WWII Western Front

Question 1

What was the Invasion of Poland and when was it?

Answer 1

The Invasion of Poland was on 1st September 1939 to 17th September 1939 and it was when Hitler invaded Poland without warning.

Question 2

How long did the Invasion of Poland last?

Answer 2

17 days.

Question 3

Why is the Invasion of Poland significant?

Answer 3

Because of the invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the Start of WW2

Question 4

What is the Phoney War?

Answer 4

The Phoney War was the period between the defeat of Poland and the Invasion of Norway.

Question 5

What is the Phoney War also called?

Answer 5

Sitzkrieg - the sitting war.

Question 6

From which year to which year was the Phoney War?

Answer 6

September 1939 to April 1940.

Question 7

What happened during the Phoney War?

Answer 7

There was no fighting between the Allies and Hitler; and during this time, countries continued to develop their military bases and new technologies.

Question 8

Why was Poland defeated so quickly?

Answer 8

Nazi - Soviet Pact - This allowed Hitler to attack from West, and Stalin to attack from East, forcing Poland to surrender.

Hitler had been secretly rearming Germany, as the Allies had forcibly reduced their military power after WW1.

Blitzkrieg - Using this military tactic, the German panzers and Luftwaffe were able to tear through the Polish army quickly and efficiently.

Terror tactics - Germans bombed Polish cities, resulting in destroyed civilian morale, confusion, and a large number of refugees that hindered the war effort.

Question 9

What was the Nazi Soviet Pact?

Answer 9

The Nazi-Soviet pact was a non-agression pact between Stalin and Hitler in 1939. They agreed not to attack each other, and secretly decided to split Poland between them.

Question 10

Describe the military disparity between Poland and Hitler during the I.O.P.

Answer 10

Germany:
-large number of mechanized troops.
-3600 armored vehicles.
-2 times the number of airplanes as Poland + more advanced.

Poland:
-a majority of the poorly-armed Polish army on HORSEBACK.
-750 armoured vehicles.
-2 times less the no. of airplanes as Germany + less advanced.

Question 11

What was the Invasion of Scandivania?

Answer 11

When Hitler invaded Norway and Denmark.

Question 12

When did Hitler invade Scandivania?

Answer 12

April - June 1940.

Question 13

Why did Hitler invade Scandivania?

Answer 13

Norwan and Sweden were essential for Germany’s supply of iron ore, which was needed for the production of weapons.

Nazis were able to use Norway’s fjords as bases for their U-boats.

Question 14

What losses did Germany sustain after Invasion of Scandivania?

Answer 14

10 destroyers were sunk.

Question 15

What happened on 10 May 1940?

Answer 15

Because of Chamberlain’s weak leadership during the Norway crisis, Winston Churchill became Britain’s new Prime Minister on May 10th, 1940.

+
Invasion of France

Question 16

What is Blitzkrieg?

Answer 16

Blitzkrieg, ‘lightening war’, was a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces like armoured tanks and air support.
It helped Germany win rapid victories.

Question 17

What were the three key things that made Blitzkrieg effective?

Answer 17

Radio communications: enabled commanders to coordinate the advance effectively and keep the enemy off-balance.

Panzer tanks: Only 10% of the German army was mechanized with panzer tanks. These were used effectively by concentrating them at the head of attack to break through enemy weak points with incredible speed.

Luftwaffe: could provide aerial artillery and pinpoint bombing attacks.

Question 18

Describe German Panzer tanks:

Answer 18

-Could travel 40kph
-over difficult terrain
-powerful cannon and machine guns.

Question 19

When was the invasion of France?

Answer 19

10th May 1940 -
22 June 1940

Question 20

Explain what happened in Invasion of France?

Answer 20

On 10th May, Hitler invaded Luxembourg, Holland and Belgium.

Germans crossed the border into France through the Ardennes forest on 12th May.

All of France’s best troops were in the Belgian Border along with the BEF (British Expeditionary Force). Thus, these troops were cut off from the rest of France by the Germans.

The Dutch surrendered on 15th, Belgium on 28th, and French Government evacuated.

The French rallied in June, but the Germans entered Paris on June 14th, and the armistice was signed on 22nd. France was forced to surrender.

Question 21

Explain the military disparity during the Invasion of France?

