Ch 6 notes

War in Europe. September 1939 : Germany invaded Poland, and Poland was divided between Germany and the USSR by the end of the month. May and June 1940 : Germany began the Blitzkrieg, conquering Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Blitzreig:- Involved making swift and focused attacks using mobile forces to overwhelm the enemy. Benefits: Speed; Surprise; Superior firepower – coordinated air and land attacks; Main reason for strategy: Lacked important resources such as copper, rubber and oil to support long drawn-out campaigns and it also avoided military stalemate. How it worked: 1. Fast moving vehicles were used to take enemy forces by surprise and create openings for infantry troops to move in. 2. Junkers 52 transport planes were used to carry paratroopers which would land behind enemy lines to capture key bridges, airports and other vital infrastructure ahead of their main forces. 3. Germans used modern attack aircraft to break up enemy forces and defences and damaged much infrastructure 4. Modern, powerful field radios were used to coordinate air and land forces, enabling German troops to work together effectively. By late May 1940, the British and French were surrounded and faced a total defeat. They retreated to Dunkirk and at that point, they were vulnerable and could have been defeated. However, Hitler's generals felt that they needed to slow down and consolidate the German forces so that they would not be vulnerable to attack. July 1940 - May 1941 : Germany began intensive bombing/ the Blitz, in the battle of Britain June 1941 : Operation Barbarossa Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression pact and attacked the USSR. --> Hitler wanted to destroy communism and expand German territory into Eastern Europe and the USSR. -->Hitler could also access the USSR's vast resources. August 1942 - February 1943 : USSR counterattacked German forces at Stalingrad. The Siege of Stalingrad was where German forces were defeated by the USSR --> a turning point in WW2 & a huge victory for USSR. July-August 1943 : Germany launched an attack on the city of Kursk. Soviet forces were able to halt and counter German attacks. June 1944 : Allies launched Operation D-Day. Allied troops landed in Normandy and began a slow advance across France and towards Germany. German forces tried to launch a counterattack in 1944 through the Ardennes Forest but were steadily driven back. German troops were forced to retreat and Soviet troops encircled Berlin by Jan 1945. April 1