The Axis Advances
World History
The Axis Attacks
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On September 1,
1939, Hitler invades
Poland.
Hitler uses a new
strategy called the
Blitzkrieg, or “lightning
war.”
This is very different
from World War I and
trench warfare.
Blitzkrieg, or Lightning War
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Hitler creates this new
strategy.
The Luftwaffe, or German
Air Force, bombed
important targets and
softened up troops with
dive bombers.
Then fast moving tanks
and troops pushed into
enemy territory. They
quickly overpowered
troops and forced the
surrender of huge
numbers of troops.
Opposing Soldiers View of Blitzkrieg
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"When the dive-bombers come down, they
(the French) stood it for two hours and then
ran with their hands over their ears."
"The pace is too fast……it’s the co-operation
between the dive-bombers and the tanks that
is winning the war for Germany."
"News that the Germans are in
Amiens………this is like some ridiculous
nightmare."
German Dive Bombers
German Panzer Tanks in Blitzkrieg
Poland Falls
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Poland Falls within a month
Germany attacked from the West and
Russia Attacked from the East.
Britain and France could do nothing but
declare war.
English and French troops were hunkered
behind the Maginot Line, expecting trench
warfare.
German Blitzkrieg of France
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Hitler quickly slams through
Norway and Denmark.
Hitler quickly runs through
the Netherlands and
Belgium.
Hitler attacks France through
Belgium in the Ardennes
Forest, which the French
thought was invasion proof.
Germans pour into France.
The Maginot Line is Useless
The Allies are Surprised
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The Maginot Line was worthless.
Germans are pouring into France.
British and French soldiers are seemingly
trapped by the approaching German army.
The English call for all available sea
vessels to rescue their troops from France.
This will be known as the “Miracle at
Dunkirk.”
France Surrenders
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France falls in June,
1940
The world is shocked
that one of the
greatest powers in the
world lost a war in less
than two months.
A new puppet
government, called
Vichy France, is
formed.
Hitler Prepares to Invade England
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Hitler prepares Operation Sea Lion.
He begins by bombing military sites in
Southern England.
He soon switches to nighttime bombing of
British cities.
This was called the London Blitz. The city
was bombed for 57 straight nights and then
for months afterwards.
Germany Fails to Take England
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Germany cannot gain air superiority over
England.
The British are not discouraged but are
instead more resolved to fight.
The fighting then moves to several areas in
North Africa, Greece, and Yugoslavia.
Erwin Rommel is the successful German
commander in North Africa.
Rommel (The Desert Fox) in North
Africa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
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Hitler invades Russia in
June 1941.
He wanted the raw
materials of Russia.
Three millions soldiers
invaded Russia.
The Russians lost millions
of soldiers but kept moving
east. By December,
Germans were freezing to
death. This will be Hitler’s
biggest blunder.
The Siege of Leningrad
Over 1 Million Civilians Die
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"If this happened, there was an
immediate scrabbling for the dead
one's ration card - not because
anyone wanted to steal it but
because everyone realized that a
ration card handed in to the
authorities meant an infinitesimal
portion more food for all. Such
were the indignities we suffered."
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"I watched my father and mother
die - I knew perfectly well they were
starving. But I wanted their bread
more than I wanted them to stay
alive. And they knew that about me
too. That's what I remember about
the blockade: that feeling that you
wanted your parents to die because
you wanted their bread."
The New Order Under Nazi Rule
Land Occupied by Nazi Germany
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Native groups were shoved aside for
Lebensraum of German people.
Prisoners were tortured and opposition
murdered.
Native populations were used as slave
laborers.
Jews and political opponents were sent to
concentration camps.
The Final Solution
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The Nazis sought a
“solution” for the
problem of all nonAryan Races.
By 1941, the Nazis
decided to eliminate
all European Jews and
other “undesirables” in
six death camps in
Poland.
The Holocaust
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Over Six million Jews were killed during the
Holocaust.
Over six million other people were killed as well.
Many were gassed in the shower rooms of the
six Polish death camps.
Many occupied countries assisted with the
Holocaust although many individuals resisted.
Japanese conquests were equally brutal.
The United States Gets Involved
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The United States was
officially neutral during the
early years of the war.
Roosevelt started a program
called “Lend-Lease” where he
said he could sell or lend any
war related material to any
country he thought would help
the United States.
He only supplied the Allied
side.
Japan and the United States Face
Off
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In 1940, as Japan is expanding, the United
States bans the sale of war materials to
Japan.
These materials included iron, steel, and
oil.
Japan sees this as interference in their
political business. The US and Japan set
up talks to discuss the situation.
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
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A surprise attack on the US fleet in Hawaii
on December 7, 1941.
Over 2000 Americans are killed and 19 US
ships sunk or destroyed.
The US quickly prepares for war.
On December 11, Germany and Italy
declare war on the United States.