World War II Begins
Hitler Invades Poland
1. September 1, 1939 Hitler orders a
Blitzkrieg on Poland
a. Luftwaffe (Nazi Airforce) begins a
“lightning attack.”
b. Wehrmacht (Nazi Army) follows
2. Within 48 hours the intended
target is to be destroyed
3. Britain and France finally
stand up to Hitler and warn
him to stop the attack by 11:00
am, September 3, 1939
a. Hitler ignores the threat
5. By the end of September, Poland is
destroyed
6. Poland is divided between Hitler and
Stalin
7. The Baltic states fall under Stalin’s
influence
The Phony War
1. This period is known as such because no
fighting really took place outside of
Poland from September 3, 1939 until the
spring of 1940
2. Fighting did take place in Northern
Europe
3. Stalin invades Finland in November 1939
and defeats the Fins in March 1940
Germany on the Offensive
1. April 9, 1940, Hitler attacks
Denmark and Norway
a. Denmark falls in 24 hours
b. Norway falls in 48 hours
German Troops Blitz the West
1. In May 1940, Winston
Churchill replaces
Neville Chamberlain
as British Prime
Minister
3. The French are confident in the Maginot Line
4. France moves 2 million soldiers along the border waiting for Hitler
5. Like in WWI, the Nazis attack in a sweeping motion from the north
6. Luxembourg falls within hours
The Miracle at Dunkirk1. Hitler’s attack on France split the allied army
in two
2. A large number of British soldiers were
trapped at Dunkirk
3. Nazis were closing in on the British when
Hitler orders them to retreat
4. This allows 198,000 British and 140,000
French/Belgium troops to be rescued
from Dunkirk
5. Allies suffers loses
a. 6 destroyers are sunk
b. 19 destroyers are damaged