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HITLER’S AGGRESSION. Axis Powers – Germany, Italy and Japan These nations had signed the Anti- Comintern Pact which required them to share information about Communist activities. Hitler’s goal was to unify all German speaking parts of Europe.
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Axis Powers – Germany, Italy and Japan These nations had signed the Anti-Comintern Pact which required them to share information about Communist activities.
Hitler’s goal was to unify all German speaking parts of Europe. He began by invading Austria, then parts of Czechoslovakia. In 1939, his armies invaded Poland. Britain and France had promised to help Poland. This is the official start of World War II.
Germany and the Soviet Union had signed a non-aggression pact before Germany invaded Poland. The Soviets agreed to allow Germany’s invasion if they were given part of Poland. They also had a plan to divide up parts of Europe after the war.
It took less than six weeks to defeat Poland. Germany used blitzkrieg – “lightning war” to attack the enemy. Western Europe was experiencing “sitzkrieg” – the sitting war. They expected Germany’s attack, but were waiting for it.
Hitler advanced through Norway and Denmark, then on to the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to get to France. They went around the Maginot Line to attack France. France surrendered in less than a month.
THE MIRACLE AT DUNKIRK British and French forces were trapped in Belgium with only the port of Dunkirk as an escape. Hitler delayed for three days and allowed them time to get 338,000 troops out of Belgium. Left thousands of tanks, trucks, guns,etc behind.
Germany expected Britain to surrender after the quick fall of France. They underestimated the determined leadership of Winston Churchill. Germany’s Luftwaffe began attacking British shipping and the Royal Air Force.
BATTLE OF BRITAIN Aug. 23, 1940, German bombers accidentally bomb London. The attack on civilians outraged the British. The following night, the Royal Air Force bombed Berlin. Hitler now ordered bombings of London to terrorize the British people.
Britain had a new weapon – radar. This allowed them to find German planes and intercept them. In October, 1940, Hitler called off the invasion of Great Britain.
HOLOCAUST Nazis killed almost 6 million Jews. They also killed millions they considered inferior – disabled, Gypsies, homosexuals and Slavic peoples.
1935 – Nuremburg Laws • Took citizenship away from Jews • Banned marriage between Jews and other Germans • Defined “Jew” as a person with at least one Jewish grandparent • Prohibited Jews from holding public office or voting • Passports had to be labeled with a red “J”
Nov. 7, 1938 - a Jewish refugee shot and killed a German diplomat in Paris. Hitler used this as an excuse to intensity attacks on Jews.
Kristallnacht began a time of Jewish persecution. Storm Troopers pulled Jews out of their homes and killed or injured them. They destroyed 7,500 Jewish businesses and wrecked over 180 synagogues. Gestapo (secret police) arrested 20,000 wealthy Jews. The government took their wealth and made them leave the country. 1933-1939 – 350,000 Jews escaped Germany.
THE FINAL SOLUTION Until 1942, “undesirables” were rounded up and shot or killed with poison gas. The final plan called for these people to be taken to concentration camps where healthy people would work until they died from exhaustion or starvation.
Extermination camps were for the sick, elderly, disabled or women with children. They were executed in mass gas chambers. • Buchenwald • Treblinka • Auschwitz
