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WORLD WAR 2 1939-1945

WORLD WAR 2 1939-1945. 1. INVASION OF POLAND. September 1, 1939 German forces unleashed a blitzkrieg on Poland Armoured columns burst through Polish defenses and raced towards Warsaw leaving their infantry behind to mop up

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WORLD WAR 2 1939-1945

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  1. WORLD WAR 21939-1945

  2. 1. INVASION OF POLAND • September 1, 1939 German forces unleashed a blitzkrieg on Poland • Armoured columns burst through Polish defenses and raced towards Warsaw leaving their infantry behind to mop up • The Luftwaffe dominated the sky as they outnumbered Polish planes 2300 vs. 800 • Warsaw (Poland’s capital) was bombed on September 25 when it would not surrender

  3. USSR Joins • September 17, 1939 USSR Invaded Poland, Finland, & Baltic states (LITHUANIA, LATVIA AND ESTONIA). • By the end of the month Poland had been partitioned between Germany and the Soviets • Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3. They got their navies ready and continued to bolster their armies and air forces. All far to late for Poland……

  4. The lopsided Invasion Germany's Armed Forces Poland’s Armed Forces 39 divisions (some of them were never fully mobilized and concentrated) 16 brigades 4,300 guns, 880 tanks, 400 aircraft Total: 950,000 • 60 divisions • 6 brigades • 9,000 guns • 2,750 tanks • 2,315 aircraft • Total: • 1,500,000 Germans

  5. BLITZKRIEG • Blitzkrieg was a Western media definition for Germany’s style of maneuver warfare • What Hitler thought of this term was, "I have never used the word Blitzkrieg, because it is a very silly word“. • New style of Invasion: • Aerial bombardment • Armored divisions • Artillery attack • Ground forces

  6. Blitzkrieg • A new method of warfare whereby an attacking force spearheaded by a dense concentration of armoured and motorized or mechanized infantry formations. • heavily backed up by close air support. • Breaks into the enemy's line of defense through a series of short, fast, powerful attacks; and once in the enemy's territory, proceeds to dislocate them using speed and surprise, and then encircle them

  7. Junkers Ju 87 or “Stuka” Dive bombers It was designed to dive and drop low level bombs on ground targets. Its payload was small and it was extremely vulnerable to enemy fighter planes but exceled in assisting ground forces

  8. Panzer III Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III Sd Kfz. 141 (abbreviated PzKpfw III) translating as "armoured fighting vehicle".

  9. Motorized Infantry Traditionally soldiers would have to walk to battle. In September, 1939 Germany used only a few units.

  10. POLAND 1939 BORDER SECURED BOMBING RAIDS POLAND GERMAN TROOP MARCHING IN POLAND

  11. 2. THE PHONY WAR • From October of 1939 to the spring of 1940 there was no fighting on land • Hitler wanted to immediately swing west from Poland and invaded Holland, Belgium and France. • His Generals were horrified and talked him out of it • The West called it the “Phony War” • Germans called it der “Sitzkrieg” or the sitting war • Germany’s navy was very active raiding the shipping lanes and disrupting Britain's international economy

  12. 3. SPRING OF 1940 • Germany attacked Denmark and Norway starting on April 9, 1940 • The main goal of this operation was iron ore crucial to modern warfare • And the multiple ports of Norway, especially Narvik allowed Germany to escape the British blockades • The initial invasion took Denmark and Norway by surprise and the out gunned and out numbered Scandinavian countries fell quickly • Denmark in 24 hours and while Norway held out until June 10, 1940 the vital ports were taken immediately

  13. German invasion of Scandinavia

  14. The War Escalates Mussolini: Speech of the 10 June 1940, Declaration of War on France and England Soldiers, sailors, and aviators! Black shirts of the revolution and of the [Fascist] legions! Men and women of Italy, of the Empire, and of the kingdom of Albania! Pay heed! An hour appointed by destiny has struck in the heavens of our fatherland. The declaration of war has already been delivered to the ambassadors of Great Britain and France. We go to battle against the plutocratic and reactionary democracies of the west who, at every moment have hindered the advance and have often endangered the very existence of the Italian people.

