World War II



World War II

The Axis Victories 1939 - 42

Nazi Blitzkrieg

In 1939 Germany and the ________ quickly conquered and divided Poland due to its flat and open ___________. Britain and France declared war on Germany but defensively waited for Hitler to attack.

The speed and efficiency of the German ________, or “________________________,” stunned Europe. Blitzkrieg was a swift attack designed to avoid the __________ warfare of WWI.

Supported by airplanes and artillery, _______ would pierce enemy lines and _________________ their opponents. Infantry would then occupy the territory.

The Fall of France

After defeating Poland Hitler conquered Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium. For protection France relied on the ________________ forest and a string of defenses called the _______________________. The French thought the Germans would avoid these defenses and invade through Belgium, as they did in _______.

Hitler _________________ the French by cutting through the Ardennes with his panzers, pinning the Allies to the sea, and pushing them off mainland Europe. In less than a ___________ the French were defeated.

The Battle of Britain

Hitler wanted to invade Britain but he first had to fight the British Royal ______________. German and British fighters fought throughout the summer of 1940, and Nazi bombers attacked _____________.

Throughout the Nazi blitz Prime Minister Winston _____________ rallied the British people and prevented Britain from falling to Hitler. This was Hitler’s first ____.

The Battle for Africa

In 1941 Hitler hoped to cut off British supplies by taking the _________________ in Egypt. Known as the “Desert Fox,” Erwin _________________ panzers won victories against the British throughout 1941-42.

Operation Barbarossa

After quickly conquering Greece and Yugoslavia, in June 1941 Hitler launched a surprise attack upon the ___________ to gain vital ________________, living space, and to finally crush communism.

Catching the USSR unprepared, the Nazis quickly captured vast amounts of land and charged toward the cities of _____________, _______________, and __________________.

Japan at War

To halt Japanese aggression in Asia the US applied economic ______________. Because the US stood in their way, on December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a sneak attack upon the American naval base at ______________________, and also attacked British colonies.

Germany and Italy then declared war on the US, and by the spring of 1942 Japan controlled much of Southeast Asia and the western Pacific. Japan expected the US to ___________, but instead the US joined the Allies in their fight against the Axis powers.

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