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THE WAR YEARS . 1939-1942. SEPTEMBER 1, 1939. BLITZKRIEG. BLITZKRIEG. BLITZKRIEG. BLITZKRIEG. USSR AND GERMANY SHARE POLAND. PHONY WAR. Britain drops leaflets over Germany. British forces begin moving to France.
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THE WAR YEARS 1939-1942
PHONY WAR Britain drops leaflets over Germany. British forces begin moving to France. France launched the ‘phony offensive’ into the Saar. After a short time France withdrew from Germany. France was determined to make a stand along its defensive wall, the Maginot Line. (sitzkrieg)
GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE 1940 April – Norway, Denmark
GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE 1940 May 10th – Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg are attacked.
GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE 1940 May 12th -14th Battle of Sedan, France. German crossing the Meuse at Sedan.
GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE 1940 Battle of Sedan was critical. Once the French line was broken, the German army cut behind and encircled the French and the BEF. May 20th – German forces reach the English Channel. The bulk of the French Army and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) are now surrounded by the German Army.
GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE 1940 British and French forces surrounded in Belgium and northern France face total destruction. The British decide to retreat to the small French port of Dunkirk and then evacuate to England. The evacuation would be a challenge.
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN July 1 to October 31, 1940. This was the prelude to Germany’s invasion of Britain. This battle was fought entirely in the skies. This battle was fought for the control of the skies over the English Channel. British secret weapon-radar.
OPERATION SEA LION Control the skies over the Channel. Isolate the Channel with subs and mines. Mass men and supplies for the invasion. Invade Britain.
OPERATION SEA LION Herman Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, assured Hitler that the German air force would bomb Britain until it surrendered. German air losses were significant. After 3 months of air combat and bombing, Hitler declared Britain a ‘charred ember’ to be extinguished later. The Nazis prepared for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
OPERATION BARBAROSSA German plan to invade the Soviet Union. June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the USSR along a 1600 mile front. The Soviets adopted a ‘Scorched Earth’ policy to slow the German advance. On December 6, 1941, Soviet forces launched a counteroffensive to drive the Germans back from the outskirts of Moscow.
