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Blitzkrieg in Poland! September 1-27, 1939

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Polish Corridor

German province, separated from the rest of Germany

Free trade port of Danzig

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Italian General Giulio Douhet - -

Father of modern military air theory

Best defense is a good offense

Promoted use of large bombers and strategic bombing

Take the war to the enemy

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German WWI era battleship, Schleswig-Holstein opens fire in Danzig harbor!!!

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Hochlinde

Danzig

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Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps

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Junkers JU 87 Stuka Dive Bomber

• Max speed: 238 mph• Ceiling: 24,600 ft• Range: 620 miles• Armament:• Two MG17 firing forward• One MG15 in rear cockpit• 550 lb bomb under fuselage• 2 -- 110 lb bomb under each

wing

• No match for faster British fighters

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Notorious Bent Wing of the Stuka Dive Bomber {aka “Screaming Eagle”}

Luftwaffe = German Air Force

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Hermann Goering (Göring), Commander of the Luftwaffe

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Goering in WW I

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Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe Eagle Cap Patch

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Crew: 5

Maximum Speed: 254 mphCeiling: 21,980 ft.Range: 1100 milesArmament:One 20-mm MG FF cannon;One 13-mm (0.51-inch) MG 131 machine gun;Three 7.92-mm (0.31-inch) MG 81Z machine guns;Internal bomb load of 4000 lb.

Heinkel HE-111 German bomber

15Heinkel HE-111 German bomber

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Dornier DO-17 Luftwaffe BomberMaximum Speed: 265 mphCrew: 5 Range: 721 miles / combat (half load) Service Ceiling: 27,000 ft Guns: 6 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 / lower nose gun occasionally replaced with 20 mm MG FF cannonBombs: 2,200 lb

17Polish Anti-aircraft Gun (40 mm)

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Panzer 1 Ausf B (produced 1935-37)

2 x MG13 Dreyse (7.92mm), 100hp Maybach NL 38 TR engine, 5 road wheels & 4 return rollers. lengthened and redesigned rear hull.

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Panzer II - - Light (10 tons) training tank. Entered service due to delays in production of Panzer III. Ineffective as combat tank. Key problem was weak armor which protected it only from firearms & shell fragments. 20 mm cannon was only effective against soft targets, not against majority of Allied armor. ****Main tank in invasions of Poland & France.

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Panzer skull pin Panzer cap eagle

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Panzer III Ausf F (’39-40)Initially had 37 mm cannon but was fitted with 50 mm cannon after it was confronted by the Russian T-34 and found inferior in firepower. Had crew of 5. Top speed was 26 mph. Commander, gunner and loader sat in the turret and the driver and radio operator in the hull front. Panzer III was the first of German Panzers to be equipped with ***intercom system for in-tank communications. Later on all of Panzers were equipped with this device which proved to be very effective during combat.

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Panzer III Ausf LPanzer III was the main tank used in the early years of the war. By ’43 it was replaced by Panzer IV. 15 tons – first medium size Nazi tank.

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General Heinz Guderian• Organized Panzers

into self-contained Panzer Divisions

• Close support from infantry, motorized infantry, artillery, and air force

24Wespe self-propelled field howitzer

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Wespe self-propelled field howitzer

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Flammpanzer II Flamingo - - Flamethrower gun turret turned 180 degrees. Fuel tank allowed 80 "shots" at maximum range of 25 meters {82 feet}. Flamethrower fuel = mix of oil and gas shot with help of pressurized nitrogen. Also had MG34 7.92mm machine gun mounted in a small rotating turret. Crew of three men (driver, radio operator and commander/flame-thrower operator).

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Flammpanzer II Flamingo - - used in Operation Barbarosa in Russia until late 1941

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Each German Soldier (Wehrmacht) Carried:

1. Mauser rifle

2. 2 grenades (*potato mashers)

3. 60 rounds of ammunition

4. gas mask

5. canteen

6. trench spade

7. mess kit

8. rucksack

29Standard Wehrmacht uniforms at the start of WWII

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Karabiner Mauser 98 k - - internal magazine held 5

rounds. Practical rate of fire = 15 rounds per minute.

Ammo pouch (belt) - - 3 clips (5 rounds each) fit in each pouch.Soldier would carry 1 or 2 pouches on his belt.

Standard Issue Wehrmacht Rifle

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Stielhandgranate 24 (Potato Masher) - - most famous German grenade. Time fuse activated by unscrewing the bottom cap and pulling the rip detonator. Top had thin metal skin and grenade designed to kill mostly through explosion, not shrapnel. Later “shrapnel rings” were designed (copied from Russian grenade) and could be fitted around the round metal top of the grenade.

Eihandgranate 39 (egg hand grenade) - - smaller and less lethal, but more convenient to carry. Had bottom ring for attachment to pouches.

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Canteen

Trench Spade

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Mess Kit

35Rucksack

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Y - Strap

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Luger P 08 - - official German Army pistol since its introduction in 1908 (used until end WWII). Replaced with the Walther P 38 in 1942 since it was actually expensive and somewhat unreliable (despite its reputation).

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Walther P 38 - - automatic 9 mm pistol which was the most commonly used pistol in WWII. Magazine held 8 rounds and a small holster pouch carried an additional clip. (production started in 1942)

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Estimates (German forces)

Estimates (Polish forces)

Estimates (Soviet)

Killed8082 to 10572

66,300 737

Wounded27,278 to 30322

133,700 1859

Missing3404 to 5029

Prisoner 0 420,000

Civilian deaths

26,000

Tanks 89

42 destroyed, approximately 400 broke down.

Armed vehicles

993 to 1000

Naval Losses

2 destroyers, 2 minelayers

Planes lost 107327 out of their 435

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Casualties and Losses in Poland, 1939

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Warsaw, Poland

41Almost hit the horsey!! Aargh!

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300 Polish POWs - - - -

Executed!!

43After the bombing of Warsaw

44Victory Parade in Warsaw!!!

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Great BritainUnited StatesSoviet UnionFranceCanadaAustraliaChinaPolandGreeceNetherlandsBelgiumCzechoslovakiaLuxembourgNorwayYugoslaviaPanama Costa Rica Dominican RepublicEl SalvadorHaiti HondurasNicaragua

ALLIES in WW2

{major powers shown in blue}

AXIS in WW2

{major powers shown in red}

GermanyItalyJapanHungaryRomaniaBulgariaFinlandIraqThailand

Guatemala Cuba Philippines MexicoBrazilEthiopiaIraq BoliviaColombiaIran Liberia PeruEcuadorParaguayUruguayVenezuelaTurkeyEgyptLebanonSyriaSaudi Arabia ArgentinaChile