-
Anschluss
German troops marched into Austria to annex them into the Nazi's and Germany with no opposition. This process was called Anschluss. The majority of 6 million people in Austria agreed with Hitler, so they didn't think to do anything. Furthermore, the United States and other countries did nothing about Germany taking over Austria. -
"Munich Agreement" Signed
Hitler wanted Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, so he charged them at their borders since the main defense was their mountains. France and Great Britain promise to protect Czechoslovakia, so Hitler decided to meet with French premier Edouard Daladier and British prime minister Neville Chamberlain to tell them this was his "last territorial demand", although it wasn't. Chamberlain agreed and was fooled with appeasement and was warned by his political rival Winston Churchill. -
Stalin signed Nonagression Pact
Germany attacked Poland, which triggered the Soviet Union. Because of the tensions, Stalin and Hitler decided to sign this pact to never attack each other for supposedly, 10 years. Along with that, they signed a second secret pact that dived Poland between them. Hence, no one knew about this and the fate for Poland was already settled. -
Blitzkrieg "Lightning War"
Germany's air force, Luftwaffe, started bombing military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities in Poland. Blitzkrieg is also another word for Germany's newest military strategy. The tactics were to take the enemy by surprise and quickly destroy all opposition with strong forces such as powerful aircraft and fast tanks with new technology. In the last few weeks, the Soviet Union attacked Poland from the east and took control, marking the beginning of WW2. -
Declaration of War
The invasion in Poland which is technically the beginning of WW2 as far as actions are considered. This upset France and Britain so they finally decided to declare war on Germany, officially marking the beginning of WW2. -
The Phony War "Sitting War"
French and British troops lined at Maginot Line which are forts built on France's eastern border. They waited for Germany to make the first move while at the Siegfried Line a few miles away, the Germans were also waiting. -
Surprise attack on Denmark and Norway
Hitler launched a surprise attack on Norway and Denmark, in hopes to "protect their freedom and independence". Even though he planned to build bases there to ultimately attack Great Britain. Shortly after, he took over Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg by the end of May, ending the "Phony War". -
The Fall of France
After Germany taking many British and French soldiers, Italy entered the war on Germany's side. They invaded France from the South while the Germans attacked Paris from the North. William Shirer and other countries watched Hitler hand surrender terms to the French to force them out. After they were taken over, French General Charles de Gaulle fled and claimed that France lost a battle, not the war. -
Luftwaffe attacks
Germans invaded the French Coast and launched air craft at the same time to gain total control of the skies, destroying the Royal Air Force (RAF). This German air force was called Luftwaffe. -
The Battle of Britain
2,000 German planes ranged over Britain and for 2 months bombers crushed the city of London. After aircraft, Luftwaffe started targeting cities. Soon after, the British introduced "radar" where they can see Germany's planes and their plan. -
Britain Fights Back
The "radar" that the British invented gave them a technological advance and fought back aggressively. The RAF shot down over 185 German planes and not losing too many planes themselves. The war carries on with both Britain and Germany bombing each other.
