Outbreak of WW2

describe the invasion of denmark and norway

-Denmark lasted 5 hours -Norway was invaded by surprise -Norway and Denmarks resistance was very weak

Summarize the advance of the Germans into France

-Enter through Ardennes -Reach Meuse river on May 12th, Luftwaffe heavily bombs near Meuse -Panzers break through, french flee

what were the results of the invasion of France?

-France was divided into zones of occupation -All french army was captured

Describe the Battle of Britain

-German planes attacked British airfields and factories -Hitler tried to break morale by bombing cities -British won air war

describe the sequence of events when Poland was invaded and include dates

-Germans stage a polish attack -September 1st 1939 Germany invaded Poland - September 3rd UK and France declares war on Germany

German Planes

- ME-109 -Stuka

what happened in the battle of crete?

-1st airborne invasion -British advance with deciphering Nazi intelligence

what was the winter war?

1) The USSR invaded Finland on Nov. 30, 1939, having demanded and been refused disputed territory, beginning what was called the "Winter War." 2) The Finnish military fought bravely, and made the eventual Soviet victory in March, 1940, far more costly than Stalin would have expected. 3) This hurt the Finnish economy and population, which was small to begin with, but also gave Hitler the idea that the Soviet military was weak. 4) The British had laid mines along the Norwegian coast, hoping to cut off the half of Germany's iron supply that came from Sweden. 5) In 1940, therefore, Hitler continued his conquests in Europe by invading Denmark and Norway, which fell in only 2 weeks. 6) In Norway, the Nazis established a puppet government led by a man named Vidkun Quisling, the head of the Norwegian Nazi party, whose name has become synonymous with "traitor."

What was the result of Denmark and Norways invasion?

Germany lost 40% of its Navy

Who commands the Luftwaffe?

Herman Göering

what was operation sea lion?

Hitler's plan to invade Britain

What did Western nations do?

nothing

Why did France fall so quickly?

relied heavily on Maginot Line but it was avoided by Germans. they instead came through the Ardennes Forest which France had not prepared for.

what does Hitler learn about the Red Army?

they are weak and won't be much help in ww2

English Planes

-Hawker Hurricane -Super Marine Spitfire

Summarize the invasion of the Netherlands

-Luftwaffe took air superiority -Dutch had no aircraft and no Allied air craft -1/2 Dutch aircraft destroyed -French army unable to stop Wehrmacht -Surrendered May 15

why were the allies concerned with Norway?

considered landing troops to assist Finland

what was the reaction of the US to Japan?

embargo on iron steel, and mechanical parts of Japan

which countries are the low countries?

Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg

what are the results of the winter war?

Finland lost a lot of territory

What was the Maginot Line?

French defensive fortresses designed to halt German aggression

what difficulties did Hitler have during operation sea lion?

-not used to the wind conditions -Luftwaffe was not able to defeat RAF

Describe the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

An agreement between Russia and Germany, the pact guaranteed a german war in the west, but Hitler was free of a war on 2 fronts

what area did Japan attack?

Indochina

What date did France surrender to Germany

June 22, 1940

What was the name of the German air force?

Luftwaffe

what date did the invasion of Belgium and the Netherlands begin?

May 10th 1940

Why was Norway important to Hitler?

Norway was important because it provided naval bases to strike at British shipping and it had heavy water necessary for atomic fission to produce nuclear bombs.

What are German tanks called?

Panzers

describe why the soviet union didn't form an alliance with Great Britain and France at the beginning of WW2

Stalin was paranoid that they were abandoning the East

what was the role of the soviet union in the invasion of Poland

They invaded from the east so Poland was surrounded

which Balkan countries did Germany capture?

Yogoslavia, and Greece

What is blitzkrieg?

a battle strategy that means "lightning war"

why did the Soviet Union invade Finland?

allows Soviet bases, and it would move its boarder out of artillery range of Leningrad