Answer 21

Only 10% (120,000) of the German army was motorizied in comparision to France’s 300,000.

However, because of Germany’s panzer formation in contrast to France being dispersed, Germany’s attack was more powerful.

Luftwaffe was the most experienced and well-equipped air force in the world. The combined Allied total was half of the Luftwaffe.

Good Radio communication in contrast to France’s lack of such a system, could not coordinate attacks effectively.

Question 22

What was the Maginot line?

Answer 22

A series of huge fortresses on the Franco-German border.

It had:

-an impressive fortified line of bunkers;

-machine gun nests;

-armories; hospitals; barracks; and even subways to move troops and supplies.

However, it wasn’t complete and had weak points, such as the Ardennes forest which had been considered unpassable due to the thick forested area.

Question 23

Reasons for German success in Invasion of France?

Answer 23

-Manstein’s brilliant plan to attack through the Ardennes.

-effective execution of blitzkrieg, combining air, tank and infantry attacks by motorized panzer armies.

-lack of french morale after Germans broke through —> P.M. Reynauld told Churchill “We have been defeated, we are beaten”.

-Allied Intelligence ignored by French.

Question 24

What was the evacuation of Dunkirk?

Answer 24

The evacuation of BEF and Allied troops from Dunkirk in France to Britain.

Question 25

When was the Evacuation of Dunkirk?

Answer 25

26th May to 4th June 1940.

Question 26

What were the successes of Evacuation of Dunkirk?

Answer 26

-OVER 300,000 men rescued by over 800, mostly civilian, boats.

-R.A.F. outfought Luftwaffe.

-The decision of fighting on and succeeding this act raised British Morale.

-Dunkirk Spirit- civilians, government, media came together to create an extremely effective war effort till 1945.

Question 27

What’s another word for Evacuation of Dunkirk?

Answer 27

Operation Dynamo?

Question 28

Failures of Operation Dynamo?

Answer 28

-40,000 men taken prisoner.
-25,000 men killed/wounded in France.
-64,000 vehicles, 76,000 tons of ammunition, 2500 guns left behind and recycled by Germany.

-Military failure - driven out of Europe, France abandoned, no notable achievemenents:

“WARS ARE NOT WON BY EVACUATIONS,” - Churchhill.

-Navy lost 6 destroyers, R.A.F. lost 177 aircraft.

Question 29

Causes of success in Operation Dynamo?

Answer 29

-Hitler’s Halt Order (24-26th May): Manstein called it “one of Hitler’s most critical mistakes”. Gave Allied Forces extra time to prepare necessary defence forces, to come up with a plan, and evacuate troops.

-Role of small civillian boats, yachts, etc.

Question 30

When was the Battle of Britain?

Answer 30

July 1940

Question 31

What was the Battle of Britain?

Answer 31

Germany wanted to force Britain accept a peace settlement.

Hitler knew he had to knock out the R.A.F. in order to invade Britain;

therefore, he ordered attacks on the RAF, Fighter command, and airfields + factories,

gradually switching to bombing London and other cities, known as the Blitz.

Question 32

What’s another word for Battle of Britain?

Answer 32

Operation Sea Lion.

Question 33

Why did Hitler order the Blitz/ Operation Sea Lion/ Battle of Britain?

Answer 33

He ordered this because he thought it would break the British will, and force them to accept a peace settlement. He was wrong.

Question 34

What happened during the Blitz?

Answer 34

43,000 people killed.

2 million homes destroyed.

Question 35

Why did Germany move to strategic bombing?

Answer 35

As resources reduced, Germany was forced to use strategic bombing.

Question 36

What was strategic bombing?

Answer 36

Bombing a specific area instead of bombing multiple areas.

Question 37

What happened after Germany moved to strategic bombing?

Answer 37

This shift to strategic bombing allowed the RAF to rebuild its strength, and allowed it to do great damage to the German Luftwaffe. Hitler was forced to cancel Operation Sea Lion, and Great Britain survived.

Question 38

Why was Battle of Britain considered a turning point?

Answer 38

-The first allied victory, the first time the Germans were stopped.

-German invincibility was broken; US was encouraged that GB might win.

-Britain continues fighting, becomes the launching pad for D-day landings.

-Hitler turned attention to USSR, opening a second front that failed.

