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The Events of the European Theatre

The Events of the European Theatre. Invasion of Poland, 1939 Sept 1/39, beginning of WWII Blitzkrieg “lightning” war Airplanes led the attack; knocked out key enemy positions Followed by Tanks and Motorized Infantry Germans would sweep past their enemy “trapping them”

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The Events of the European Theatre

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  1. The Events of the European Theatre • Invasion of Poland, 1939 • Sept 1/39, beginning of WWII • Blitzkrieg • “lightning” war • Airplanes led the attack; knocked out key enemy positions • Followed by Tanks and Motorized Infantry • Germans would sweep past their enemy “trapping them” • France and Britain declare war on Germany • Canada, on their own accord, declared a week later • Quebec was on board – as long as conscription wasn’t an option

  2. The Events of the European Theatre II • The Phoney War • Oct 1939-April 1940 everyone thought Germany would go after Western Europe • Bad weather prevented this • Allied troops & Canadians waited • Real war = Czechoslovakia, Poland, & Finland

  3. The Events of the European Theatre III: Western Europe • May 1940, things were heating up, Spring 1941 war on western front began • Hitler’s forces took Norway, Denmark, Belgium, & Holland…next France • Canada did not engage in war until 1942 • Stationed in GB

  4. WWII: Western Europe II • Evacuation of Dunkirk, 1940 • Where & Why: With collapse of Belgium, British and French troops evacuated to beaches of Dunkirk along English Channel • They were trapped • What Happened? • 900 Ships sailed from England, rescuing 940,00 troops • Moral Victory = “live to fight another day” • Side Note: Few weeks later, France surrendered to Germany

  5. WWII: Western Europe III • Battle of Britain, 1940 • Hitler used air attacks on Britain to prepare for amphibious invasion • Control air = destroy the Royal Navy that protected English Channel/Britain • Wanted to destroy Britain’s fighter planes, factories, and moral • Summer 1940: British Royal Air Force (RAF) & German Luftwaffe fought in airspace over Britain • CAN served in RAF • Despite GB outnumbered 3:1, had upper hand • Better planes & use of Radar • Had the “Enigma” = German cipher machine, could receive and decode German messages

  6. Battle of Britain continued… • Turning point: • Aug 1940, German bomber squadron got lost, accidentally bombing civilians in London • GB PM Winston Churchill retaliated, bombingGerman city of Berlin • Hitler decided to quit bombing RAF airfields and focussed on daylight bombings of London (the Blitz) • This shift cost Hitler as GB could rebuild and train new pilots • Sept. 1940, RAF won Battle of Britain • Hitler’s first real defeat & protection of Britain provided allies with “springboard” to launch invasion of Europe later in the war… • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0-fVLCnsBs

  7. Other Battles & Their Significance • Canadians @ Dieppe, 1942 (See Map Pg. 98) • Early Months 1942, war was not going well for the Allies • Soviet Union, Egypt, and North Africa = Uphill battle • Stalin was calling for a “second-front” to open up • He wanted this second front so that it would divert some of the pressures that the Soviet Union was facing • Not a good time for a “full scale” invasion, so instead a smaller battle was in the works from the Western Front • August 1942, 5,000 Canadian soldiers landed at Dieppe on the coast of France • Objective: Take the beach and town of Dieppe back from Germans. • Results: Soldiers were mowed down on the beach by German Fire

  8. Dieppe II • By early afternoon, 900 Canadians were dead or dying on the beach, 1,000 were wounded, and 1,900 were taken prisoner • More Canadian troops died in these few hours than any other day of WWII • But why? • Plan fell apart: Allied Flotilla was aiming at a secret attack, they encountered a enemy convoy & engaged in a noisy battle  element of surprise = gone • Last minute, British decided against the planned bombardment of the German fortifications @ Dieppe

  9. Dieppe III • Why were Canadian troops involved @ Dieppe? • PM King was in the middle of a conscription crisis at home and was in need of a diversion • Also suggested that of all the Allied troops, the Canadians were the ones who were the most expendable… • What did the Allies learn from Dieppe? • Heavy Air and Sea support would be needed for any future invasions of France • Historically Dieppe is not viewed as a total disaster, some historians view the lessons learned @ Dieppe saved countless lives in future battles on the beaches of Normandy later on in the war… • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQhPjKet4II

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