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Germany Attacks Poland

Germany Attacks Poland. Germany invades Poland (1 September 1939) Britain and France declare war on Germany Mutual aid treaties with Poland Now both are forced into war and Hitler has gained the initiative. Blitzkrieg was born in Poland. “Lighting Warfare” Attack enemy at weakest point

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Germany Attacks Poland

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  1. Germany Attacks Poland • Germany invades Poland (1 September 1939) • Britain and France declare war on Germany • Mutual aid treaties with Poland • Now both are forced into war and Hitler has gained the initiative

  2. Blitzkrieg was born in Poland • “Lighting Warfare” • Attack enemy at weakest point • Combination of lateral and forward movements • Large mechanized ground forces • Coordinated use of airpower • Speed, Speed, Speed!!!!

  3. Poland • Conquered in 3 weeks • Russian invasion from East a major factor. They had invaded from the east. • Showed power of offensive • Balanced combination of motorized infantry, armor, and air under a single commander. • Fast moving tanks and airplanes, followed by infantry, then crush the enemy with overwhelming force

  4. Sitzkrieg • “Phony War” • No “real” fighting for 7 months • French Maginot Line opposite the German Siegfried Line, but neither side attacks. • April 9, 1940 Hitler attacks Norway and Denmark • Denmark falls in 4 hours • Norway falls in 2 months • Hitler then takes Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg

  5. 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”

  6. The Plans • Allies expected the Germans to attack using a variant of the WWI Schlieffen Plan • The French expected the Germans to attack through the north part of Belgium and planned to counter it with the Dye Plan • Instead the Manstein Plan (German Plan) called for an attack further south and anticipated the French plan.

  7. Invasion of France • German’s 135 divisions, Allies’ 136 divisions; German divisions larger and better trained • Hitler goes around the Maginot Line, squeezing through the Ardennes Forest, an area where no one could attack through • 10 days later Germany is a the North coast of France • Were able to trap French and British troops at Dunkirk • GB sent 850 ships of all types to the rescue • 338,000 troops rescued

  8. Miracle at Dunkirk • German army smashes through the Ardennes Forest and traps the French/British on the north coast of Belgium/France. • May 26, 1940- Allies trapped at Dunkirk. No way out. Surrounded by the Germans, but they do not attack. • This allows the British navy and merchant ships to rescue the Allies. • Armada of 850 ships, yachts, lifeboats, etc. rescue 338,000 allied troops. • Hitler’s 1st Big mistake.

  9. The Fall of France • On June 22, France signed an armistice with Germany, agreeing to German occupation of northern France and the coast. • The French military was demobilized, and the French government, now located at Vichy, in the south (and headed by Marshall Henri Philippe Pétain), would collaborate with the German authorities in occupied France. • Refusing to recognize defeat, General Charles de Gaulle escaped to London and organized the Free French forces. • Britain now stood alone against Germany.

  10. The Battle of Britain • Hitler expected Britain to make peace, however, Britain, led by a new Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, refused to surrender. • Hitler proceeded with invasion plans, Operation Sea Lion. • Germany must control air in order to successfully invade England. • Despite 3,000 to 1,200 advantage in aircraft, Luftwaffe is unable to defeat the RAF. • Hitler calls off plans for invasion in Sept 1940 and shifts to bombing campaign (“The Blitz”). • Radar and ENIGMA help the British to “win.” • Britain held firm during the Blitz despite devastating destruction to English cities. • The British resistance convinced Hitler to postpone the invasion but he continued the bombing attacks. • Hitler calls of attacks on May 10, 1941

  11. Four Phases of the War • Germans tried to control sea by attacking convoys • Shifted attack to main land RAF bases; this was very effective • Bomb London to break British morale; high civilian casualties • British countered by destroying 200 barges gathered by Germans for attack on England • This caused Germans to suspend Operation Sea Lion

  12. End Result • British won the Battle - Britain's will to win - British radar and Enigma • German abandon the attacks on Britain in order to prepare for invasion of Russia

  13. War in the Balkans • Hitler is secretly planning to invade the Soviet Union • Balkans are key to the plan • Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary decide to cooperate and join the Axis • April 6, 1941 – Hitler invade Greece and Yugoslavia • Greece falls in 17 days • Yugoslavia falls in 11 days

  14. Operation Barbarossa: The German Invasion of Russia • Hitler believed the Russian Army could be destroyed in 3 months • 22 June 1941 - Hitler attacked (wanted to win before U.S. involvement) • Wanted Lebensraum- living space • Initial German aims were to capture Russian oil fields and industrial areas in order to; • Support Germany’s war in the west • Break Russian economic power so she could not attack at some later date

  15. Invasion of the Soviet Union • Hitler gets tired of waiting for Great Britain to fall • The obliteration of Bolshevism was a key element of Hitler’s ideology; however, it was a gigantic military mistake. • Much violence and destruction • Over 27 Million dead Russians • Operation Barbarossa, consisting of an attack army of 4 million men spread out along a 2,000-mile front in three massive offensives. • The German army quickly advanced, but at a terrifying cost. For the next three years, 90 percent of German deaths would happen on the eastern front. • Hitler attacks on June 22, 1941. Russia didn’t believe Germany would attack.

