-
Period: to
Nazis take the Sudetenland Part 2
Doing this would get rid of both the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. This would make reaching an agreement more possible and undermine the solidarity that was developing against Germany. The Munich Agreement was signed by Edouard Daladier, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Neville Chamberlain on the 29 of September, 1938. This gave the Sudetenland to Germany. Czechoslovakia’s head of state protested the decision. On October 1, 1938 the German Army marched into the Sudetenland. Containing near -
Period: to
Nazis take the Sudetenland Part 3
nearly all of Czechoslovakia’s mountain fortifications, they were not able to defend themselves against further aggression any longer. I chose this picture because it shows the Germans taking over. -
Period: to
Nazis take the Sudentenland
Most of the Sudeten Germans were okay remaining in Czechoslovakia until Adolf Hitler came into power. A Sudeten-German Party started to complain and said that the Czech-dominated government was discriminating against them. Germans began to say that they might be better off under the rule of Hitler.
• Hitler knew that France and Britain were unwilling to go to war. A man by the name of Benito Mussolini told Hitler that he could hold a four-power conference of Britain, Italy, Germany, and France -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact Part 2
one side, and the USSR on the other. The Soviet failed to organize an anti-Nazi diplomatic coalition. I chose this picture because it shows them signing the pact. -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
One of the most important diplomatic acts in Soviet history was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact was signed on August 23, 1939 in Moscow by the foreign ministers of the Nazi Germany and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Right after the agreement of 19 August, which granted the USSR 180 million marks for the purchase of German goods, the pact was signed. Unsuccessful negations were made in the following months between Great Britain and France on one side -
Germny's Invasion of Poland Part 2
had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. The Soviet Union then invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939. The remaining German-occupied Poland cities were organized as the general government under a civilian governor general, Hans Frank, the Nazi party lawyer. I chose this picture because it shows Germany invading Poland on September 1, 1939. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Within weeks of the invasion the Polish army was defeated. From Silesia and Slovakia in the south, and East Prussia and Germany in the north, German units with over 1,000 planes and more than 2,000 tanks, they broke through the Polish defenses along the border. They then advanced on Warsaw, where after heavy bombing and shelling, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. France and Britain stood by their promise of Poland’s boarder, -
Period: to
German Blitzkrieg
It was first used by the Germans in World War ll. It was a tactic based on surprise and speed, and needed a military force to be around light tank units supported by foot soldiers and planes. It was designed to hit very hard and move on instantly. It was built to create panic among the civilian population, which would be absolute havoc for a defending army that is trying to get its forces to the war front. This tactic was developed in Germany by Hans Guderian, an army officer. He wrote the “A -
Period: to
German Blitzkrieg Part 2
Achtung Panzer”, a military pamphlet, which got into the hands of Hitler. It was used in the first years of World War ll as a devastating effect and, resulted in the French and British army’s being pushed back to the beaches of Dunkirk and the Russian army being devastated in the attack on Russia in June of 1941. I choose this picture because it shows the Germans using the Blitzkrieg. They might have just attacked and are now quickly moving out. -
Period: to
Battle of Britain
The battle of Britain was an attempt of the German air force to gain air dominance over the RAF from July to September of 1940. The battle began in the middle of July, where the Luftwaffe focused on attacking coastal defenses and towns and shipping in the English Channel. Then from August 12, Goering moved his focus onto the destruction of the RAF by attacking their radar bases and airfields. He also tried to force air fights between fighter planes to ultimately break the British strength. O -
Period: to
Battle of Britain Part 2
On the other hand, Goering became irritated by the large number of British planes that were still battling off of his attacks. On September 4, under Hitler’s orders, the Luftwaffe went on to destroy London and other major cities. Eleven days later the RAF attacked the large incoming Luftwaffe formations in the skies of the south coast and London. I chose this picture because it shows Germany planes that are on their way to bomb the British towns and cities. -
Nazi Invasion of the Soviet Union Part 2
