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Austria and Czechoslovakia
Hitler secretly met with his top military advisers, he declared that to grow and prosper Germany, Germany needed the land of its neighbors. Hitlers plan was to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich -
Union with Austria
German troops marched into Austria unopposed, Germany later announced that its "union" with Austria was complete, the US and the rest of the world did nothing -
Bargaining for the Sudetenland
Daladier and Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement, which turned the Sudetenland over to Germany, Hitler wanted to annex Sudetenland, he said it would be his last demand and to avoid war. Daladier and Chamberlian believed him and gave up principles to pacify an aggressor -
The German Offensive Begins
German troops poured into what remained of Czechoslovakia. The German dictator his land-hungry gaze towards Poland. -
The soviet union declares neutrality
Stalin signed a nonaggression pact with Hitler. Germany and Communist Russia, committed to never attack each other. They also signed a second secret pact, agreeing to divide Poland between them. -
Blitzkrieg in Poland
The German air force roared over Poland, raining bombs on military bases, air fields, and cities. This invasion was the first test of Germany's new military strategy, Lighting War. -
War is declared
Poland, Britain, and France declared war on Germany. -
The phony war
Suddenly Hitler launched a surprise invasion on Denmark and Norway, in order to "protect [those countries] freedom and independence." Next Hitler turned against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. -
France and Britain France On
Italy entered the war on the side of Germany. Germans would occupy the Northern part of France and a Nazi controlled puppet government headed by Marshal Phillippe Petain -
Summer 1940
Germans began to assemble an invasion fleet among the French coast. The goal was to gain control of the skies by destroying Britain's royal air force. Hitler had 2,600 -
RAF Shot Down
British pilots plotted the flight paths of the German planes. On September 15, the RAF shot down over 185 German planes. Six weeks later, Hitler called off the invasion of Britain. German bombers continued to strike Britain's cities.
