3.2 War in Europe

The Second World War
1939-1945


3.2A War in Europe
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This lesson contains 32 slides, with text slides and 1 video.

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The Second World War
1939-1945


3.2A War in Europe

Slide 1 - Slide

For Hitler, the Munich Conference was a sign that France and Britain would not resist if he invaded Czechoslovakia. On March, 15th 1939, Nazi troops marched into Czechoslovakia. From this, the British and French had learned a hard lesson: Hitler could neither be appeased, nor be trusted.
 
Still the Allied forces did not declare war on Germany.
March 15, 1939. German troops enter the Czech capital city of Prague.

Slide 2 - Slide


Molotov-Ribbentrop pact
August 1939



In August 1939 the Sovjet-Union and Nazi-Germany  agreed to a non-aggression pact and discussed in secret about a coöpertive invasion of Poland.

Slide 3 - Slide


Germany invades Poland
1st September 1939

Slide 4 - Slide


Start of the Second World War

3rd September 1939




  • After the German attack on Poland, Britain and France only could do one thing:
  • Declaring war to Germany..

Slide 5 - Slide

The first months
end 1939 - begin 1940



  • The first fase of the war is set in Eastern-Europe: 
  • Because of the secret agreements of the Soviet-Union and Germany, the Soviet-Union invades Poland halfway through September. 
  • Finland is also invaded, just like Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Slide 6 - Slide


Blitzkrieg in Western-Europe
april-july 1940




  • In the spring of 1940, the Germans literally 'rolled up' Europe with enormous speed and great superiority.
  • This warfare is known as the Blitzkrieg, lightning war.
Some countries (the Netherlands and Denmark) are attacked, for other countries (Belgium and Luxembourg) this is nothing new, they were also attacked during the First World War despite neutrality.

Slide 7 - Slide


The Netherlands surrenders
15th may 1940




  • Although in some places the Dutch army offers more resistance than the Germans had expected, the Dutch government, after the bombing of Rotterdam, has no choice but to surrender to the Germans.

Slide 8 - Slide


France surrenders
22th June 1940





  • A part of France, Vichy, isn't conquered and occupied but collaborates with Nazi-Germany.

Slide 9 - Slide


Battle of Britain
July - Oktober 1940




  • Hitler wanted to attack and invade Britain. 
  • Thanks in part to the invention of the radar, Great Britain is able to defend itself against Germany.
  • Thanks to the Britisch Royal Air Force (RAF), the Nazi's fail.

Slide 10 - Slide





...during the whole war, Britain and especially London would be heavily bombarded. First by airplanes, later by the V1 and V2 rockets.

Slide 11 - Slide


Operation Barbarossa
June - December 1941






  • Despite the 1939 non-aggression pact, Germany attacks the Soviet Union:
  • Hitler needs the 'Lebensraum' and the raw materials for his people.

Slide 12 - Slide

Slide 13 - Slide

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
7th December 1941




  • Japan wants to make an imperium in Asia. 
  • To achieve this goal they attack the American navalbase on Hawaï (Pearl Harbor) to keep America away from Asia
  • Because of the destroyed American fleet, Japan has free reign in Asia.

Slide 14 - Slide


The United States at war
8th December 1941





  • One day after the attack, the United States of America declares war against Japan.


Slide 15 - Slide









According to the agreements of the alliance of the Axis powers, Germany and Italy declare war on the United States on December 11.

Slide 16 - Slide

  1939               1940              1941                  1942                 1943                 1944               1945
1 sept. 1939
Germany invades Poland
Start WW2
Spring 1940
Germany conquers Dk, No, NL, Be, Lux & Fr.
by Blitzkrieg
summer 1940
Battle of Brittain
Ger. cann't invade 
fall 1941
Operation Barbarossa
Germany invades the Soviet-Union.
7 dec. 1941
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks an American navalbase
Last lessons

Slide 17 - Slide


Battle of Stalingrad
August 1942 - February 1943




  • Due to the icy cold and poor supplies, the German army is crushed. Hitler must give up: Stalingrad can not be conquered.
  • It will be a turning point in the war: the Soviet Union begins pushing back the German army.

Slide 18 - Slide


D-Day
June 6th, 1944




  • The Normandy landings finally brought a front to the West, something Stalin had long requested.
  • The D in D-Day stands for 'Decision'

Slide 19 - Slide

Richmond Times, 1944

Slide 20 - Slide


Battle of Arnhem
September 1944




  • The Allies want to push through to the northern part of the Netherlands, to invade Germany from there, but they mistook about the strength of the Germans.
  • Operation Market Garden failed at Arnhem ('Bridge too far').

Slide 21 - Slide

Slide 22 - Video


Conference of Yalta
February 1945





  • The Allies meet in Yalta (Soviet Union) to discuss what should happen to Germany and Europe after the war.
  • The Big Three are: Churchill (GB), Roosevelt (US) and Stalin (SU).

Slide 23 - Slide




Franklin Delano Roosevelt
President of the United States of America.
Jozef Stalin
Leader of the Soviet-Union.
Winston Churchill
Prime minister of Great-Britain.

Slide 24 - Slide


Hitler defeated 
April 1945



  • In april, the Red Army of the Soviet-Union succeeds to attack Berlin. 
  • It is the final blow for Hitler: he commits suicide.

Slide 25 - Slide


Liberation of the Netherlands
May 5th, 1945






Slide 26 - Slide


Germany surrenders
May 8th, 1945






Slide 27 - Slide


Conference of Potsdam
July 1945



  • The Allies meet again (and for the last time) in Potsdam, (near Berlin).
  • The players are different: Roosevelt died and Churchill has been defeated in an election. They have been replaced by Truman and Attlee
  • The atmosphere between Truman and Stalin is bad, and they can't work things out....

Slide 28 - Slide


Atomic bomb on Hiroshima
August 6th, 1945






Slide 29 - Slide


Second Atomic bomb on Nagasaki
August 9th, 1945







Slide 30 - Slide

Slide 31 - Slide


Japan surrenders
August 15th, 1945





  • After being devastated by the two American nuclear bombs, Japan has no choice but to surrender to the Allies.

Slide 32 - Slide