Blitzkrieg in Poland

Blitzkrieg in Poland: ● ● ● ● 1st September 1939 the War began as Hitler attacked Poland. On September 3rd, Britain and France declared war on Germany after pledging to defend Poland. ○ But they could do little to stop a German victory in Poland. Soviet troops attacked Poland from the east on the 17th: ○ This was part of the Pact signed between Germany and the USSR. ○ Stalin took control of eastern Poland and the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The campaign in Poland and all subsequent campaigns were based upon the Blitzkrieg (lightning war) method: ○ The use of overwhelming force in as short a time frame as possible. ○ Extensive use of tanks and other armored vehicles. The Phoney War: ● ● ● October 1939-April 1940: ○ Little direct fighting between Germany and Britain and France. ○ Britain and France concentrated on stopping German sea trade and on stopping Germany’s supply of iron ore from Scandinavia. October 1939-March 1940: ○ The USSR invaded Finland (Baltic). ○ The Finnish army fought well and it took the USSR a long time to defeat. ○ This difficulty that the USSR experienced in defeating even a small state such as Finland convinced Hitler that he could easily turn on the USSR: ■ Long term plan was to destroy the USSR after destroying the west and set up a new empire in the East. April 1940: ○ France and Britain placed mines in Norwegian waters to stop the trade of iron ore between them and Germany. ○ Germany invaded Norway and Denmark as a result. ○ The invasion of Finland, Norway and Denmark forced Daladier and Chamberlain to resign: ■ Winston Churchill took Chamberlain’s place. (May 1940). ■ Albert Sarraut took Daladier’s place. The Fall of France: ● ● ● May 1940: ○ Hitler moved west and conquered the Netherlands, Belgium and France. ○ Only part of the south and south-east of France was left and these were placed under a puppet government based in the town of Vichy. ○ A British army was forced to flee from the port of Dunkirk back to England. ○ The war was nearly over: ■ Mussolini joined forces with Hitler in June 1940; he wanted Italy to get some of the spoils of war. Hitler then prepared for an invasion of Britain: ○ August and September the Luftwaffe – German Air Force – bombed military sites, factories and London. ○ The RAF clashed with the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain: ■ Both sides suffered heavy losses. ■ The RAF came out with the upper hand. ■ Hitler was thus forced to postpone his plans for Britain. Italy: ○ An Italian army was defeated by Britain in North Africa. ○ Greece stopped an Italian invasion of their territories. ○ German forces had to be sent to Africa and Greece to help their ally. Hitler turns East: ● ● ● 22nd June, 1941 Hitler decided it was time to dispose of the USSR: ○ He used the Blitzkrieg tactic. ○ 3 million soldiers stormed the USSR with 3000 tanks and 5000 aircraft. ○ Stalin was taken by surprise. ○ Germany was able to capture key cities; Smolensk and Kiev. Mid-October: ○ The German forces were nearing Moscow. ○ They were met with fierce defense. ○ They failed to capture the city. Again the German troops were unprepared for the frigid Russian winter as Hitler thought that the war with the USSR would be over in three months. America joins the war: the attack on Pearl Harbour: ● ● ● Whilst Germany was sieging Moscow the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. 7th December 1941: ○ Japanese troops bombed Pearl Harbour in a surprise attack. ○ Provoked the USA to join the war on the British and Russian side. In the early months of 1942: ○ Japan seized much of Eastern Asia. ○ Japan conquered many of the islands in the Pacific. The Tide Turns: ● ● ● ● ● ● Summer 1942: ○ The Germans launched an attack on the southern Russian city of Stalingrad. ○ A fierce battle ensued and was fought throughout the autumn. November 1942: ○ The USSR counter-attacked. ○ The German troops were eventually surrounded. January 1943: ○ The German army at Stalingrad surrendered. ○ This proved that the Red Army could beat the German army. After this the war began to go against Hitler. June 1942, the USA and Japan: ○ The Battle of Midway Island stopped the Japanese conquest of the Pacific Islands. ○ The USA then began retaking the Pacific Islands from the Japanese. October 1942, Germany and North Africa: ○ British forces defeated the German army at the Battle of El Alamein. ○ By May 1943, all Italian and German forces had been driven out of North Africa. The Holocaust: ● ● Germans and Japanese treated their prisoners brutally. Germans condoned the Holocaust: ○ A systematic murder of millions of Jews and other groups disliked by the Nazis (communists and socialists). ○ July 1941, German leadership decided on the ‘Final Solution to the Jewish problem’: ■ Death camps were set up to gas Jews to death or to use them as slaves until they died. ○ This was personally sanctioned by Hitler. The End Game: ● 1943: ○ British and American forces landed in Italy. ○ Germans resisted fiercely. ○ Rome was captured in June 1944. ○ ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Though it was not until 1945 that the whole of Italy was under the control of Britain and America. January 1944: ○ The Germans abandoned the siege of Leningrad: ■ This had already been progressing for two years already. ○ By the summer of 1944 they were in steady retreat across Russia. 6 June 1944: ○ The British and American troops invaded France in the D Day operation. ○ By the 25th August, British and American troops had reached Paris. ○ The Germans counter-attacked in December 1944 in the Ardennes area of Belgium. ○ Their counter-attack had some early successes but was soon turned back. The Pacific War was difficult; Japanese troops resisted ferociously throughout the conflict. ○ October 1944 the Americans invaded the Philippines. ○ Over 170 000 Japanese soldiers had to be killed before the capital, Manila, could be taken. German power in Europe collapsed in April 1945: ○ The Soviet Red Army captured Berlin. ○ Hitler committed suicide. 8th May 1945, German forces finally surrendered. Japan: ○ America anticipated huge losses if they invaded the main islands of Japan: ■ The resistance of Japan was already ferocious over the Pacific Islands, what this resistance would be like if someone attempted to invade Japanese home territory was frightening to imagine. ■ American scientists had developed the A-bomb: ■ August 1945 two atomic bombs were dropped; one on Hiroshima the other on Nagasaki. ■ Together these convinced the Japanese to surrender. ○ The Japanese surrendered on the 14th August, 1945. The Second World War had ended with the Allies being the victors.