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The Austrian Anschluss
In February 1938 Hitler threatened to invade German-speaking Austria unless Austrian Nazis were given important government posts. Austria's chancellor gave in to this demand, but then tried to put the matter of unification with Germany to a democratic vote. Fearing the outcome, Hitler sent troops into Austria in March and announced the Anschluss, of unification, of Austria and Germany. -
The Munich Conference
A the Munich Conference Britain and France agreed to Hitler's demands, a policy that came known as appeasement. In other words, they made concessions in exchange for peace. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
A month after the Munich Conference, Hitler demanded that the city of Danzig be returned to German control, which had been part of Poland since World War I. On March 31, 1939, Britain announced that if Poland went to war to defend its territory, Britain and France would come to its aid. In May 1939, Hitler ordered the German army to prepare to invade Poland and for his foreign minister to begin negotiations with the USSR. He didn't want to fight Soviets also with Britain and France -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
Germans proposed a nonaggression treaty to the Soviets, Stalin believed the best way to protect the USSR was to turn the capitalist nations against each other. If it worked Germany would go to war against Britain and France and the USSR would be safe. Leaders of France and Britain understood Hitler had made the deal to free himself of war against their countries and Poland, but they didn't know that the treaty also contained a secret deal to divide Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union. -
The Invasion of Poland
German forces bombard Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. WWII had begun. The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war–what would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy. This was characterized by extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps, followed by a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops. -
The Fall of France
Germany asserted itself as a modern conqueror of nations, successfully invading and occupying six countries in fewer than 100 days. Germany invaded Denmark, which capitulated in a mere six hours. Also, Nazi warships and troops were entering Norwegian waters, attacking ships, landing troops, and starting a conflict that would last for two months. More than 2 million German troops on land and in the air invaded France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands using blitzkrieg tactics. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
Took place in Dunkirk, France, during WWII between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of British and Allied forces in Europe.The Battle of France began in earnest.To the east, the German Army invaded the Netherlands and advanced westward. The Supreme Allied Commander French General Maurice Gamelin initiated and entered Belgium to engage the Germans in the Netherlands. -
The Battle of Britain
German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom, locked in the largest sustained bombing campaign to that date.The Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and, ultimately, its civilian population.
