German Expansion in World War II

The First Meeting

Nov 5, 1937

Hitler met secretly with his best military advisers and boldly declared that to grow and prosper, Germany needed the land of it's neighboring countries. His plan was to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich.

"Anschluss" With Austria

Mar 12, 1938

Anschluss means union in German, which is exactly what Germany did with Austria. It was peaceful, due to Austria's overwhelming support of unification.

Bargaining For The Sudetenland

Mar 16, 1938

Hitler turned to Czechoslovakia. Hitler used propaganda to bring up charges on it, claiming that they were killing Sudeten Germans. He then avoided conflict with other countries saying it was his last territorial demand.

The Munich Agreement

Nov 30, 1938

Daladier and Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement with Hitler, which turned the Sudetenland over to Germany without a single shot being fired.

Chamberlain Returns Home

Dec 10, 1938

British prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returns home from the Munich Agreement, and says, "My friends, there has come back from Germany peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time.

Winston Churchill on Appeasment

Dec 15, 1938

Winston Churchill, Chamberlain's political rival, said that by signing the Munich agreement, "Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor. They will have war."

The German Offensive

Mar 15, 1939

Churchill's warning came to fruition. Hitler was not done expanding his territory. German troops poured into the remaining parts of Czechoslovakia. At nightfall Hitler gloated that, "Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist."

Hitler's Gaze on Poland

Apr 12, 1939

Poland had a sizable German-speaking population and used this to claim that the Poles were mistreating the Germans. However, an attack on Poland would start a war with Russia, and Germany could not afford to fight on multiple fronts.

The Neutrality of the Soviet Union

Aug 23, 1939

As tensions built with Poland, Stalin surprised everyone by signing a non-aggression pact with Hitler. Communist Russia and Fascist Germany vowed never to attack each other, and also signed another secret pact to split Poland between the to countries.

The First Blitzkrieg

Sep 1, 1939

The German air force soared over Poland, raining bombs and spreading terror, whilst Germany's new tanks rampaged through the country. This was Germany's new military tactic, the Blitzkrieg or Lightning War. Using superior technology and swift rushes to crush the opposition.