• Blitzkreig – “lightening fast” war that the Germans used by overwhelming their enemies with superior firepower and numbers allowing them to defeat Poland in one month.

• Maginot Line – Western front line that the French had reinforced after WWI fearing another German invasion and changing Hitler’s strategy to get to France through Belgium

• Dunkirk – massive evacuation of British troops in the Northern France (June 1940).

• The Fall of France – German’s accept French surrender June 1940 and put in a puppet government (Vichy)

• Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of England that became the face of Europe’s final resistance to Hitler. Attempted to appeal directly to FDR to enter the war.

• Battle of Britain – German air force (Luftwaffe) attack that lasted from June to October 1940. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) were able to defend their nation with the new technology of radar.

Ch 19 Sec 2: WW II Begins in Europe

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

(pages 589–591)(pages 589–591)

• On September 1, 1939, Germany and the USSR invaded Poland.

The War Begins

The War Begins

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany–starting World War II.

(pages 591–593)(pages 591–593)

The War Begins

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• The Germans used a blitzkrieg, or lightening war, to attack Poland.

• The Polish army was defeated by October 5.

(pages 591–593)(pages 591–593)

• On April 9, 1940, the German army attacked Norway and Denmark.

• Within a month, Germany overtook both countries.

The War Begins (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• After World War I, the French built a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications called the Maginot Line along the German border.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

The War Begins (cont.)

(pages 591–593)(pages 591–593)

• When Hitler decided to attack France, he went around the Maginot Line by invading the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

The War Begins (cont.)

(pages 591–593)(pages 591–593)

• The French and British forces quickly went into Belgium, becoming trapped there by German forces.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

The War Begins (cont.)

(pages 591–593)(pages 591–593)

• By June 4, about 338,000 British and French troops had evacuated Belgium through the French port of Dunkirk and across the English Channel, using ships of all sizes.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

The War Begins (cont.)

(pages 591–593)(pages 591–593)

• On June 22, 1940, France surrendered to the Germans.

• Germany installed a puppet government in France.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

The War Begins

(pages 591–593)(pages 591–593)

Britain Remains Defiant

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• Hitler thought that Britain would negotiate peace after France surrendered.

• He did not anticipate the bravery of the British people and their prime minister, Winston Churchill.

(pages 593–594)(pages 593–594)

Britain Remains Defiant

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

• On June 4, 1940, Churchill delivered a defiant speech that rallied the British people and alerted the United States to Britain’s plight.

(pages 593–594)(pages 593–594)

“Even though large tracts of Europe have fallen . . . we shall not flag or fail. . . . We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

• To invade Britain, Germany had to defeat the British air force.

• In the Battle of Britain, the German air force, the Luftwaffe, launched an all-out air battle to destroy the British Royal Air Force.

Britain Remains Defiant (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

(pages 593–594)(pages 593–594)

• After German bombers bombed London, the British responded by bombing Berlin, Germany.

Britain Remains Defiant (cont.)

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

(pages 593–594)(pages 593–594)

• The Royal Air Force was greatly outnumbered by the Luftwaffe, but the British had radar stations and were able to detect incoming German aircraft and direct British fighters to intercept them.

Britain Remains Defiant (cont.)

(pages 593–594)(pages 593–594)

M/C 1-1