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The Austrian Anschluss
Hitler threatened to invade German-speaking Austria unless Austrian Nazis were given important government posts. Austria's chancellor gave in to the demand, but then tried to put the matter of unification with Germany to a democratic vote. Hitler feared the outcome, so he sent troops into Austria and announced the unification of Austria and Germany, known as the Anschluss. -
The Munich Crisis
Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany met in Munich to decide Czechslovakia's fate. At the Munich Conference, Britain and France agreed to Hitler's demands, known as appeasement. The made concessions in exchange for peace. Appeasement failed to preserve the fragile peace. In March 1939, Germany sent troops into Czechslovakia and divided the country. Slovakia became an independent name, but under German control. The Czech lands became a German protectorate. -
Hitler Demands Danzig
A month after the Munich Conference, Hitler demanded the city of Danzig be returned to German control. Danzig was more than 90% of German control, it had been a part of Poland since WWI. Hitler also announced that if Poland went to war to defend it's territory, Britain and France would come to its aid, this declaration encouraged Poland to refuse Hitler's demands. In May of 1939, Hitler ordered the German army to prepare to invade Poland. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. -
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
When German officials proposed a nonaggression treaty to the Soviets, Stalin agreed. If treaty worked, Germany would go to war against Britain and France and the USSR would be safe. The pact was signed on August 23, 1939, which became a shocker because Communism and Nazism were supposed to be opposed by each other. Leaders in Britain and France understood that Hitler made the deal to free himself for war against their countries and contained a deal to divide Poland for Germany and Soviet Union. -
The Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Poland barely resisted Germany's onslaught, but their army was outdated. The Polish army rode horses and carried lances against German tanks. The Germans used a new type of warfare called blitzkrieg, aka lightning war. It used large numbers of massed tanks to break through and rapidly encircle enemy positions. Waves of aircraft bombed enemy positions to support tanks. By October 5, 1939, Germany defeated Poland. -
The Fall of France
After WWI, the French built a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications called the Maginot Line along the German border. The French preferred to wait behind the Maginot Line for the Germans to approach. This was a bad idea because it allowed Germany to concentrate on Poland first before facing Britain and France. Hitler went around the line because Belgium wasn't protected. The Germans went through Belgium to get to France. Britain and French armies went to Belgium, but got stuck there. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
The Germans have captured all ports, but Dunkirk in northern France near the Belgian border. As German forces closed in on Dunkirk, Hitler ordered them to stop. Hitler was nervous about risking his tank forces, he wanted to wait until more infantry arrived. 850 ships headed to Dunkirk from England, they hoped to save 45,000 troops, they saved 338,000 troops which was a miracle. On June 22, 1940, France surrendered. -
The Battle of Britain
Hitler realized Britain would not surrender, so he ordered his commanders to prepare to invade. In June 1940, the German air force called the Luftwaffe attacked the British shipping in the English Channel. In mid August, the Luftwaffe launched an air battle to destroy the Royal Air Force, which lasted into the fall of 1940. On August 23, German borders accidentally bombed London which enraged the British, they bombed Berlin. On October 12, 1940, Hitler canceled the invasion of Britain.
