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Period: to
German Expansion
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It All Began
Hitler met secretly with his top military advisors. He declared to grow and prosper that Germany needed more land. His plan was to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia to the Third Reich. When one of Hitlers advisors said that annexing those counteries could provoke war, Hitler replied "'The German question' can be solved only by means of force, and this is never without risk." -
Union with Austria
German troops marched into Austria unopposed. A day later, Germany announced that it's union with Austria was complete. The United States and the rest of the world did nothing to stop him. -
Munich Agreement
The Munich agreement was signed, That agreement turned the Sudetenland over to Germany without any guns shooting any person. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the agreement with eagerness to avoid war. Chamberlain returned Britain and said, "My Friends, there has come back from germany peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time." -
Hitler's Still Expanding
German troops poured into what remained of Czechoslovakia. At nightfall Hitler gloated, "Czechoslovakia had ceased to exist." Right after that Germany then started to make plans to take over Germany's eastern neighbor, Poland. -
Nonagression Pact
Stalin signed a nonagression pact with Hitler. Germany and Russia now comitted never to attack each other. Germany and the soviet Union signed a secret pact around the same time which allowed them to agree to divide Poland between them. with the danger of a war eliminated, Poland would be also. -
Blitzkreig
THe German airforce roared over Poland dropping bombs on military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities. At the same time, German tanks went across the countryside of Poland. The tanks had caused confusion and terror. -
Phony War
Hitler launched a suprise invasion on Denmark and Norway in order "to protect Norway and Denmarks freedom and independance." In truth, Hitler planned to build bases along the coast to strike Great Britian. Afterwards, Hitler turned on the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. They were overrun by the end of May. The Phony War had ended. -
France Falls
The world watched as Hitler handed French officers his term of surrender. Germans would own northern France and southern France would soon be owned by the Nazi's. -
Battle of Britain
In the summer of 1940, German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom, in a large bombing campaign. A turning point of World War II, the Battle of Britain ended when Germany failed to gain air superiority over the Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and its civilian population. Britain’s victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces proving air power could be used to win a major battle.