  16. Russian strategy • Barter space for time; intended retreats • Scorched earth policy; withdrew and forced the Germans to overextend their lines of communications and supply. Forced Hitler’s exposed army to spend the winter in -40 degree weather. Summer uniforms • Partisan organizations were to prey on Germany’s lines of communications • Supply lines were so long that they slowed the advance • Vast area which had been taken was hard to control because of Partisan activity • The massive size of Russia exhausted German troops • The Russian winter set in and the Germans did not have adequate equipment to fight a winter battle

  17. The Battle of Stalingrad • Hitler initiated a major summer offensive in 1942 that was designed to destroy the Soviets' ability to resist. • Hitler believed that the Red Army had used up much of its manpower and materiel in the winter fighting. • If Hitler hadn’t interfered, Stalingrad might have been taken without a fight. • Hitler vs. Stalin • In early September, the German infantry started a mass attack on Stalingrad. • Temps plummet. • The fighting was close-quarter combat from house to house. • Tanks became useless due to the rubble. • The Germans reached the center of the city a week later. • By January 25 the Russians had overran the German 6th Army. • Nearly 1 million German Soldiers were captured by the end of January. • Of all the German soldiers captured by the Russians, only around 5,000 would return back to Germany after the war. • Some historians believe that the victory at Stalingrad was the turning point. • War in the East is basically lost for the Germans

  18. Turning Points of the War: The Battle of Stalingrad • The Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of the war. The German Army (Wehrmacht) had already lost 2 million men on the eastern front. • In 1942-43, a German army of over 300,000 was defeated and captured at the Battle of Stalingrad. • The Germans then lost the battle of Kursk and began a long retreat. • The Red Army crossed into Poland in January 1944.

  19. Battle of The Atlantic • Attempt by Germany to stop supplies reaching the Allies • Essentially conducted in five phases • Phase one (Sept. 1939 – June 1940) - German U-boat operations led to the sinking of numerous Allied ships • Phase two (June 1940 – March 1941) • Germans build special bombproof submarine pens • “Wolfpack” operations began against convoys • Phase three (April – December 1941) - Growth of US participation - 50 destroyers given to Britain, this allowed Russia to hold out against Germany - Germans initiate unrestricted submarine warfare

  20. Battle of Atlantic Cont’d • Phase four (January 1942 – April 1943) -Germans attack shipping routes near US Coast - Air and surface-escorted interlocking Allied convoy system -Increased loss of German submarines, turning point of the battle • Phase five (May 1943- May 1945) - Germans shift attacks to Mediterranean • Eventually U-boats are defeated because of close air cover escorts and advances in technology • Allied victory shifted the balance of the war

  21. The U.S. Aides Its Allies • War takes its toll on Europe, FDR begins to change policy, Pro-British. • Cash and Carry, a belligerent could pay in cash for U.S. arms. • Selective Service Act, 1940, registration of all men ages 21-35 and to train 1.2 million men. Isolationists upset. • Destroyers for Bases deal, U.S. gives G.B. 50 older destroyers in exchange military bases in the Caribbean

  22. FDR and the War • 6 January 1941 Four Freedoms, speech, religion, freedom from want, freedom from fear. • Lend-Lease Act, March 1941, U.S. to extend credit to G.B. for buying weapons. • Atlantic Charter, FDR and Churchill: War Aims • 1. No extension of territory. • 2. Territorial self determination. • 3. Destruction of Nazism. • 4. International Organization to promote world peace. • September 4, 1941 German U-Boat fires on US destroyer • Roosevelt orders to fire on U-boats on sight

  23. The Road to War • Japan sought to control of “East Asia” for additional markets and sources of raw materials • Invades China in 1931. • Invades French Indochina in 1940. • “Colonial” governments begin imposing embargoes to put brakes on Japanese expansion. • Japanese armed forces argue that they must strike to relieve pressure of embargoes. • Expect conflict, but buy time and surprise through negotiations. • US and UK focused on war in Europe.

