Winston Churchill: A Man of Profound Words

1. Winston Churchill: A Man of Profound Words “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp6tzQ4R1tg

2. First they came . . . • Is a famous statement attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.

4. The Axis vs. The Allies • The Axis Powers: • 1936-1945 • Germany • Italy • Japan • The Allied Powers: • 1939-1945 • Britain • France • USA

5. World War II1939-1945 The Second War to End All Wars

6. September 1, 1939 The Second World War Begins

7. Blitzkrieg • New German invasion plan of “lightning war” practiced on Poland • Called for wave of aerial attacks to confuse/create havoc for the enemy • Followed by ‘Panzer’ (tank) divisions & motorized infantry divisions • Outflank the enemy in ‘Pincer’ movement (double envelopment)

9. 1. Fall of Poland • Hitler’s ‘blitz’rolled across Polish plains • Flat geography aided to the success of the strategy (*remember that!) • Britain and France declare war on Germany two days later (September 3, 1939) • 17 September - USSR invaded from the east (per the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact) • By 29 September, Poland was defeated

10. Poland Invasion • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y9NexpibEo • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw6kZtivBjY&feature=related

11. 2. The “Phony War”Fall 1939-Spring 1940 • Sometimes referred to as “sitzkrieg” • a lack of action on the Western Front; GB and Fr. are preparing for war • France and Britain bound to support Poland by alliance • Poland was conquered before they could mobilize • Airpower insufficient to travel that far • Both wished to maintain air forces for expected German attack

12. 3. USSR vs. Finland • Along with Poland the USSR’s Red Army wanted to seize Finland and attacked on November 30, 1939 • Fins provided fierce resistance • 4 month battle know as the “Winter War” took place before Finland fell and signed a peace treaty on March 12, 1940 • USSR also seized the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania) from June 15-17, 1940

13. Finnish Ski Patrol

14. 4. Conquest of Denmark, Norway and Romania • April 1940: Hitler attacks Scandinavia (previously took Belgium and the Netherlands (Holland)) • Britain ‘raced’ Germany to Norway but lost • Nazis overran Norway • received assistance from Norwegian traitors called “fifth columnists” • both countries sought important Atlantic submarine bases • Norwegian Resistance movement – Max Manus (film) • October 1940:German army occupies Romania • joined the Axis Powers

15. Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden, Finland

16. 5. The Invasion of the Western Front • May 10, 1940 • inaction ended with the Nazis attack “Benelux”countries (Netherland, Belgium and Luxemburg) and France • Germans largely bypassed Franco-German border • heavy mountainous terrain • heavily fortified by the French with the Maginot Line • http://genius.com/Winston-churchill-blood-toil-tears-and-sweat-address-to-parliament-on-may-13th-1940-annotated

19. Maginot Line

20. 5.The Western Front (cont) • Nazi armies easily defeated the Allies • British soldiers had crossed the EnglishChannel to support Benelux countries • The fall of Belgium the British (and to some degree the French) were trapped by German forces • The point of escape was the port of Dunkirk (May 25, 1940) • At Dunkirk over 300,000 troops evacuated by British navy and volunteers • considered a moral (not a military) victory by British: best troops lived to fight another day

21. Dunkirk Evacuationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7JWumQ4swQ

23. 6. The Fall of France • Following Dunkirk Germans raced into France • Much French resistance collapsed • They were in a state of disarray • Blitzkrieg was extremely effective • Mussolini (Italy), confident of victory, declared war on France on June 10, 1940 • Parts of the French government fled to London

26. 6. The Fall of France (cont) • On June 14, 1940 the Germans took Paris • Hitler did a whirlwind one day tour; this was the last time he would set foot in Paris • The French surrendered on June 22, 1940 • Maginot line proved useless • Slow movement of infantry • Fr. air force no match for German Luftwaffe • Internal political divisions – extreme right (fascists) and extreme left (communists) both opposed war

28. 6. Fall of France: Terms of Surrender • Fr. was forced to sign armistice in same place Germans signed in 1918 • Escaped troops created “Free French in exile” under leadership of a little known General: Charles de Gaulle • North and Atlantic ports occupied by Nazis • British sank French fleet to prevent German acquisition

29. 6. Fall of France: Terms of Surrender (cont) • Southern France was permitted a semi-independent government at Vichy in Southern France (called Vichy France, 1940-1944) • Run by Marshall Henri-Philippe Petain • Collaborated with Nazis/were pro-Nazi • The issue of collaboration became a very contentious one at the end and after the war • No real independence although deemed a “free zone” and headed the Vichy government in the South of France.

