World War Two European Theatre

1. World War Two European Theatre

2. How it Began

3. 1. Invasion of Poland - 1939 • September 1, 1939 – WWII began with German invasion of Poland • NAZIs used the “blitzkrieg” (“lightning warfare”) method • Airplanes led attack to knock out key enemy positions • Immediately followed by tank & motorized infantry attacks • Attacking forces swept past enemy, then close in behind, thereby trapping them • NAZIs swept through Poland, encountering little resistance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUjrnlMAtQ4

4. 2. Declarations of War 1) France & Britain immediately declared war on Germany 2) Canada declared war one week later (September 10th) • Parliament voted and decided to join war • NOT automatic like in WWI • Leaders in Quebec supported Canada’s entry into war based on PM King’s promise that conscription (compulsory military service) would never be required

5. Western Front 1939-1943

6. The “Phony War”October 1939 – April 1940 • Bad weather and indecision prevented Germany from attacking Western Europe after invasion of Poland • Called “Phony War” even though war was in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Finland ?

7. Continental Europe Falls May 1940-June, 1940 • Germany took over Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Holland • Then German troops marched into France • France surrendered June, 1940

8. German Occupation of France

9. German Domination of Europe

11. 5. Evacuation of Dunkirk - 1940 • British & French troops retreated to the French beaches of Dunkirk on the English Channel after fall of Belgium = became trapped

12. 5. Evacuation of Dunkirk – cont’ • Approx. 900 ships sailed from England and rescued 340,000 soldiers from Dunkirk • Evacuation significant because it: • represented a moral victory for the Allies • Saved the best British forces to fight later in the war http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKB-ZkWelb0

13. Battle of Britain

14. 6. Battle of Britain - 1940 • Hitler used air attacks on Britain to prepare for an amphibious invasion (operating on land and water) • Aims: • destroy Royal Navy that patrolled English Channel and protected UK • Destroy British fighter planes and factories • Destroy morale of British people

15. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVBO61qg-kc&feature=related 6. Battle of Britain – cont’ • British Royal Air Force (RAF) and German Luftwaffe (air force) fought in airspace over Britain • Individual Canadians served in the RAF German aircraft over London - 1940

16. 6. Battle of Britain – cont’ • Even though British outnumbered 1:3, had superior fighter planes and large advantage through use of radar • Using radio waves, British could detect German bomber and fighter squadrons while they crossed the English Channel • Also: Enigma – German cipher Machine could decode German messages

17. 6. Battle of Britain – cont’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SPxbjV4inw anti-aircraft night fire above several fighter planes

18. 6. Battle of Britain – cont’ – “The Blitz” • August 1940 – German bomber squadron got lost and accidentally bombed civilians in London • In retaliation – British PM Churchill bombed German capital city of Berlin • As a result – Hitler abandoned assault on RAF airfields and ordered daylight bombing raids on London – known as “the Blitz” • This shift cost Hitler the Battle of Britain – allowed RAF chance to train new pilots and rebuild

19. 6. Battle of Britain – cont’ –“The Blitz”

20. 6. Battle of Britain – cont’ – • August – September, 1940 – RAF able to re-group & win Battle of Britain • Significance: • 1st time Hitler denied conquest • Protection of Britain provided Allies with springboard from which to launch invasion of Europe later in war

21. Allied Reaction – Forming of “Bomber Command” • Many Canadian pilots part of Royal Air Force (RAF) “Bomber Command” • Mission: it was to set up an important force ready for strategic bombing against Germany • 15 Canadian squadrons (from RCAF) were formed within Bomber Command in Great Britain, with British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) graduates • the first one was No 405 Squadron in April 1941

22. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsKDGM5KTBY European Theatre of War

23. 7. Battle of the Atlantic 1. Longest campaign of WWII • Fought for control of shipping lanes between North America and Britain • Germany’s goal: cut off all Allied supplies to Britain in hopes of starving Britain into submission

24. 8. Battle of the Atlantic – cont’ 2. German U-Boats • British, Canadian, and later, American navies committed to stopping German submarine terror • “wolfpacks” – German groups of submarines operating out of ports of occupied countries http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtUw_JnmYQ0 • Even active in Canadian waters –sank 21 ships in St Lawrence River

25. 8. Battle of the Atlantic – cont’ 3. Convoy System • Allied merchant supply ships sailed surrounded by destroyers for protection against U-Boats • Royal Canadian Navy provided much of the protection with small warships called corvettes Corvette destroyer

26. 8. Battle of the Atlantic – cont’ 3. Convoy System – cont’ • Eventually – Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) provided with long-range bombers that could cover convoys until their reached British airspace • Development of sonar also helped Allies • Sonar – works much like radar works in air, but uses sound waves instead of radio waves. Sound bounces off subs, alerting Allies to their presence Sonar box on ship’s deck

27. 8. Battle of the Atlantic – cont’ • Depth Charges (explosives) • By 1943, wolfpacks less effective as they suffered heavy damages from depth charges dropped by escort ships and bombs from Allied planes U-Boat attacked from the air • helped Allies win Battle of the Atlantic

28. 8. Battle of the Atlantic – cont’ • Canadian Navy • Initially – RCN consisted of 13 ships & 3,000 soldiers • By end of WWII – 370 ships & 100,000 personnel • Over 2,000 members of RCN died in Battle of Atlantic • Canadian Citizens – Merchant Marines • Also played large role by manning freighters that transported materials to Europe • Faced great danger as their ships were only lightly armed and were easy prey for German U-Boats Canadian Naval ship “Haida”

