-
Invasion of Poland
On this date Germany invaded Poland. Thier goal was to gain this important territory because many areas were filled with Germans. East Prussia was also cut off from Germany earlier which created an unacceptable Polish Corridor. With almost no effort, Germany was successful in invading Poland. This proved that the Blitzkrieg was effective. This was also theh start of the "Phoney War". -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
Because British and French troops were trapped on the French coast at the port of Dunkirk the British ordered "Operation Dynamo" (The Evacuation of Dunkirk) to commence. This operation sent hundreds of boats including non-milatry ones such as fishing boats to rescue trapped forces. Nearly 340 000 troops were evacuated by the British navy. The evacuation was successful, however the incident was widely considered a disaster. Fortunately, Hitler did not order his troops to kill the trapped forces. -
Fall of France
Hitler eventually led French troops to surrender on the 22nd of June after German forces invaded. Again, Hitlers use of Blitzkrieg proved effective. The French Magniot Line proved useless as the Germans quickly bypassed it. Two other reasons that France fell to Germany was that the French did not deploy their tanks effectively, and the German airforce was much more superior. -
Battle of Britain
Hitler was compelled to destroy Britains airforce and so he bombed multiple airbases. This was unsuccessful and the Royal Air Force survived. Britain immediatly launched a counter-attack on Berlin. Hitler was outraged and so he started the "Bltiz", the bombing of British citys to detroy the morale of the people. Britsh planes still maintained a 2.0 KD ratio, as well as other advantages such as the radar and "Enigma", a decipher machine for German codes. -
Winter War
Stalin ordered the Red Army to invade Finland because he wanted the territory for Russia; the territory provided access to the ocean. The Red amry was successful and they also took the Baltic States. Finland signed a peace trreat with the Soviets. The Red Armys weaknesses were shown. -
Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the launch of a German attack on the Soviets. Hitler was determined to defeat Russia to fufill "Lebensraum" and finally defeat communism. German troops devastated the Red Army. Germany took vast stretches of Russian territory. Ultimately in the end, Hitler miscalculated and the cold Russian winter halted the German offensive. -
Period: to
Battle of the Atlantic
This battle was fought over the Atlantic Ocean as Britain defended thier open sea lanes to North America and their empire. Britains efforts sunk nearly 70 German U-Boats. Without the success of Britain, the safe route to North America would be compromised and no goods would reach Europe. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Operation Barbarossa eventually led to the German attack on Stalingrad. Hitler wanted to abolish the city with Stalins hated name. Germany however was unsuccessful due to lack of air support. The cold Russian winter also slowly destroyed any attempts made by Germany. Planes would not start and it was so cold metal would crack. Hitler lost 300 000 of his best units, was denied access to the oil fields, and most importantly were forced back on to the defensive. -
Battle of El Alamein
El Alamein is located within close proximity to the Suez Canal and so it is an important geographical location. Britain and Germany were fighting for control over El Alamein as whoever controlled this area, also controlled the Suez Canal. Britain finally defeated Germany under the leadership of General Montgomery (Monty). -
Italian Campaign
On the 9th of July allied forces attacked Italy with intentions to weaken German forces. The allies were successful and defeated the German troops in Italy. Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans and was hung and displayed in Milan. This was another step to the liberation of Europe. -
Normany Invasion (D-Day)
British, Canadian and American forces invaded 5 beaches codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Their efforts were put forward in order to recapture lost French territory. The allies pushed Germany out and reclaimed Normandy. Rommels prediction on the outcome of the war with relation to the outcome of d-day was correct. -
Battle of the Bulge
Germany launced one last offensive attack on the Allied front in Ardennes. Germany found a weak spot in the front which was only being held by 80 000 troops as opposed to Germans 200 000 attacking troops. They were stopped on Christmas day after taking over 60 miles of territory. This demonstrated the difficulties in delivering the final blow to Germany.
