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Austrian Anschluss
Hitler annexed Austria into Germany on March 12, 1938. Although Hitler didn't have the approval of the Austrian Social Democrats, a rise in Nazi and right-wing party activities allowed Hitler to gain an influence in Austria. Austrian counselor Kurt von Schuschnigg was bullied by Hitler into allowing a greater Nazi presence in Austria. Schuschnigg hoped that meeting Hitler's demands, Germany wouldn't invade Austria. On March 12, German troops marched into Austria and Hitler annexed Austria. -
The Munich Conference
The Sudetenland is an area of Czechoslovakia and Hitler wants to add it to Germany. France, the Soviet Union, and Britain all threaten to attack Germany if they invade Czechoslovakia. Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany decide to meet in Munich to discuss Czechoslovakia. Britain and France decide to agree to Hitler's demands, to avoid war. Slovakia is the independent, however, it was under German influence. The Czech lands became a German protectorate. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
A month after the Munich Conference, Hitler demanded the city of Danzig. Hitler's new demands convinced France and Britain that war with Germany was inevitable. Poland refused to hand Danzig to Germany. Britain told Poland that if they were to go to war then Britain would lend them a hand. On May 1939, Hitler ordered his army to prepare to invade Poland. He also ordered his foreign minister to begin negotiations with the USSR. -
The Fall Of France
Due to WWI, the French built a wall on the alongside the German border named the Maginot Line. French troops would wait behind the wall and wait for German troops to attempt to invade. However, the Germans focused on Poland, then went around the wall. They did so, by invading the Netherlands. Also, an army of tanks invaded Belgium and Luxembourg. In a surprising move, the Germans sent their main army through the Ardennes Mountains. As a result, the Fench army was trapped in Belgium. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
Hitler proposed to Stalin a pact that claimed that if Germany went to war with Poland, that the USSR would remain neutral. The treaty also stated that Poland would be divided between Germany and the Soviet Union. This baffled most people since Nazism and communism were the opposite of each other. However, Britain and France both knew that Hitler needs to insure that USSR wouln't get invloved with the war. -
The Invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. Two days after Hitler's invasion, Britain, and France declared war on Germany. Unforchanly, the Polish army had horses, while the Germans had tanks and planes. Warsaw fell to the Germans on September 27, 1983. On October 5, 1939, the Polish army fell to the Germans. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
After trapping English soldiers in the English canal, Hitler ordered the army to stop the attack. This gave time to the Allies to evacuate the soldiers that were trapped in the English canal. Around 850 boats were used to go on the 48-mile trip. Most of these ships were operated by volunteers. The original goal was to save 45,000 soldiers, but in the end, 338,000 people were saved. Due to this, this event is called the "Mirical of Dunkirk". -
The Battle of Britain
Winston Churchill rallies the people of England in his speech. As a result, Hitler bombs London. Infuriated, the British army bombed Berlin. Due to these events, the air fights that were a consequence of all the bombings were known as the Battle of Britain. Hitler's goal was to terrorize the people of Britain, but when the bombs dropped, people would hide underground in subway tunnels. On October 10, Hitler retrieted, and cancled his invasion of Britian.
