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WW2 Begins
•Germany invades Poland in a blitzkrieg (lightning war).
•England and France react by declaring war on Germany
•Begins the European War, which will become World War II
C.E: Germany’s invasion (cause) begins the European War and World War 2 (effect) -
France Conquered
•Germany captures Paris, and France surrenders to the Nazis.
•Exacting revenge for his nation's defeat in the First World War, Hitler forces French officials to sign surrender papers in the same railroad car in which Germans signed the armistice of 1918.
H.P: Hitler is taking revenge on France, the country Germany was at war with the WW1 and doing so by humiliating the French with surrender papers. -
Battle of Brittan
•The Battle of Britain begins.
•A three-month battle fought in the skies over Britain will include destructive bombing raids on London and other cities, but by the end of October the British will hand Hitler his first defeat.
H.S: Hilter will receive his first ever defeat by the same country that had put Germany in turmoil in the fisrt place, with the Treaty of Versailles. -
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Air Raid Campaign
•Hundreds of German warplanes begin bombing London every night for 57 nights in attacks that continue until May 1941.
•More than 40,000 people die
•Blitz Londoners call the air raid campaign.
E.D: Many innocent people are killed in London due to the foul relationship between Brittan and Germany. -
Warsaw Ghetto
•More than 400,000 Polish Jews are herded into a part of Warsaw known as the Warsaw Ghetto.
•This continues in Poland the Nazi campaign against the Jews—the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews will be killed, along with hundreds of thousands of other minorities.
H.P: Hitler’s hate for Jewish motivates him to kidnap, torture, and kill them during the war. -
Lend-Lease Act
•President Franklin Roosevelt convinces a largely isolationist Congress to pass the Lend-Lease Act,
•Allowing U.S. to sell or lend war materials to "any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States." In paticular England.
H.P: The United States is only looking for allies to help. This way, they can guarantee the support of countries they sell weaponry to. -
Atlantic Charter
•Emerging from secret meetings conducted on warships off of Newfoundland, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt unveil the Atlantic Charter.
•The charter outlines goals concerning "the final destruction of Nazi tyranny,"
•Pledge to support "the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live."
C.C: In WW1, Winston Churchill’s planning caused a major defeat for the British, but in WW2, he is one of the many who help end WW2. -
Leningrad
•As German conquest of the Soviet Union continues, German troops besiege Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).
•During the siege, (until January 1944) more than 500,000 people in Leningrad will die of starvation.
E.D: While the war is killing many through violence, the lack of resources in the invaded countries cause many to die because they have very little to eat. -
Attack on Pearl Harbour
•The United States is thrust into war when Japan launches a devastating surprise attack on the U.S. Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
•President Franklin Roosevelt ask Congress to declare war on Japan on December 8th.
•3 days after, Germany and Italy will declare war on the U.S.
H.S: United States is forced into the war after Japanese attack and Germany and Italy (both fascist) as well .
T.P: United States is officially in the war and fighting with the allies. -
Relocation
•The U.S. government forces thousands of Japanese-Americans to move from the U.S. West Coast to “relocation” camps in isolated areas.
E.D: Since the US is in war with Japan, they feel that any Japanese Americans could be spies, from men, women, and children. They strip them of their freedoms and rights without any negotiation or discussion. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
•Germany begins its assault on the Russian city of Stalingrad. In a battle that will rage for six months, and take hundreds of thousands of German and Russian lives, the Red Army finally defeats invading Nazis.
H.S: This battle is a major loss for the Nazi, and is the begging to the end of Hitler’s reign
T.P: The long, bloody battle proves to be a turning point in the war, as Germany begins a retreat from the Eastern Front. -
Russian Winter
•German troops are near Moscow.
•But, forced to fight in freezing weather, the troops pull back
•Defeated by the Russian winter
C.E: Even though it was known that battles during the cold winter is not productive, especially in Russia, the Germans still fought against their enemy (cause), but lost because the weather got the best of them (effect). -
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Mussolini Overthrown
•Allied forces capture Sicily and key spots in southern Italy.
•Dictator Benito Mussolini is overthrown and imprisoned.
•Hitler dispatches German troops to fend off an Allied advance in what will be a series of hard fought, costly battles.
H.P: After losing a few of the last battles, Germany tries to once more to protect its allies, believing they can still win this war. -
Forcing Fascist Regime
•The Badoglio government surrenders unconditionally to the Allies.
•The Germans immediately seize control of Rome and northern Italy, establishing a puppet Fascist regime
•Under Mussolini, freed from imprisonment by German commandos on September 12.
H.P: The Germans are taking back control and helping their allies by putting them back in control. They believe their fascist ideology is the most important. -
Tehran Conference
•The "big 3," Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, convene in Teheran, Iran to discuss the invasion of Italy.
•It is the first time all three have met.
H.S: This is the first time the top leaders of the allies are meeting. Their knowledge and resources together can help end the war. -
The Battle of Bulge
•Hitler sends 250 000 troops across 85-mile stretch of the Allied front, from southern Belgium into Luxembourg.
•In deadly cold winter weather, German troops advance 50 miles into the Allied lines, creating a deadly "bulge" pushing into Allied defenses.
C.C: When Germany invaded Russia, they were defeated because the harsh whether made it difficult to fight. But now, they have grown stronger and made significant advances onto allied lines. -
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The Yalta Conference
•Last meeting of Big Three( Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) in the Soviet city of Yalta.
•Roosevelt and Churchill agree to allow Stalin to control the governments of Eastern Europe at war's end
C.E: Allowing Stalin to control (cause) was setting the stage for the future Cold War (effect). -
Hitlers Suicide
•As Soviet forces push into Berlin, Adolf Hitler takes shelter in his bombproof bunker\
•He marries his mistress, Eva Braun, before poisoning her and shooting himself.
E.D: Cannot handle his impending loss and decides to end his life on his own terms, while controlling the fate of many in the past.
T.P: Now that the leader and glue to Germany is gone, they are lost without his leadership and will soon surrender. -
The end
•General Dwight Eisenhower accepts Germany's unconditional surrender at Reims, France.
•Germany likewise surrenders to Russia in Berlin.
H.S: The war is finally over, and surprisingly, instead of continuing to fight, Germany surrenders once again (WW1).