29. 8. Dieppe - 1942 • In early 1942 – war not going well for Allies • Although time not right for full-scale Allied invasion on Western Front, small-scale invasion planned to serve as rehearsal for real invasion of Europe • August, 1942 – 5,000 Canadian soldiers landed at Dieppe on coast of France

30. 8. Dieppe – cont’ • Objective – to take the beach and town of Dieppe back from Germans • Upon arrival – soldiers mowed down on beach by German fire

31. 8. Dieppe – cont’ • By early afternoon: • 900 Canadians dead or dying • 1,000 wounded • 1,900 taken prisoner • More Canadian troops died in these few hours than on any other day of the Second World War Canadian Prisoners of War from Dieppe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcNI92b6E98&feature=related

32. 8. Dieppe – cont’ • Why Dieppe Went Wrong 1. Lost Element of Surprise • Secrecy required for effective attack – but part of the Allied flotilla of landing craft encountered an enemy convoy on the way and a noisy fight ensued - Germans were therefore prepared for attack

33. 8. Dieppe – What went Wrong - cont’ 2. No Aerial Bombardment • At last minute, British decided to forgo a planned aerial bombardment of the Dieppe fortifications, which would have weakened the Germans for the attack

34. 8. Dieppe – cont’ • Why Canadian Troops at Dieppe? • PM King looking for a diversion from the Conscription Crisis of 1942 • Canadian Troops considered to be expendable by other Allied powers

35. 8. Dieppe – cont’ • Lessons Learned from Dieppe • Taught Allies that heavy air and sea support would be required for any future invasions of France • Many believe lessons learned helped save lives on beaches of Normandy during D-Day invasion

36. North Africa

37. 9. North Africa 1940 - 1942 • Mussolini attacked Egypt Sept 1940 • British forces resisted, led by General Montgomery • German forces – led by General Rommel – supported Italians • Battle of El Alamein – October, 1942 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyoZQP5C-Q4

38. 9. North Africa 1940 – 1942 – cont’ Battle of El Alamein - Turning point • 1st time Allies had defeated the forces of the fascist countries • Prevented the Germans from seizing the Suez Canal • Denied Hitler important oil resources of Middle East • Soon after – USA joined war – forced Germans into retreat & eventually defeated

39. Eastern Front 1939-1945

40. 10. Invasion of Soviet Union - 1941 • Motives for invading the USSR: 1) Lebensraum (living space) • Part of Hitler’s racial program that stated “inferior” races should be conquered and enslaved so that the “superior” Germans had more living space • Main target of this – Soviet Union because of its vast resources that Germany needed 2) Ideology • Hitler wanted to destroy his ideological rival - communism

41. 10. Invasion of Soviet Union – cont’ • Operation Barbarossa - June 1941 1) Hitler broke the NAZI-Soviet Pact to invade USSR • 3 million German troops smashed into the USSR, catching them by surprise Moscow (capital city)

42. 10. Invasion of Soviet Union – cont’ 2) Stalin’s response: “scorched earth policy” • As the Red Army (Soviets) retreated, they destroyed everything – livestock, supplies, and machinery – so NAZIs would have nothing to use 3) By Christmas, 1941 – Germans stopped outside Stalingrad

43. 11. Eastern Front 1942-1945 • Harsh winter of USSR – took its toll on German forces • Germans suffered huge losses • Soviets launched attack to prove could fight through winter • Spring – conflict continued along a 2,000 mile front

44. 11. Eastern Front 1942-1945 – cont’ • Battle of Stalingrad - 2nd Turning Point • Sept. 1942-Jan 1943 • Hitler’s goal – to attack it because of its name & to get to the Caucasus oil fields • Soviets captured or killed entire German army in area • Huge boost to Allied morale • After – Germans suffered defeat after defeat on eastern front • Soviet forces moved closer to Berlin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEh9jlNG0nQ&feature=related

45. The Big Three: • The Communist, the Democrat and the Imperialist • Tehran Conference, Dec. 1943 • Main Outcomes: • Opening of a Second Front • Churchill: Southern Europe • Stalin & FDR: W. Europe • Establishment of Polish borders • Stalin agrees to fight Japanese • Germany’s unconditional surrender Key: The conference establishes real, if tenuous, diplomatic relations between the West and Communist Russia. Stalin remained skeptical of the West, though he received Lend-Lease aid from the USA, for he suspected the Allies were content to let the Nazis and Soviets struggle to the death in the East. FDR and Churchill were unhappy about doing business with Stalin, but he was the lesser of two evils.

46. Italian Campaign

47. Italian Campaign • By mid-1943 – Germans had been defeated in North Africa and were in retreat on Eastern Front • Allied plan: to take island of Sicily, then Italy itself • Crucial step in liberation of Europe

48. Italian Campaign – cont’ 1. Landing on Sicily – July, 1943 Designed to: • take pressure off Soviet Allies and • divert Germans from North-west Europe where attack on Normandy (re-invasion of Europe) was planned • Canadians among Allied forces who used amphibious attack • Captured Sicily in one month

49. Italian Campaign – cont’Sicily Invasion – cont’

50. Italian Campaign – cont’ 2) Taking Italy – Ortona - 1943 • Allied troops invaded peninsula of Italy • Canadian forces stopped by Germans at Ortona – vicious fighting occurred throughout December, 1943 • Fought & won street by street, house by house