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How world war 2 began
1 Defeating France
1.1 Operation Dynamo
1.1.1 Evacuates 300,000 BEF soldiers from Dunkirk
1.2 France signs surrender on 22nd June 1940
1.2.1 Same railway carriage that the Germans signed their surrender at the end of WW1
1.2.1.1 Vichy France is formed
2 Invasion of Britain
2.1 Battle of Britain
2.1.1 Defence of Britain from the Nazi attack
2.1.1.1 RAF fought the Luftwaffe
2.1.1.1.1 June 1940- October 1940
2.1.1.2 Radar stationed along coast to track and attack German planes
2.1.1.2.1 British planes were spitfires and hurricanes
2.1.1.2.1.1 America gave Britain equipment & ammunition
2.1.1.2.1.1.1 Known as lend-lease
2.2 Blitz
2.2.1 Sep 1940- May 1941
2.2.1.1 London bombed 57 nights in a row
2.2.1.1.1 Nazi planes bombed big cities in England
2.2.1.1.1.1 Air raid sirens warned city dwellers of attack
2.2.1.1.1.1.1 50,000 bombs dropped & incendiary bombs were dropped
2.2.1.1.1.1.1.1 Strict blackouts at night
2.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Gas masks were given to all civilians
2.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Air raid shelters
2.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Anderson huts (made from galvanise & built at the back of a garden
2.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Morrison/ table shelters were used in city areas
2.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Tube stations also used
3 Invasion of Russia
3.1 Battle of Stalingrad
3.1.1 Turning point in the war for Europe
3.1.2 Fought in the winter of 1942-1943
3.1.2.1 Temperatures dropped well below 0
3.1.2.1.1 Food, ammunition and heat were in low supply
3.1.2.1.1.1 Commander Von Paulus was ordered by Hitler to fight to the last bullet
3.1.2.1.1.1.1 He did this because Hitler promoted him to Field Marshal
3.2 Operation Barbarossa
3.2.1 Hitler launches attack on the Soviet Union on the 22nd June 1941
3.2.1.1 3,000,000 German soldiers
3.2.1.2 150 Divisions
3.2.1.3 3,000 tanks
3.2.1.4 Front covered a distance of 2,000 miles
3.2.1.4.1 Main targets
3.2.1.4.1.1 Leningrad
3.2.1.4.1.2 Moscow
3.2.1.4.1.3 Kiev
4 D-Day
4.1 Or Operation Overlord
4.2 Began on 6th June 1944
4.2.1 Normandy beaches were chosen due to location, shallow water & wide beaches
4.2.1.1 Germans taken by surprise when attack began
4.2.1.1.1 Expected attack to occur at Calais closer to Britain
4.2.1.1.1.1 American General Eisenhower led the allied attack
4.2.1.1.1.1.1 Allied forces (130,00) bombed the Atlantic wall that Hitler built
4.2.1.1.1.1.1.1 Paratroopers dropped behind the German Lines
4.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Artificial harbors 'Mulberrypiers' brought in tanks & other equipment
4.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Built a pipeline under ocean, code-named Pluto to supply oil to the allied army
4.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Operation was a success & troops advanced to Paris and liberated France
4.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Battle of the Bulge was only setback the allies suffered
4.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Liberated Europe and WW2 ended on 8th May 1945
4.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 August 1945 2 atomic bombs were dropped in Nagasazki & Hiroshima
4.2.1.2 5 beaches chosen code-named
4.2.1.2.1 Utah
4.2.1.2.2 Gold
4.2.1.2.3 Juno
4.2.1.2.4 Sword
4.2.1.2.5 Omaha
5 invasion of Poland
5.1 Phony
War
5.1.1 3 Sep 1939 to May 1940 nobody fought
5.1.1.1 After the blitzkreig attack on Poland
5.1.1.2 Because of winter
5.2 Hitler takes over Norway
5.2.1 Norway's Extensive Coastline would been important in the battle control the North Sea
5.2.1.1 Easing the passage of German warships & submarines into the Atlantic
5.2.2 Aids Hitler's ability to import iron ore from Sweden
5.2.3 May 1940
5.2.3.1 End of Phony War
5.3 1st Sep 1939
5.3.1 Hitler unleashes a new warfare called Blitzkreig
5.3.1.1 Also known as Lightening Warfare
5.3.1.2 Area is bombed first by Luftwaffe.
5.3.1.2.1 Tanks move in & clear out any resistance
5.3.1.2.1.1 Then infantry move in
5.3.1.2.1.1.1 Speed of German invasion with the Soviet advance from the east threw polish into panic
5.3.1.2.1.1.1.1 Polish surrendered after 2 weeks
5.3.1.2.1.1.1.2 Country is divided between the Germans & the Soviet Union