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World War II

World War II was largely caused by H________ foreign policy. But there were other factors as well – the failure of the L______ of N__________ to maintain peace and the B_________ and French policy of A______________ (giving in to AH to avoid war).

Aims of Hitler’s foreign policy

1. He wanted to create a Greater G__________. Unite all German speaking people.

2. He believed that this Greater G___________ needed l_____________ or (living space)

3. He wanted to destroy the T________ of V____________.

Destroying the Treaty of V_____________

1. 1935 he introduced c_____________ (forced military service)

2. 1936 he reoccupied the R_____________ (along the French border with Germany)

3. In 1938 he united Austria with Germany (A____________)

Also in 1936 he strengthened ties with M____________ in Italy by signing the Rome – B______ Axis. He also sent troops to help General F_______ win the Spanish Civil War. He used this war to test new war planes and tanks. In 1939 Mussolini (Il D____) and Hitler (Der F_______) signed the Pact of S______ promising to help each other in any future war.

Hitler’s next target was the S________________, the German speaking part of Czechoslovakia. A conference was held in M_________ in 1938, giving AH the S_______________. The Czech government had little option but to accept the situation. France and Britain were anxious to avoid war (App____________). In March 1938 AH broke the terms of the M__________ Agreement by invading the rest of C__________________. The policy of A______________ had ended, Britain and France prepared for war.

Hitler then turned his attention to P_________. This country contained a German minority. GB and Fra promised to go to war over P_________.

In August 1939, AH surprised the world by signing a 10 year Non-Aggression Pact with the S_______ U________. They also secretly agreed to divide P________ between them. The pact allowed the Soviet leader, S_______, more time to prepare for a German attack.

World War II

World War II started on September 1st 1939 when the Germans attacked P__________. He unleashed a new type of warfare called B____________ or lightning war. First bombs were dropped from the air, the German tanks moved in, followed by German infantry.

For the next few months (Oct 39 to April 1940) nothing happened as winter set in. This became known as the P_______ (false) War. British got their army ready and e____________ children from the cities to the countryside. In April 1940 Hitler conquered D___________ and N_________. He overran D____________ in one day. Shortly after the fall of N__________ Winston C_________ became the new PM of GB.

On 10th of May AH launched an attack on B_________, H___________ and F_________. The French had built a major defensive line called the M__________ Line but AH simply by-passed it by attacking through the hilly Ard_______ region of Belgium. The GB and Fre armies retreated to a coastal town in France called D_________. In Operation Dynamo, GB sent all available boats over to rescue the troops from the beaches. Over 300,000 troops were evacuated in 7 days. France surrendered in June 1940. Most of the country was ruled directly by the Germans, the remainder, V_____ France was ruled by a puppet French govt.

Battle of Britian

Following the fall of France, Britain stood alone against French aggression. Hitler put a plan Operation S________ in place for the invasion of GB. Before AH could launch an invasion by sea, the German airforce, the L__________ had to control the skies over GB by defeating the R________ Air F______ (RAF). In August 1940, the Battle of Britain began. German Messerschmitts and St______ took on the British H___________ and Spitfires. The British had the advantage of having r_______ stations along the coast (allowing them to detect attacking planes). Hitler failed to defeat the RAF and changed his tactics to bombing GB cities, the B______. Churchill famously thanked the RAF with the words, “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been o___ by so many to s_ f__”.

At the Battle of El A________ in Egypt the British led by Montgomerey defeated the Germans led by R_________. The victory at EL A_________ gave the British a great boost and left the British in control of the S_____ Canal.

Nazi invasion of USSR

In June 1941 AH broke the terms of the Nazi-Soviet pact by launching an attack, code-named Operation B____________ on the Soviet Union. Hitler wanted l__________ (living space), to destroy C_____________ and O___. Russian Joseph S_______ called on the Russians to fight the Great P__________ War. As the Russians retreated, they used a scorched e_______ policy. They destroyed crops and communication lines so that the Germans could not use them. Hitler’s progress was halted by the Russian w__________. Petrol froze in the German tanks

The Battle of Stalingrad

In 1942 AH’s armies advanced towards Stalingrad which stood between the German army and the rich oilfields of the C___________. The L____________ (German air force) bombed the city to a pulp, yet when they entered the city to take it the Russians emerged from the ruins and street battles ensued. S_______ insisted the city would not be lost. The Russians then cut the Germans off from their supplies. The Russians under Marshall Z_______ left no escape open for the Germans. Despite AH’s orders that they fight to the last bullet, General Von P________ surrendered in February 1943. 200,000 German soldiers were captured. The defeat at Stalingrad was a major turning point in the war. It halted the German advance in Russia and from then on they were in retreat.

In December 1941, the USA joined the war when the Japanese bombed P_______ H_________ in Hawaii, where the US Pacific fleet (Navy) was based. The US President Franklin Delano R__________ immediately declared war on Japan.

The combined strength of USA, GB and USSR would make the A______ too strong for the A____ powers (Ger, IT and Jap).

Battle of the Atlantic

Throughout the war, battle raged in the Atlantic. German submarines ( -boats) attacked Allied shipping. Even before US entered the war they gave huge amounts of food, weapons and military goods to Britain. This was known as L_____ L_______, GB would pay them back after the war. Eventually using Ultra (code breaker) the Allies were able to decipher messages sent by U-boats at sea.

Allied invasion of France

After much preparation, Operation O_______ ____, the invasion of continental Europe took place on June 6th 1944. This invasion was called - D___. The Allies selected the French coast of N___________ for the invasion. The Germans expected the attack to come at C_______ which was closer. In June 1944 General E_____________, the commander of operations, gave the order to attack. A pipeline under the ocean (PLUTO) was laid to bring vital oil supplies for the invasion. Artificial harbours called M___________ piers were towed across so that heavy goods could be easily brought ashore. They Allies landed at 5 beaches, Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold and Sword. By the end of June 6th over 150,000 Allies had landed in France.

By August the Allies liberated Paris and by April 1945 they entered the German capital city, B_______. The war against Japan continued until the new US President, Harry T_______ took the decision to drop two atomic bombs on H____________ and N__________ in August 1945. World War II ended August 14th 1945.

Why the Allies won the War?

1. The Allies had larger populations and larger armies than the Axis powers.

2. American wealth and industrial strength. US produced 300,000 aircraft and 86,000 tanks.

3. Allies had more access to oil than the Germans and Italians.

4. The Allies had air supremacy by the end of the war.

5. The Allies won the battles in the war – El Alamein, Stalingrad, Battle of Britain.

The Effects of WWII

• Over 55 million people, soldiers and civilians were killed in the conflict.

• Destruction of cities, towns etc

• The UN was established – to keep world peace and prevent future war.

• Nazi leaders were tried for war crimes at Nuremberg. 12 were sentenced to death.

• Germany was divided between GB, Fr, USA and USSR

• A Cold War emerged between USSR and USA soon after war.

• USA and USSR became the world’s superpowers.

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