World War II Flashcards
Blitzkrieg
New tactic used by the Germans.
Planes used to destroy targets .
Tanks would then attack on the ground
Warsaw in Poland was first city to be attacked. Within three weeks the Pols surrendered.
Poland was divided between German and the USSR
The Phoney War
Britain and France entered the war to help Poland after the invasion.
However they did very little fighting until the invasion in France.
Germany invade Denmark, Norway,Belgium and Holland and no action was taken.
Because Of this it was named the Phoney War
The Fall of the French
The French believed their Maginot Line would hold during the German invasion. (border protection)
The Germans however didn’t attack this area. They came through the Ardennes. It was relatively unprotected.
Germans used better tactics with tanks. The French were forced to surrender.
Italy entered the war and joined with Germany.
Germany occupied the north of France. French formed government in the South ( Vichy France)
Operation Dynamo
British Expeditionary Force (250,000 troops) sent to help France. Operation Dynamo
Speedy German advance forced BEF to retreat to Dunkirk
Huge rescue operation to get British soldiers home
Battle of Britain
Operation Sea Lion was Hitler’s plan to invade Britain.
He needed control of the air so on the 13th August 1940 he attacked the RAF(Royal air force)
He used Luftwaffe planes to bomb the airfields. This started the battle of Britain.
The British air force was stretched to the limit.British used spitfire planes.
Both suffered losses but by September the British emerged as successful because
Germans bombed London and gave Brits time to recover
Rader
Spitfire- excellent planes
Operation Barbarossa Part I
Hitler turned his attention to the USSR.
He wanted land from the Soviet Union to expand the Empire.
He compiled the largest invasion force in History and expected to defeat the Red army with ease.
3 million soldiers, 4000 tanks, 4000 planes
3 separate army groups the North South and Central armies.
June 1941 Operation Barbarossa starts.
Stalin did not believe this and the Russians were caught by surprise
Operation Barbarossa Part II
The Soviets had more troops and tanks yet by December they had suffered a number of defeats.
December- the Germans had captured 4 million soldiers and surrounded Leningrad.
Scorched Earth- The Russians destroyed any land they lost.
Germans could replace men and machines the further they got into Russia.
Weather conditions made travel near impossible. -40 degrees, soldiers died of frostbite. Moscow was saved because of the cold
The USA
December 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbour.
President Roosevelt enters the war against Germany and Japan.
Hitler now fighting a war against Britain, USA and USSR.
Turning point of the war
Stalingrad was the next target of Hitler’s he was determined to take this land in the south.
General Paulus lead the Germans. Bloody street battles took place to gain control of the city.
Marshal Zhukov (USSR) was order to hold the city of Stalingrad
Hitler refused to allow the Germans to retreat and he tried but failed to get supplies to them by air.
With men starving and freezing to death General Paulus surrendered on the 19th November. Germany were pushed out of Russia
El Alamein
Britain controlled the Suez Canal in Egypt
Mussolini had tried to conquer this area.
Italy was unsuccessful and therefore Hitler sent in troops to help. The Africa Corps led by General Rommel.
Even with the help of the Germans, they were defeated by British General Montgomery (November 1942). The battle of El Alamein
The tide turns
May 1943 German + Italians surrendered in North Africa. Allies invaded Italy Mussolini lost power.
Summer ‘43 danger of German U-boats removed, broke German code = won war @ sea
German launched offensive at Kursk ‘43 Red Army won
‘44 Russians made Germans retreat to Poland, Polish revolted German crushed them Allies arrived to France. Third Reich doomed
D-Day
Opertain Overlord led by General Eisenhower tricked Germans to think they will attack Calais
Went to Normandy, beache codenames: Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold, Sword
6th June ‘44 7,000 ships and landing craft, funnies, 156,000 soldiers, 10,000 planes.
Bocage = German coverage
Lots of air superiority, destroyed army base Falaise Germany lost
