Suez Canal. This area was essential for the Axis to access the oil-rich Middle East. Allies destroyed everything but the Italian army by Dec. Once the Allies had North Africa, they could attack from the south up into Italy. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign using the air force in order to gain air superiority. The Germans targeted harbours, shipping facilities, airfields, and aircraft factories. The Luftwaffe also bombed British cities, and the British bombed Berlin back. This angered Hitler, and he ordered the Luftwaffe to continue bombing British cities, destroying buildings and killing civilians. The RAF won the battle because they had an advantage in terms of technology and supplies. -
Operation Barbarossa
In 1939, Stalin had signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler, but this agreement was broken after Germany's attack on the Soviet Union. Conquering the S.U. was a part of Hitler's plans for a new German Empire. Unprepared for the attack, the Soviets allowed Germans to reach Russian territory but faced the cold, long Soviet winter and lost advantage. They tried again in 1942, but surrendered in 1943 because of the weather, and the Soviet army recaptured the territory they had lost + joined Allies. -
The Dieppe Raid
Stalin ordered the Allies to invade Europe from the west. Allies organized a one-day test run of a full-scale invasion and also to test new technology. The plan was to launch four early attacks on coast, main attack on Dieppe. A ship carrying Canadian soldiers ran into German convoy, alerting the Germans on the coast. Allied soldiers were easily gunned downed once on shore, had ineffective tanks and bad communication, Resulted in thouasands of casualties + POW's. -
Battle of Sicily
A part of the Italian Campaign for Allies to recapture the "soft underbelly" of Europe, starting by invading Siciliy. Canadians proved to be strong oppopnents, and fought against Italian and German soldiers through 240 kilometres of colossal terrains, but lost 562 soldiers in battle. After 38 days, Siciliy was captured, and this led to Mussolini's downfall. Mussolini was overthrown and Italy's new government surrendered. -
Battle of Ortona
After the victory in Sicily, the Germans retreated back to mainland Italy, and the Allies followed. Canadians were ordered to capture the town of Ortona. The troops had to capture smaller villages, cross the river Moro, and fight across German-occupied territory. Canadians captured the town on Dec. 28 1943, but lost 1372 soldiers until the depleted German troops withdrew. The Canadians continued through Italy until ordered to join campaign in France. About 6000 Canadians were killed in Italy. -
Juno Beach
Canada was given their own beach to fight on on D-day. This is a significant moment for Canada's history because it defines the independence they have gained and the recognition they recieved from other nations. The Canadian solders had to make their way past German defences to take the beach and by the end of the day, Canadians had taken 9km of land. Despite their success, casualties were high: 359 soldiers died, 715 were wounded. -
D-Day: Invasion of Normandy
The biggest Allied invasion of WWII. The Allies began their attack by landing their troops on 5 beaches on the Normandy coast in northern France. They had massive air + naval support, and held the advantage since they were able to disrupt Germans' transportation + communication before the attack. The Allies' naval support allowed them to bring in over a million troops + vehicles + supplies. German's defence was poorly planned--did not assume Allies would attack because of the bad weather. -
Battle of the Sheldt
By this time, the Allies were welcomed as the liberators of Europe. The Battle of the Sheldt was a conflict over the access to Scheldt River in Belgium. Canadians were ordered to clear enemy troops from the river because it connected Antwerp to the North Sea. The Canadians were successful in this after a month of fighting, and the Allies were able to bring their supplies for the final advance against Germany. -
Battle of the Rhineland
The Battle of the Rhineland began when the Allies started their attack to drive the Germans the Rhine River and out of the Netherlands. About 23 000 Allied soldiers died, include over 5300 Canadians. Germany lost about 90 000 men, including 52 000 that were captured as POW's. On the 10th of March, the German army pulled out to east of Rhine River and allowed the Canadians to liberate Holland. -
Liberation of the Netherlands
When the Allies reached Germany and the Rhine River, the Canadians were given the job to liberate the Netherlands. Their earlier attempt to liberate Holland failed and left port cities destroyed and the countryside flooded. Food and fuel supplies were cut off and the Dutch were left to starve. After a month of fighting the Germans out of Netherlands, Allies negotiated a truce that let them bring much needed supplies for civilians. -
Victory in Europe!!!!!!!!
As they weakened further, Germany was being attacked from the north and west by the Allies, and from the east by the Soviet Union. Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies on the 7th of May, 1945. Before he was captured, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945. The surrender of Germany was authorized by Hitler's successor.
