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Description
Flashcards by Natalia Cliff, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Natalia Cliff
almost 7 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Start of WW2 | -1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland -Britain and France realised that appeasement wasn't working so they declared war -The BEF (British Expeditionary Force was sent to France -9th April attacked Norway and Denmark, both neutral, ithout declaring war -German attack on 10th May surprised them by speed and direction |
| Winston Churchill | -An MP who constantly criticised appeasement before the war -When war broke out was placed in charge of the navy -10th May once Germans attacked became PM -Had an impressive ability to inspire people to keep going even when it got hard |
| Blitzkrieg | -German planes bombed an area to be occupied -German tanks moved in and took over the area -Troops moved in and occupied the area, covered by artillery fire -Planes and Tanks moved on to next target whilst troops rounded up any opposition Dangerous to advance without securing territory behind them, but meant that allied troops had no time to prepare. Desperately tried to hold back Germans with no plan whilst Germans had a very clear one. BEF had to be retreat and be evacuated from Dunkirk |
| Dunkirk | Operation Dynamo -21st May BEF reached Dunkirk, the only French port not occupied by Germans -Navy made plans to evacuate as many men as possible -Started 26th May asked small boats to ferry soldiers across -by 29th May 300 boats were doing so -Large boats ferried people until 4th June -Estimated that they would save 20 000 - 30 000 men -Final total was 338 000, majority of BEF and many allied troops as well |
| Dunkirk: Importance | -Many people saw it as a victory despite Churchill pointing out that wars are not won by evacuations -Saved many soldiers who could fight again -Improved morale which was important as Churchill feared France would fall leaving UK alone -Churchill did a good job of using it to improve morale |
| Battle of Britain | Operation Sealion -22nd June 1940 France surrendered -Luftwaffe wanted to defeat RAF so invading troops wouldn't get bombed -RAF wanted air supremacy so Britain couldn't be bombed into submission -10th July - 7th August Luftwaffe attacks British coasts, primarily radar stations -8th August - 6th September Luftwaffe attacked RAF airfields -7th September Blitz began, so Battle of Britain ended -15th August Luftwaffe flew over 2000 raids, heaviest day of fighting, Luftwaffe lost 75 planes, RAF 34 |
| Battle of Britain: RAF strengths | -July 1940 RAF had 640 fighter planes, Luftwaffe had 2600 bombers and fighter planes within striking distance -RAF had Radar, invented in 1935 and installed along the coast at the start of the war -Allowed them to warn the RAF when, from where and how many luftwaffe were approaching so theyw eren't bombed on the ground -RAF spitfires and hurricanes had by far the most efficient design -British factories started making airplanes around the clock focused only on fighters, not bombers -British pilots that bailed could fly again -Competent leader, Sir Hugh Dowding -Bullet proof screens -Effective command and communication system - - |
| Battle of Britain: Luftwaffe Weaknesses | -Goering wasn't good at tactics and didn't understand modern air warfare -Kept changing targets which confused pilots -Aircrafts were primarily designed to support the army, rather than fighting planes -Poor intelligence -Only enough fuel for 30 min flying time |
| D-Day: Preparation | Operation Overlord -Aim was to invade Europe quickly as US didn't want to fight on 2 fronts -Germany had had years to fortify french beaches -Previous raid on Dieppe highlighted the need for air and sea support -Realised they had to land as many troops as possible and follow up the landings with more troops and supplies quickly -Scientists invented floating harbours called mullberies that could be towed -Pluto pipeline could carry a million gallons of fuel across the channel each day -By June were ready with 4000 landing crafts, 250 warships and 11000 planes to support the invasion -Just needed good weather for the go ahead |
| D-Day | -Invasion set for 5/6 June 1944 -Various Allied and French Resistance activity suggested the invasion would be at Calais -Minesweepers cleared mines from the channel -Early morning troops landed and planes bombed 80 km French coast -Troops managed to secure positions and move inland, even at Omaha beach where the heaviest losses were suffered -German troops, under pressure from multiple places and and taken in by the deceptions retreated -Allied planes bombed German military defences so they were less successful against the troops -5 beaches were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword -Omaha 34 000 landed, 2 400 casualties -Utah 23 000 landed, 197 casualties |
| Why was D-Day a Success? | -Careful planning and preparation -Impossible to stop Germans see amassing armies, but they were confused about where troops would land -Attacks on radar stations all along the channel as high as normandy -Coded radio messages leaked suggesting Calais would be the target -Variety of complicated plans including dropping dummies and inflatable tanks -Pluto pipeline and rapid ferrying of men was also important -Some troops parachuted inland and helped resistance forces to blow up bridges and interfere with communication -German army was also under pressure in the east and the mediterranean |
| Battle of Arnhem | Allied forces still made mistakes... -September 1944 Battle of Arnhem failed to liberate the Netherlands -Plans were hurried and underestimated the German forces -Only 2 800 of the 10 000 troops sent returned |
| Battle of the Bulge | -December 1944 Germans launched a surprise attack through the Ardennes forest in Belgium -They lost with heavy losses, over 100 000 casualties compared to allies 81 000 |
| Defeat of Germany | Allies put pressure on Germany by -Bombing industrial sites, military bases and German cities -Used radar to find and bomb German submarines -Helping resistance groups to fight Germans and sabotage road and rail links -Many Germans thought they were going to lose so some planned but failed to assassinate Hitler -Hitler killed any threats most of whom were experienced soldiers, hence weakening his control -April 1945 clear that Germany, short of men, arms and supplies and attacked from two fronts faced defeat -Soviet troops neared Berlin and Hitler committed suicide |
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