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Explore the events leading to World War II, Hitler's rise to power, the Battle of France in 1940, and the aftermath, including the Cold War. Learn about key leaders, strategies, and pivotal moments in history.
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Introduction to World War II and Hitler’s Initial Success Lesson 15
Resources • http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/dhistorymaps/WWIIPages/WWIIEurope/WWIIEToC.htm • http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/dhistorymaps/WWIIPages/WWIIPacific/WWIIAToC.htm
What we’ll cover • Introduction • North Africa and Italy • Normandy • Pacific and Beginnings of the Cold War
Allied Political Leaders Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin
Axis Political Leaders Hirohito Mussolini and Hitler
German Generals Rommel Kesselring Guderian Rundstedt
Allied Leaders Eisenhower Marshall
Allied Leaders (Europe) Montgomery Bradley
Allied Leaders (Europe) Hodges Patton Patch
Allied Leaders (Italy) Lucas Darby Clark
Allied Leaders (Airborne) Gavin Taylor Ridgway
Allied Leaders (Pacific) MacArthur King
Aftermath • Divided Europe • Marshall Plan • Cold War
Marshall Plan Hamburg's Moenckebergstrasse in the business district at the end of the war (left) and in 1950 (right).
Cold War Ronald Reagan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!”speech in 1987 Adlai Stevenson showing aerial photographs at the UN during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962
World War II:Blitzkrieg (“Lightning War”) and the Eastern Front
Rise of Hitler • Treaty of Versailles was very punitive to Germany • Unemployment and other issues created conditions conducive for Hitler to rise to power Dec 21, 1931
Rebirth of Germany • Hitler reinstituted conscription (after France doubled the length of its conscripts’ service) and in March 1936 was strong enough to reoccupy the Rhineland • In June 1934, Hitler purged many of his paramilitary and the SS rose up to replace them
Germany’s Increasingly Militaristic Approach • In Nov 1937, Italy joined Germany in an alliance against the Soviet Union • In Mar 1938, Hitler forced Anschluss (union) with Austria • On Sept 29-30, the British and French foreign ministers attempted to appease Hitler by acquiescing to his demand for the Sudentenland under the understanding Hitler would make no more territorial demands • In March 1939 Hitler seized the western part of Czechoslovakia Neville Chamberlain
Continued Aggression • Britain and France now knew appeasement wouldn’t stop Hitler and they pledged to defend Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, and Poland against German aggression • On Aug 22, 1939, Russia and Germany signed a non-aggression pact • In the event of a German-Polish war, Russia could annex eastern Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania • On Sept 1, Hitler invaded Poland
Russia and Finland • On Nov 30, Russia attacked Finland and on Mar 12, 1940, the Finns finally surrender • Russia’s army did not perform particularly well which made Hitler think the Russians would not be much of a challenge if Germany invaded Finnish infantry passing a destroyed Russian tank
French and German Plans forthe Battle of France 1940 • France anticipated the Germans attacking through the north as they did in World War I so they developed the Dye Plan to counter such an attack • Built the Maginot Line in the south to protect the border
Maginot Line • A line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along her borders with Germany and Italy • The fortifications did not extend through the Ardennes Forest which was considered “impassable”
Surprise in the Ardennes • On May 12, 1940 Germany attacked through the weakly held Ardennes region • Penetrated Allied defenses and then began to envelop them
Guderian Breaks Through at SedanBattle of France: May 14, 1940
Hoth Breaks Through at DinantBattle of France: May 14-15, 1940
Penetration • With Hoth’s and Guderian’s successes, the Germans had a 40 mile breakthrough from Dinant to Sedan • Pushed through seven armored divisions toward the English Channel
Dinant Ardennes Sedan
The Panzer's Race To The ChannelBattle of France: May 14-24, 1940
Dunkirk was the last evacuation port available to the Allies.
Moving in for the Kill • German forces pressed the Allied armies trapped in the north, from south and east, into the English Channel. • Meanwhile, German infantry divisions reinforced the southern flank of the German penetration. • But…. Dunkirk Harbor ablaze from German bombing
Halt Order • Hitler halted the German armor • German armor had suffered heavy losses and would be needed to conquer the rest of France • Luftwaffe called upon to finish the job • Luftwaffe unable to destroy the British and French • Bases in western Germany were further away from Dunkirk than British planes were from their bases on the British Isles • 340,000 Allied troops were evacuated
Consolidation • On June 16, French asked for an armistice. • Battle of Britain began. • “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’” (Winston Churchill)
Italy Joins the Axis • On June 10, 1940, Mussolini declared war on Britain and France and four months later invaded Greece • Mussolini will end up being a troublesome ally for Hitler
The Eastern Front • On June 22, 1941, Hitler invaded Russia in Operation Barbarossa • The operation encompassed a total troop strength of about 4 million men, making it the biggest single land operation ever • Benefiting from initial surprise, by the end of July Hitler had occupied a portion of Russia twice the size of France • However, by the time the Germans reached the outskirts of Moscow in December, the Russian winter had set in
The Eastern Front • Ultimately enormous logistical shortcomings made Barbarossa a failure • Germany proved capable of fighting battles very well, but was less capable of fighting a war of prolonged duration • In the total four years of fighting on the Eastern Front, an estimated 4 million Axis and 9 million Russians were killed in battle • 20 million Soviet civilians were killed as a result of extermination campaigns against Jews, communists and partisans, casual massacres, reprisal killings, diseases, and (sometimes planned) starvation.