  15. Winston Churchill replaces Chamberlin May 10, 1940

  16. MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK • 300,000 French and English soldiers were trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk. • Hitler mistakenly allowed his Luftwaffe to take them out but he he should have commited to an all out attack • 3 days of fog allowed the British to evacuate the beaches • approx. 250,000 soldiers were evacuated

  17. Evacuation of Dunkirk

  18. 4. THE INVASION OF FRANCE • Germany attacked France from three directions: • - North through Belgium • - Over the Maginot Line (with planes and Para troopers) • - Through the Maginot Line (Ardenne Forests) • Paris fell in June 1940. • France was divided: • North was occupied by Germany • South was named “Vichy France” (collaborated) • LED BY MARSHALL PETAIN

  19. OCCUPATION OF EUROPE • If you are living in an occupied country you have three choices: • - Collaborator • - Do nothing and try to stay alive • - Join the Resistance (Underground or Partisans)

  20. THE RESISTANCE • Was also called the “Underground” or Partisans (Yugoslavia). • Goal of the resistance was to fight the Germans and contribute in any way to the liberation of their country. • Techniques: • Espionage, smuggling, terrorism, communication, saving prisoners of war, helping Jews, fighting the Germans. • Retaliation against the resistance was immediate and terrible.

  21. FREE FRENCH FORCES • Led by Charles De Gaulle YUGOSLAVIAN PARTISANS Led by Josip Broz Tito

  22. De Gaulle and Tito • French General who led Free French (400, 000 men) and government in exile during WW2. • Later founded Fifth French Republic and was President from 1959-1969. • De Gaulle was often difficult to deal with (from a British/American view point). • Partisans often regarded as the most effective resistance in WW II. • Tito was seen as a benevolent dictator. • President or Prime Minster for life 1943-1980. • Marshal of Yugoslavia. • Chairman of League of Communist of Yugoslavia.

  23. BATTLE OF BRITAIN • The spitfire was the best British fighter in WW 2 and symbolic to the RAF. • Twin engine Dornier 17 used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War II.

  24. OPERATION SEALION • This was the planned invasion of England by Germany. • This never happened because the Battle of Britain wasn’t a success for Germany. • The Battle of Britain refers to the battle of Goering’s Luftwaffe vs. the Royal Air Force. • Germany needed to defeat the RAF before crossing the English Channel.

  25. AIR ATTACK OF BRITAIN • Goering hoped to defeat the British Air force in 4 days • Targeted: • Convoys in the English Channel • Air fields • Radar stations • Manufacturing, communication and transportation

  26. Battle of Britain 10 July – 31 October 1940 Britain and Allies German 2550 aircraft At first the Germans were successful 2698 aircrew killed 967 captured 1,887 aircraft destroyed • 1,963 Aircraft • British had radar • Spitfires • 544 Aircrew killed • 422 wounded • 1,547 aircraft destroyed • Britain's kill ratio is superior

  27. THE BLITZ • A German bomber accidentally bombed civilians in London on August 24, 1940. • Churchill retaliated against Berlin the next night • Hitler change focus from military targets to civilian and over 267 days, high explosives, were dropped on 16 British cities • The Luftwaffe bombed London for 57 nights but did not overly demoralize the British or cause a surrender • Over 40, 000 civilians were killed, half of them in London. One million homes were damaged or destroyed • Although it was brutal for the people of London, it was the second large tactical mistake for Hitler.

  28. WHY THE BLITZ FAILED? • “We can take it” – Churchill. • Germany stopped bombing strategic military targets. • Hitler had to prepare for the invasion of the USSR- Operation Barbarossa. • The Luftwaffe was never able to slow Britain's war economy as they lacked a cohesive strategy and four-engine bombers. • Germany continued to attack Britain from the air but sporadically for the rest of the war. • Germany used V-1 and V-2 bombs or “doodlebugs”.

  29. MUSSOLINI AND North Africa • the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943 • Mussolini was given the task of taking North Africa. • IMPORTANCE OF NORTH AFRICA: • OIL • SUEZ CANAL • Mediterranean Sea • Many European countries had colonial interests there dating back to the 19th C. • Later the Allies wanted to invade Europe and North Africa provided easy access to Sicily/Italy.