  24. December 7, 1941- 7:55 am- 1st of 2 attacks on US Fleet at Pearl Harbor 107 ships in harbor- 1/3 of fleet. 183 planes in 1st wave. Aircraft carriers are 1st target, but they aren’t there. Battleship row is 2nd target. 167 planes in second wave at 8:54 am. Third wave called off because Japan feels that the 1st two waves were successful enough. 17 ships severely damaged 188 US fighters destroyed 3 ships completely destroyed (USS Arizona) 2,403 Americans die (1,177 on the Arizona) 29 Japanese planes shot down. Sneak Attack!

  25. Or was it? • Many feel that FDR knew of the attacks and wanted them. • Most Americans did not want to get involved in the war unless attacked. • He felt Japan was the answer • Imposed trade embargos on Japan (Metal and Oil) • Japan had to fight or accept US’s demands • With a puppet dictator and the military really in charge they chose war!

  26. Pearl Harbor Conspiracy Theory • In the summer of 1940 Roosevelt ordered the Pacific fleet to relocate to Pearl Harbor from California. Admiral Richardson protested and was replaced. • October 7, 1940 a Navy intelligence analyst wrote FDR an 8 point memo on how to force Japan into a war, including embargoing Japan’s oil. All 8 were accomplished. • FDR’s advisor Harold Ickes wrote in his diary on Oct. 18, 1941. “For along tie I have believed that our best entrance into the war by way of Japan. • 60 years later the government refuses to identify or declassify pre-attack intelligence notices because of “National Security.” • On Nov. 26, 1941 both the Aircraft Carriers, the USS Enterprise and USS Lexington were ordered out of Pearl Harbor. With this order 40% of Pearl Harbor’s aircrafts. • The same day the US issued Japan an ultimatum to withdraw from SE Asia and China. This was called the :The document that touched the button that started the war.”

  27. THE PURPLE MACHINEDecember 6, 1941 • In Washington D.C. there was a top secret machine only known as “Purple”. • “Purple” was a message decoder. • On Saturday December 6, 1941 “purple” intercepted a message from Japan. • It was a message telling a general in Hawaii that Japan was going to attack. • The message was sent straight to Honolulu but it was received to late, before Honolulu had any time to tell pearl harbor what was going to happen Japan had already attacked.

  28. Internment of Japanese Americans • After the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, Americans were eager to act on racial stereotypes • Eventually, the government build special relocation centers in remote sections of the U.S. and evacuated about 110,000 Japanese (including 60,000 citizens of Japanese heritage).

  29. Mobilization In the U.S. • The war effort required all of America’s huge productive capacity and full employment of the workforce. • Government expenditures soared. • U.S. budget increases • 1940 $9 million • 1944 $100 million • Expenditures in WWII greater than all previous government budgets combined (150 years) • GNP 1939 91 billion 1945 166 million

  30. Mobilization for War • War time Economy, consumer goods to war materiel • War Production Board, managed war industries, set production priorities, pushed maximum output • Office of Price Administration, froze prices, wages, and rents, rationed meat, sugar, gasoline, and tires. • Financing the War, increased income tax, selling war bonds. • Office of War Information, controlled news about troop movements and battles.

  31. Restoration of U.S. Prosperity • World War II ended the Great Depression. • Factories run at full capacity • Ford Motor Company – one bomber plane per hour • People save money (rationing) • Army bases in South provide economic boom (most bases in South b/c of climate) • The national debt grew to $260 billion (6 times its size on Dec. 7, 1941)

  32. War and Society • African Americans- Double V Campaign, victory over fascism and victory for equality, over a million in the military • Mexican Americans, over 300,000 in the military. Native Americans, 25,000 in the military • Japanese Americans, 20,000 served in the military, Internment camps Wyoming, Arizona, and Colorado • Women over 350,000 served in the military, close to 5 million joined the workforce.

  33. The Turn of the Tide in Europe • Defeat of the Axis Powers • The turning point of the war came in 1942-43. • Allied victory in North Africa was followed by an invasion of Italy, which stopped the Axis powers’ string of victories. • The decisive theater of war, however, was the eastern front.

  34. Strategic Bombing of Germany • Smashing the German war machine by bomber blitz similar to German tank blitz used in France and Poland • Until A-bomb, not sufficiently destructive to end war • 5 Main Targets • Military group - tactical, not strategic • Industrial group - would take years & many aircraft to achieve results • Urban group - create demoralization & revolt • Resources and energy group - coal, oil, etc. • Transportation group - means to transport war materials, i.e., bridges, railroads, etc. • Groups (4) and (5) became dominant targets

  35. Race to Berlin • D-Day was the turning point of the western front. Stalingrad was the turning point of the eastern front. • The British, U.S., and Free French armies began to press into western Germany as the Soviets invaded eastern Germany. • Both sides raced to Berlin.