33. A Grand Alliance The Big Three: • Great Britain (Winston Churchill) • The U.S. (FDR) • The Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin) Strategies for War: • Defeat Germany first

34. 7. The Battle of Britain: July 10-September 30, 1940 “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’” ~ Sir Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the UK on 18 June 1940.

35. 7. The Battle of Britain (cont) • Battle name for control of the skies above GB and the English Channel • From a German point of view it is a necessary first step to the invasion of the British Isles (known as Operation Sealion) • From a British point of view it is the battle of survival because at this time GB was the sole remaining (democratic) world power against Nazi aggression

36. “Operation Sea Lion”Attack Plan • Operation Sea Lion - Code name for Germany’s planned invasion of GB (August 1940) • German Luftwaffe vs. British R.A.F. • Goering promised to eliminate the RAF in four days • Air raid attacks began with shipping convoys in the Channel during July, air fields on August 12, and then radar stations • Many believed no defense could be made against bombing raids

38. Royal Air Force (RAF) • British Air Marshall planned defense for years • Realized defense would rely on production of fighter aircraft • Inferior in numbers to Luftwaffe; 3:1, but maintained a kill ration of 1887 plan to 1017 planes • RAF had superiority in quality with the Spitfire

39. RAF Spitfire

40. Radar + Enigma = Ultra • British also had the advantage of radar technology: • Used radio waves to detect German bomber and fighter squadrons • Also had benefit of Enigmacode-breaker: • A German cipher machine which enabled the British to receive and decode German messages • “Ultra”became the designation for signal intelligence obtained by code breaking

41. German Luftwaffe • Vastly outnumbered the enemy • Underestimated effectiveness of British aircraft production • Pilots were better trained and had superior tactics • Combat disadvantage….

42. BF-109Messerschmitt • Had less than 30 minutes flying time over Great Britain

43. The Course of the Battle • Began with raids on British shipping in the English Channel in July 1940 • Britain strategically bombed Hamburg, Germany • Moved to airfields in August, pushing 100 mile gap into coastline • British Air Marshall Hugh Dowding knew defending airfields more important than German kills • Aircraft could be replaced, pilots are much harder

44. Oops! • German bomber squadron accidentally bombed civilians in London • Churchill orders retaliatory attack on Berlin (civilian bombing of Berlin = vowed never to do) • September 7, 1940 - Goering orders change in target to London • Effectively ended strategy of attacking airfields • Ordered squadrons to fly in close formation to protect assets - made for better targets • Allowed the RAF to rest and rebuild

45. The Blitz: The Bombing of London • Hitler hoped to demoralize the British people by bombing London and other cities; it did the opposite Fighter Command could continue to shoot down German bombers Englanders rallied around Churchill “We can take it” Took up moral outrage at the damage caused (including to Buckingham Palace)

46. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw8BpcWgET8

47. The Blitz: Hitler Defeated • Planned invasion of Britain had to be postponed indefinitely • The British victory in this battle was significant because: • First time Hitler had been denied conquest • Setback for Hitler meant the war would be long and the USA would join soon • Allies had a springboard to launch the reinvasion of Europe

48. ….a footnote • British strategists failed to learn a lesson of Battle of Britain: bombing runs were not terribly effective • Later in the war Bomber Command would lose more personnel in one night over Germany than during the entire defense of Britain

49. 8. Barbarossa The Nazi Invasion of the Soviet Union

50. Background • Operation Barbarossa was the name given by Hitler to his attack on the USSR • Barbarossa the man was a fabled German warrior from the 1190s • Three Nazi goals were to be accomplished: • Lebensraum – inferior people in the East would have to make way for the “master race;” Soviets were “rotten at the core”; welcome the invasion • Acquire the “breadbasket of Europe” – the Ukraine and other vast resources of the USSR • Destroy his arch-rival: Communism