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Hitler meets with military advisors
Hitler met with his top military advisors. He declared that to grow and prosper Germany needed the land of its neighbors. Hitler said that "The German Question" can be solved by means of force, and that is never without risk." -
German Troops march into Austria
German troops marched into Austria unopposed. A day later, Germany announced that its union with Austria was complete. The United States and the rest of the world did nothing. -
Sudetenland
Hitler turned to Czechoslovakia after Austria. About 3 million German-speaking Czechoslovakians lived in the western borders of Czechoslovakia called Sudetenland. Hitler invited the prime minister of Great Britain to meet with him in Munich. They came to an agreement called The Munich Agreement. This turned Sudetenland over to Germany without a single shot being fired. -
Germany Begins to Strike
German troops poured into what remained of Czechoslovakia. At nightfall, Hitler said "Czechoslovakia ceases to exist." Hitler then turned his attention to Poland. -
Russia and Germany come to an agreement
Stalin signed a pact with Hitler callled the nonaggression pact. Fascist Germany and communist Russia agreed to never attack each other. Germany and Russia signed a secret pact. This pact divided Poland up between them. -
The German Airforce Attacks
The German airforce started to rain bombs on military bases, airfields, railroads and cities. At the same time, German tanks raced over Polish countryside. This was the first step in Germany's lightning war. -
War is Declared
Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany. At the end of the fighting, Poland ceased to exist and World War 2 began. -
The phony war
Hitler launched a surprise attack on Denmark and Norway. He said he wanted to protect their freedom. Hitler really planned to build bases along the coasts to strike Great Britain. -
France Falls
Hitler handed French officers his terms of surrender. Germans would occupy the northern part of France. He would also set up a Nazi puppet government. After France fell, a French general fled to set up a government-in-exile. -
Germans get shot down
The RAF shot down over 185 German planes. The RAF only lost 26 airplanes. Hitler called off the invasion of Great Britain six weeks later. German bombers continued to pound Britain's cities to disrupt them. Britain pilots also bombed German cities. Citizens continued to carry on with their lives.