  36. Surprise: Fictitious Armies • By spurious radio transmissions, the Allies created an entire phantom army, "based" in southeast England (opposite Pas-de-Calais) and alleged to be commanded by Patton. • In addition, on the night of the invasion itself, airborne radar deception presented to German radar stations a "phantom" picture of an invasion fleet crossing the Channel narrows, while a radar blackout disguised the real transit to Normandy.

  37. Surprise: Ultra • At the same time, through the top-secret Ultra operation, the Allies were able to decode encrypted German transmissions, thus providing the Overlord forces with a clear picture of where the German counterattack forces were deployed.

  38. Operation Overlord • Most massive and complex military endeavor in history • Numerous beaches were studied • Normandy or Pas de Calais

  39. Best air cover Shorter sea voyage Best beaches and conditions Close to Dutch and Belgium forts Germans considered it the most likely avenue of approach Beaches were too narrow to support follow on operations Pas de Calais- Disadvantages Pas de Calais - Advantages

  40. Good beach conditions Somewhat sheltered Within air cover distance Defenses were not strong Port of Cherbourg could be quickly isolated and captured Exits from the beach were difficult Insufficient numbers of ports were readily available Disadvantages of Normandy Advantages of Normandy

  41. Allied Plan • Eisenhower appointed Supreme Commander • Land on Normandy coast, build up and break out of beachhead • Attack on a broad axis with two armies; - one to attack east and north towards Germany - the other to link up with the southern France invasion to the south

  42. D-Day • After taking control of North Africa and the Mediterranean, Allies are ready to invade Europe. • 1,000 British Bombers pound the coast, but do little damage. • 23,000 U.S and British paratroopers were dropped in France to take strategic towns and bridges. • 150,000 troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. Largest amphibious assault ever. • 5 beaches- Juno, Gold, Sword, Omaha, Utah • 2,000 American casualties on Omaha

  43. Allied Plan Cont’d • Maintain an unrelenting offense for complete destruction of enemy west of the Rhine • Launch a final attack – a double envelopment of the Ruhr • Emphasis on the northern, left flank toward Ruhr and industrial Germany

  44. Operation Overlord • On 6 June, 1944 some 6,500 vessels landed over 130,000 Allied forces on five Normandy beaches: codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. • Some 12,000 aircraft ensured air superiority for the Allies - bombing German defenses, and providing cover. • On Utah beach 23,000 troops were landed, with 197 casualties. • Most of the 4,649 American casualties that day occurred at Omaha beach, where the landing was significantly more difficult to achieve, meeting with fierce German resistance.

  45. Results • D-day casualties: 2,500 KIAS, Allies expected 10,000 • Turning point in the European Theater • By 18 June, the U.S. 1st Army sealed off Cherbourg Peninsula • Caen fell to British on 8 July • St. Lo to the U.S. 1st Army on 18 July • The tide had turned.

  46. Operation Overlord • Hitler's troubles were compounded by a Russian counterattack in June. • This drove 300 miles west to Warsaw, and killed, wounded or captured 350,000 German soldiers. • By the end of August the Russians had taken Bucharest. Estonia was taken within months, and Budapest was under siege by the end of the year.

  47. The Battle of the Bulge • The Battle of Ardennes, (Belgium) • 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 • German forces intended to split the Allied line. • G.B. and U.S. had 83,000 men. Germany over 200,000 • G.B. and U.S. • 80,987 casualties(10,276 dead, 23,218 missing,47,493 wounded) • Germany • 84,834 casualties(15,652 dead,27,582 missing,41,600 wounded • Allies keep moving into German Territory

  48. End of the War in Europe • April 25, 1945 Soviet and U.S. troops meet at Torgau, on the Elbe River. • April 30, 1945 Hitler Commits suicide • May 2, 1945 Battle of Berlin ends • May 7, 1945 Rheims, France, surrender documents signed. • May 8, 1945 Victory in Europe. VE DAY

  49. Into Germany! • Americans closing in from the West, Russians closing in from the East. • 13.6 million Russians and 3 million Germans die in the East • USSR- 27 Million civilian and military death. • April 1945- Soviets push towards Berlin. • 80% of city leveled • U.S. pushed to the south. • Hitler knows the end is near and commits suicide with his mistress, Eva Braun. • Germany surrenders to US, not USSR

  50. Victory in Europe • Mussolini was captured and killed by Italian partisans and Hitler committed suicide in April 1945, as the Russian troops took Berlin. • Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7, 1945 (V-E Day). • Fighting in the Pacific would continue until August.

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