3.2 War in Europe

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The Second World War
1939-1945

3.2A War in Europe

Appeasement

France and Great Britain did everything in their power to prevent another war. To do so, they were willing to give in to Hitler's demands. 

Reasons for this appeasement policy: 

- World War One had been devastating

- There was an economic world crisis 

- They were democracies. People don't want wars

- Hitler recovered the German economy. Many people in France and Britain wanted to follow his example. 

- The US declared a policy of isolationism (America First) and would probably not join another war. 

For Hitler, the Munich Conference was a sign that France and Britain would not resist if he invaded Czechoslovakia. On March, 15th 1939, Nazi troops marched into Czechoslovakia. From this, the British and French had learned a hard lesson: Hitler could neither be appeased, nor be trusted.

 

Still the Allied forces did not declare war on Germany.

March 15, 1939. German troops enter the Czech capital city of Prague.

Molotov-Ribbentrop pact

August 1939

In August 1939 the Sovjet-Union and Nazi-Germany  agreed to a non-aggression pact and discussed in secret about a coöpertive invasion of Poland.

Germany invades Poland
1st September 1939

Start of the Second World War

3rd September 1939

• After the German attack on Poland, Britain and France only could do one thing:
• Declaring war to Germany..

The first months

end 1939 - begin 1940

• The first fase of the war is set in Eastern-Europe: 
• Because of the secret agreements of the Soviet-Union and Germany, the Soviet-Union invades Poland halfway through September. 
• Finland is also invaded, just like Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Blitzkrieg in Western-Europe

april-july 1940

• 
  
• In the spring of 1940, the Germans literally 'rolled up' Europe with enormous speed and great superiority.
• This warfare is known as the Blitzkrieg, lightning war.

Some countries (the Netherlands and Denmark) are attacked, for other countries (Belgium and Luxembourg) this is nothing new, they were also attacked during the First World War despite neutrality.

The Netherlands surrenders

15th may 1940

• Although in some places the Dutch army offers more resistance than the Germans had expected, the Dutch government, after the bombing of Rotterdam, has no choice but to surrender to the Germans.

France surrenders

22th June 1940

• A part of France, Vichy, isn't conquered and occupied but collaborates with Nazi-Germany.

Battle of Britain

July - Oktober 1940

• Hitler wanted to attack and invade Britain. 
• Thanks in part to the invention of the radar, Great Britain is able to defend itself against Germany.
• Thanks to the Britisch Royal Air Force (RAF), the Nazi's fail.

...during the whole war, Britain and especially London would be heavily bombarded. First by airplanes, later by the V1 and V2 rockets.

Operation Barbarossa

June - December 1941

• Despite the 1939 non-aggression pact, Germany attacks the Soviet Union:
• Hitler needs the 'Lebensraum' and the raw materials for his people.

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

7th December 1941

• Japan wants to make an imperium in Asia. 
• To achieve this goal they attack the American navalbase on Hawaï (Pearl Harbor) to keep America away from Asia
• Because of the destroyed American fleet, Japan has free reign in Asia.

The United States at war
8th December 1941

• One day after the attack, the United States of America declares war against Japan. Germany also declares war on the United States of America on the same day. 
  

According to the agreements of the alliance of the Axis powers, Germany and Italy declare war on the United States on December 11.

  1939               1940              1941                  1942                 1943                 1944               1945

1 sept. 1939

Germany invades Poland

Start WW2

Spring 1940

Germany conquers Dk, No, NL, Be, Lux & Fr.

by Blitzkrieg

summer 1940

Battle of Brittain

Ger. cann't invade 

fall 1941

Operation Barbarossa

Germany invades the Soviet-Union.

7 dec. 1941

Pearl Harbor

Japan attacks an American navalbase

Last lessons

Battle of Stalingrad

August 1942 - February 1943

• Due to the icy cold and poor supplies, the German army is crushed. Hitler must give up: Stalingrad can not be conquered.
  
• It will be a turning point in the war: the Soviet Union begins pushing back the German army.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXVWJNv1uwQ

turning point(1)

D-Day

June 6th, 1944

• The Normandy landings finally brought a front to the West, something Stalin had long requested.
  
• The D in D-Day stands for 'Decision'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdBEyitJ7Qc&t=1s&ab_channel=4KHDRMedia

Turning point (2)

Richmond Times, 1944

Battle of Arnhem

September 1944

• The Allies want to push through to the northern part of the Netherlands, to invade Germany from there, but they mistook about the strength of the Germans.
  
• Operation Market Garden failed at Arnhem ('Bridge too far').

Conference of Yalta

February 1945

• The Allies meet in Yalta (Soviet Union) to discuss what should happen to Germany and Europe after the war.
  
• The Big Three are: Churchill (GB), Roosevelt (US) and Stalin (SU).

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

President of the United States of America.

Jozef Stalin

Leader of the Soviet-Union.

Winston Churchill

Prime minister of Great-Britain.

Hitler defeated 
April 1945

• In april, the Red Army of the Soviet-Union succeeds to attack Berlin. 
• It is the final blow for Hitler: he commits suicide.

Liberation of the Netherlands

May 5th, 1945

Germany surrenders

May 8th, 1945

Conference of Potsdam

July 1945

• The Allies meet again (and for the last time) in Potsdam, (near Berlin).
  
• The players are different: Roosevelt died and Churchill has been defeated in an election. They have been replaced by Truman and Attlee
  
• The atmosphere between Truman and Stalin is bad, and they can't work things out....

Atomic bomb on Hiroshima

August 6th, 1945

Second Atomic bomb on Nagasaki

August 9th, 1945

Japan surrenders

August 15th, 1945

• After being devastated by the two American nuclear bombs, Japan has no choice but to surrender to the Allies.