Chapter 6

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. May 1940 British and French were surrounded → 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 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 The 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. April 1945 Allies entered Berlin and Hitler committed suicide. 8 May 1945 Germany surrendered

Strengths of the Allies ● USA (Economic & military strength) ● Military resources in terms of manpower (soldiers), war machinery (weapons, ammunition, ships, aircrafts), and other resources (food, raw materials) were unmatched ● After Pearl Harbour bombing, war production increased to an even more staggering volume → US rebuilt its fleet and trained troops and produced weapons and other essential equipment quickly. Speed of US industrial production → 1943: three cargo ships were completed daily “Arsenal of Democracy” → cos’ by 1944 – US was producing about half of the weapons made globally and twice of G-J combined The war production of the Axis powers never exceeded the Allies, mostly due to the US’ staggering output. Morale and Motivation of the People → the US turned the attack on Pearl Harbour to its advantage. Its people, factories, shipyards, farms and even Hollywood and the movie industry willingly participated in the war-effort. Britain (Control of the Atlantic Ocean, 1939-45) British intelligence ● Able to allow Britain to survive and hold out before US entry ● Could turn the tides of war on various occasions E.g. – Battle of the Atlantic: Control of shipping routes across