  30. Colonial Africa between the wars

  31. NORTH AFRICA: The Begining • Fighting in North Africa started with the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940. • On 14 June, the British Army crossed the border from Egypt into Libya and captured the Italian Fort Capuzzo. • This was followed by an Italian counteroffensive into Egypt and the capture of Sidi Barrani in September 1940. • The Italian attack stalled and then in December 1940 it was routed by a Commonwealth counteroffensive. • The German Afrika Korps, commanded by Erwin Rommel, was dispatched to North Africa to reinforce Italian forces in order to prevent a complete Axis defeat.

  32. North Africa: The Middle • Erwin Rommel was in charge of German forces. • Bernard Montgomery for the British. • A see-saw series of battles for control of Libya and parts of Egypt followed. • At the BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN in 1942 The British defeated Rommel and the Germans retreated across N. Africa. • The USA entered the war in North-West Africa (Operation Torch) in 1942.

  33. North Africa: The End The Allies finally encircled Axis forces in northern Tunisia and forced their surrender. Allies (British Commonwealth, Free French, and Americans) Axis (Italians and Germans) Italian losses: 22, 000 KIA and 340, 000 captured. German losses: 20, 000 KIA And 130, 000 captured. • British loses: 220, 000 MIA, KIA, WIA including 35, 000 KIA. • Free French: 20, 000 KIA, WIA, MIA. • Americans: 18, 000 including 2, 000 KIA. • Material loss: 1,400 Aircraft and 2, 000 tanks.

  34. THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC • It was the longest continuous military campaign in WW II lasting between 1939-43 • German subs tried to cut off Britain supplies coming from Canada and US. • As an island nation, the United Kingdom was highly dependent on imported goods. Britain required more than a million tons of imported material per week in order to be able to survive and fight.

  35. North America becomes the “Arsenal for Democracy”. • In June, 1941, in order to protect the convoys the entire length of the Atlantic, Canada was asked to assume responsibility for the Western zone. • The Canadian Navy, under Commodore Leonard Murray, escorted the merchant ships from Newfoundland to a meeting point at Iceland.

  36. Britain’s Biggest Obstacle

  37. 1943-45 Turning Point for the Allies • Allies used new techniques: • Sonar • Depth charges • Long range bombers • Convoys • As a result the allies sunk most of the German subs by 1945 Cross Atlantic CONVOY

  38. The Battle of Atlantic: The End • The outcome of the battle was a strategic victory for the Allies—the German blockade failed—but at great cost: 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships were sunk for the loss of 783 U-boats.

  39. OPERATION BARBAROSA • June 22 1941 (original plan was for May 15) • Despite the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact Germany invaded the USSR. • Reasons for invasion: Hitler’s/Germany’s personal hatred of communism/labour shortages/ agriculture/Black Sea ports/oil • It was the largest military operation in history in both manpower and casualties. Its failure was a turning point in the Third Reich's fortunes. • Three original targets: • Leningrad, Moscow and Kiev • 2,900 km front, and close to 4 mil. Germans (and their allies) and 5.5 mil. Russians fought there.

  40. What happened? • Tactically, the Germans won resounding victories and occupied some of the most important economic areas of the Soviet Union, mainly in Ukraine. • Despite these successes, the German offensive stalled on the outskirts of Moscow and was then pushed back by a Soviet counter offensive without having taken the city. • The three main reasons that the German’s lost were: Hitler’s overly ambitious plan, combined with an over-stretch armed forces and Russia’s deadly winter/weather and Russia’s surprising ability to mobilize seemingly endless soldiers (pool of 10 Mil.)

  41. SCORCHED EARTH POLICY • Stalin ordered both soldiers and civilians to destroy everything to slow down the German advance and deny them supplies/shelter. • Crops were burned, animals killed, roads, bridges and railway lines torn up. • The process was repeated later in the war by the retreating German forces, which burned or destroyed farms, buildings, weapons, and food to deprive Soviet forces of their use.

  42. Russian Counter-attack • During the autumn, Stalin had been transferring fresh, well-equipped Soviet forces from Siberia and the Far East to Moscow. • On 5 December 1941, these reinforcements attacked the German lines around the Soviet capital. • Supported by new T-34 tanks and Katyusha rocket launchers. • The new Soviet troops were better-prepared for winter warfare than their foes. The exhausted and freezing Germans were driven away from Moscow on 7 January 1942

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