WWIITHE FIRST BATTLES

The Invasion of Poland Begins September 1, 1939 Britian and France declare war on Sept. 3 Canada declares war on Germany on Sept. 10 Polish Army is crushed by the German Blitzkrieg On Sept. 17, Soviet Army attacks Poland from the East

(part of the secret “Nazi-Soviet Pact” Poland is divided into three parts

1. Incorporated into the Soviet Union2. Incorporated into Germany (Poles are removed)

3. General Government: Controlled by Germany, A place for the Poles to live, also used for slave labor, concentration camps and natural resources

The Nazis in Poland The Poles were considered

“sub-human” by Hitler The Nazis were brutal to the

Polish people Executions, thievery and the

kidnapping of children were common

A special group of the S.S. (Einsatzgruppen) were sent into to destroy unwanted elements of the Polish population – the travelled behind the army, searched for and killed government officials, communists and Jews

Sitzkrieg – The Phony War Rather than attacking

Germany, the British and French prepare for WWI style battles

They rely on fortifications & trenches and simply wait for the Germans to attack first

Germany uses this time to go after the weaker countries of Europe

They capture Norway, Holland, Denmark and Belgium

The Nazis oppress these people install dictatorships

The Invasion of France France is invaded on May 12, 1940 The Britsh and French defender divide into two separate lines

(1st along the Belgian border, 2nd along the German border) Between the two lines is the Ardennes Forest, which was

lightly defended because it was believed the Germans wouldn’t be able to travel trough it

However, the Germans did go through the Ardennes and took the Allies by surprise

The British and French could not recover and were soon beaten

France surrenders – Northern France is controlled by Germany, Southern France is still controlled by the French in exchange for becoming and ally of Germany (The Vichy Regime)

The Miracle of Dunkirk After the French surrendered, the British Army was

severely outnumbered and quickly retreated back to the coast city of Dunkirk

However, it seemed like the German Army would destroy the British before they could bring enough ships to get them back to England

The British population came to the aid of the Army and average people took boats across the English Channel and picked up soldiers

From fishing boats to battleships, almost every boat in England contributed to the effort and the British Army was saved from destruction

The British promise to fight to the end!

Winston Churchill rallies the British

Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, 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 fight in the hills; we shall never surrender

Key Points Poland is taken by the

Nazis and the Soviets The Nazis capture most of

western Europe The Nazis defeat France

and France is forced to join Germany

The British Army is saved at Dunkirk and Britain promises to fight to the end

Winston Churchill is awesome!