World War II PT 3

World War II Begins

Lightning Attack on Poland

• Sept. 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland.
• Blitzkrieg- “lightning war”, fast moving planes &

tanks followed by massive infantry forces & take
the enemy by surprise.

• After attack Great Britain & France declare war on

Germany.

Soviets Move

• Sept. 17, 1939 Stalin sends troops to occupy

Eastern Poland.

• Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia fall easily.
• Finland defeated March 1940.

Battle for France

• Hitler goes around Maginot Line to attack France.
• Maginot Line- A system of fortifications along

France’s boarder with Germany.

• German army traps French & British at Dunkirk,

France.

• May 26-June 4, 850 cross the English channel

saving 338,000 soldiers.

France Falls

• June 10, 1940- Following Dunkirk Mussolini

(Italy) declares war on both Great Britain &
France.

• June 14, 1940 Paris falls to the Germans.
• June 22, 1940 France surrenders leaving puppet

government.

• French Gen. Charles De Gaulle flees to London

and organizes Free French.

• Goal: Liberate France.

Battle of Britain

• Operation Sea Lion- Hitler’s plan to invade

Britain:

• Germany bombs British cities to break spirit of

people.

• RAF fight valiantly against Luftwaffe forcing

them to abandon day time raids.

• Hitler abandons attack on Britain May 1941

-Winston Churchill-
British Prime Minister

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight

on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the
fields and in the streets…we shall never
surrender.”