Question 39

Causes of GB success in Battle of Britain.

Answer 39

Germany: lost 1660 planes, 2698 skilled airmen; produced only 313 planes.

GB: lost 1116 planes, lost 544 pilots, produced 476 planes.

-Luftwaffe had unclear objectives, poor intelligence (BAD GÖRING)

-Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding pioneered British Air Defence system using

radar (knew when attaks were coming + prepared to meet them),

ground observers,

phones and radio.

-Spitfire, Hurricane, bullet-proof windscreens.

-Germany only had one fighter and no heavy bombers. Stukas were no match to the GB Spitfire and Hurricanes.

-Germany only had 30-minutes flying time.

-Bravery of RAF -WC “Never has so much been owed by so many to so few”

Question 40

What was the Battle of the Atlantic?

Answer 40

The struggle between the Allied and German forces for control over the Atlantic ocean

Question 41

When was the Battle of the Atlantic?

Answer 41

1939-1944

Question 42

How much supplies did the British get/need?

Answer 42

GB needed 23m tons of imported supplies per year. President Roosevelt introduced the Lend-Lease scheme in November 1940, through which England was sent vast amounts of food, fuel and equipment.

Question 43

How did Germany aim to cut supply lines to Britain during the Battle of the Atlantic?

Answer 43

Germany planned to force GB out of the war by limiting their supplies, with over 400 U-boats by 1943.

Question 44

Explain the initial Germany victory during the Battle of the Atlantic?

Answer 44

The conquest of Norway, France, etc gave Germany secure navel bases for their U-boats.

U-boats moved in wolfpacks, a coordinated attack by multiple U-boats.

They were were hard to detect.

They focused on mid-ocean zone, which was out of the Allied air forces range.

Uboats were responsible for 70% of Allies shipping loss.

In January 1942, the British Navy only had 2 months of oil left.

Germany had hacked british codes, so they knew where convoys would be.

Question 45

Explain Allied Comeback during the Battle of the Atlantic.

Answer 45

Bletchley Park cracked Germany’s enigma code in December 1942, giving Allies the upper hand.

British Intelligence allowed convoys to avoid wolfpacks and find them to attack.

47 U-boats were sunk in May 1943.

Allied tactics improved: radio allowed warships to coordinate to sink U-boats.

GB imports rose to 24.5m tons in 1943.

Question 46

What was the Desert War?

Answer 46

Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, Mussolini (Italy’s Fascist dictator) declared war on Britain and ordered his troops to attack British possessions in Africa.

In September 1940, Italy invaded Egypt (british colony) from Libya (Italian colony).

The British threw Italy out and invaded their own colony.

Hitler was alarmed by this, and sent his Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, to help Italy.

1941-1942 (a series of battles between Allies and Axis)

August 1942, British retreated to Cairo, near El Alamein, and Lieutenant-General Montgomery was given command.

October 1942, Rommel attacked the British, was defeated by Montgomery’s forces at the massive Battle of El Alamein.

US and British Forces also landed in Algeria and Morocco in November. Rommel’s depleted army FACED A WAR ON TWO FRONTS.

In May 1943, Axis forces surrendered, leaving 238,000 prisoners.

Question 47

When was the Dessert War

Answer 47

1940-1943.

Question 48

Why was the North African Campaign important?

Answer 48

A large garrison of British and Commonwealth troops were based in Egypt. Their role was to:

-defend Suez Canal, a vital lifeline for Britain’s colonial empire.

-protect British oil supplies from Middle East.

-Help protect Russian Southern Flank.

This was the first major allied Victory after constant defeats.

This allowed Britain to invade Sicily and permitted the eventual surrender of Italy.

Question 49

What was the main role of the troops based in North America?

Answer 49

There was a large garison of British and Commonwealth troops based in Egypt. Their main purpose was to:

-defend Suez Canal, a vital lifeline for British colonial empire.

-protect oil supplies from Middle East.

-protect the Russian Southern Flank.

Question 50

What was D-Day?

Answer 50

D-Day or Battle of Normandy (Operation Overlord) took place on 6th June 1944.

This invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning.

It was demanded by Stalin and Churchill originally opposed the idea, because failure would have been humiliation for the Allies and disastrous for morale.

On the 6th of June, 1944, under the supreme