Commack Schools



The European TheaterInvasion of Poland, Sept. 1939 – Oct. 1939WORLD WAR II BEGINS !!Hitler uses blitzkrieg (lightning war) to conquer Poland in about a month using fast-moving airplanes and tanks, followed by massive infantry forces. Due to this invasion, England and France declare war on Germany. ALLIES vs. AXIS POWERS(England and France) (Germany, Italy, Japan)Phony War (sitzkrieg), Oct- 1939-April 1940French sat behind their supposedly impenetrable Maginot Line (a series of fortresses on German and French border) waiting for the Germans to attack- at the same time Germany was secretly planning a spring offensive.Europe, April –June 1940Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg fall to the Nazi invasion. Nazis outflank the Maginot Line and defeat France in six weeks. GREAT BRITAIN IS LEFT ALONE TOFIGHT THE AXIS POWERS!!Battle of Britain, 1940-4144386554546400(London Blitz)German Luftwaffe’s (Air Force) attempt to destroy Britain’s defenses prior to a cross-Channel invasion; Royal Air Force (RAF) use of radar made daylight raids too dangerous forcing the Luftwaffe to resort to night attack. Despite the massive destruction from the heavy bombing campaign, Britain does not surrender and grows more determined to defeat the Nazis. However, Britain had no more money and equipment to continue fighting Hitler and the powerful German military. Britain desperately turned to America for help. Europe, March – May 1941 Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia and Greece all fall to the Nazis. Operation Barbarossa – June 1941Germany invades the Soviet Union. Soviet Union enters the war on the side of the Allies. Early in the morning of June 22, 1941, the roar of German tanks and aircraft announced the beginning of the invasion. Because of the Nonaggression Pact, Stalin was caught completely off guard, and the German army quickly pushed 500 miles into the Soviet Union. As the Soviet troops retreated, they burned and destroyed everything in the enemy’s path. It was the same scorched-earth policy the Russians had used against Napoleon 130 years earlier. By September, the German forces put the city of Leningrad (formerly St. Petersburg) under siege. They completely cut it off from the rest of the Soviet Union, starving the city’s 2.5 million inhabitants. Desperate and hungry, the Russians in Leningrad began eating cattle and horse feed, as well as cats and dogs, and then finally, crows and rats, just to survive. Still, the city refused to fall. Impatient, Hitler sent his troops further inland to Moscow, despite the incoming winter. It was a replay of Napoleon’s invasion hundred years earlier. Hitler issued the orders, “No Retreat!” to his armies. 1. Why did Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union catch Stalin off guard and unprepared?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.2. Predict what you think will happen as Hitler continues to try and overrun Russia. Support your answer using a specific comparison to something you have previously learned about. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.3. During the Battle of Britain, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned the world that if Hitler was not defeated…-66675787400“…The whole world, including the United States…will sink into the abyss”To what extent does World War II appear to be a continuation of World War I?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. ................
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