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Germany Invades Czechoslovakia
The occupation of Czechoslovakia begins with the German’s occupation of the Sudetenland through the Munich Agreement in 1938. With the Sudetenland now part of Nazi Germany, Hitler’s next goal became occupying the remainder of Czechoslovakia. Without the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia was powerless to defend against the German army. On March 16, 1939 Germany forces moved into Czechoslovakia and overtook the country. -
The Soviet-Nazi Pact
The Soviet-Nazi pact was a document agreed to by both the Soviet Union and Germany. The pact said neither country could attack each other; a ten year nonaggression pact. It was signed on August 23, 1939. This pact enabled Germany to invade Poland on September 1st, 1939. The Soviet Union was awarded some of Poland’s occupied land. -
The Invasion of Poland
Poland was invaded by Germany on September 1, 1939. This marks the beginnings of World War II. For over a month Poland tried to defend their country, until finally on October 6th, 1939 when Poland became Nazi-occupied. -
Canada Enters the War
Canada had declared war on Germany on September 10, 1939, nine days after the invasion of Poland. This was the first time Canada declared war on another country independently. Canada was used as a supplier of munitions and other military supplies. German POWs were sent to Canada since if they escaped, it would be a lot harder to return to Germany. Canadians also sent soldiers off to war, but not immediately. They entered closer to 1941. -
Phony War (sitzkrieg)
The Phony war refers to the lack of military operations by France and Britain early on in WWII. Both Germany and the Western Allies had declared war on each other, however, no Western power had committed to sending any ground forces to counter and fight against the German forces. It took place from October 1939 to April 1940, a 7 month period. -
The INvasion of Norway, Denmark, Holland, and Belgium
On April 9, 1940 Germany invaded both Norway and Denmark to counter the occupation of Norway the French and British army were discussing. The people of Denmark and Norway were told they were being protected from the Franco-British forces. Next, the Germans invaded Belgium in order to stop them from siding with Britain and have them remain neutral. Holland was invaded after this and surrendered when the German army threatened to bomb them if they did not comply. Unluckily for them, the German Air -
The Invasion of France
The Invasion of France was the successful German invasion of France. The German army cut off and surrounded the Allied forces that had advanced into Belgium. The British pulled their Expeditionary Soldiers out of France. Once the British were out of France, the Germans decided to overwhelm the French army. On June 1st, 1940 the German air force bombed France, resulting in their surrender to the German Army. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
When British, French and Belgian troops were cut off and surrounded by the German forces in Belgium, the soldiers were stranded and could not escape the German forces without being shot, killed or captured. Commander of the BEF started planning an escape to Dunkirk. A Halt Order was issued to Hitler on May 24, 1940 which gave the BEF time to start building up their defence and start pulling back large numbers of troops to Dunkirk. From May 28 to 31 French forces kept 7 divisions of German forces -
THe Fall of France
On June 18, 1940 German officials met with the French Government. The Germans suggested France becomes an armistice with Germany. On June 22, an armistice was signed declaring that Germany now occupied the North and West of France, Italy would take control of the Southeast and an unoccupied zone would by government by the Vichy Government. French Soldiers would be taken to POW camps in Germany. France was not liberated until 4 years later. -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the air campaign led by the German Air Force against the UK. It took place from July 10 to October 3, 1940. The main target of the air attacks were shipping ports, shipping centres, and eventually aircraft manufacturing plants. In the end, Britain prevented Germany from increasing their superiority in the air, which ended the threat of an amphibious and airborne attack Hitler had been planning to unleash upon Britain. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the planned invasion of the Soviet Union by the Nazi Forces. On June 22, 1941, four million Nazi soldiers invaded the UUSR making it the largest invasion in war history. Russia repelled against the Axis powers and eventually led to the German’s retreat. This attack accounted for 95% of Nazi deaths between 1941 and 1944, and 65% of Western Allies casualties in WWII. This was a loss for the Axis powers. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbour
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese Air Force attacked Pearl Harbour with an onslaught of bombs and torpedo planes. Japan thought if they attacked the US they would be too intimidated to get involved in the war. It was a preventative measure. Instead this marks the USA’s entry into World War Two. After killing over 2000 Americans, this event was counted as a Japanese victory. This would later result in the unleashing of the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