the Code named Operation “Barbarossa”, as the first operational order to invade the Soviet Union. Less than two years after the German-Soviet Pact was signed, German forces invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. They had 134 divisions at their full fighting strength and 73 more divisions ready to attack behind the front. In the invasion most of the Soviet’s air force was destroyed on the ground, as the Soviet troops were overwhelmed. The German units surrounded millions of the Soviet soldier -
Nazi Invasion of the Soviet Union Part 3
Soviet soldiers. They had few options other than to surrender, since they were cut off from reinforcements and supplies. I chose this picture because it shows the German infantry during the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. -
Nazi Invasion of the Soviet Union
The Germans invaded the Soviet Union on the 22 of June, 1941. This was under the codename “Barbarossa”, and was the largest German military operation in World War ll. Since the 1920s, parts of the core policy of the Nazi movement was to destroy the Soviet Union by military force, seize the prime land within Soviet borders for long term German settlement, and permanently eliminate the observed Communist threat to Germany. On the 18 of December in 1940, Hitler signed the Directive 21, which was -
Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked Pearl Harbor, which was the American naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack lasted only two hours, but was extremely devastating. The Japanese destroyed almost 200 airplanes, and nearly twenty American naval vessels, including eight gigantic battleships. More than 1,000 American sailors and soldiers were wounded in the attack, and another more than 2,000 killed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress -
Pearl Harbor Part 2
to declare war on Japan the day after they had attacked. Congress approved his declaration. Germany and Italy, allies of Japan, declared war on the United States three days later. After more than two years into the conflict, America joined World War ll. I chose this picture because it shows Japan attacking the USS California in Pearl Harbor. The ship caught on fire in this surprise attack by the Japanese. -
Wannsee Conference Part 2
concentration camps. They thought that they were all too time consuming though. Nevertheless their goal was clear; anyone who survived the horrible conditions of the work camps would be “treated accordingly”. I chose this picture because this is where the conference took place. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference took place on January 20, 1942 at Wannsee, which is a suburb in Berlin. This was the day that Nazi officials meet and discussed their “Final Solution”. Adolf Eichmann met with Heydrich and fifteen other officials from different Nazi organizations and ministries in Wannsee. Their goal was to come up with a plan that would condense a “final solution to the Jewish question”. Many ideas were discussed. Mass sterilization, deportation, or maybe even just shipping all Jews to -
Period: to
Battle of Stalingrad
From July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad took place. This was the successful defense of the Soviets in the city of Stalingrad in the U.S.S.R. during World War ll. It stopped the Germans from advancing into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the war in favor of the Allies. The battle was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined civilian and military deaths of nearly 2 million. I chose this picture because it shows how deadly this battle really was. -
Allied Invasion of Africa
• Also known as Operation Torch, The British, with Americans on board, invaded Europe. They had about 102 vessels, and between 23,000 and 39,000 troops. Even though some US Generals wanted to invade Europe all out, President Roosevelt trusted Prime Minister Winston Churchill, his British partner, to establish a second front across Northern Africa. If they were successful, they would block off vital shipping lanes in the Mediterranean, contain German expansion to Europe, and provide the allies wi -
Allied Invasion of Africa Part 3
surrendered to the Allied forces when they heard this. I chose this picture because it is the front of a newspaper that talks about the surrender of the Vichy French forces. -
Allied Invasion of Africa Part 2
with a jumping off point into Italy. The invasion took place on November 8, 1942. Groups of Vichy French soldiers battled it out, despite the thinking that the French would greet them as liberators. The invasion marked the beginning of American General George S. Patton into the war. As the news began to spread, both General Rommel and Hitler sent in more troops. Hitler also ordered that his troops take the south of France into his hands. Almost all of Vichy French forces in North Africa surrende -
Operation Gomorrah
On July 24, 1943, British bombers attacked Hamburg, Germany by night known as Operation Gomorrah, as Americans bombed it by day during “Blitz Week”. Britain had grieved the deaths of 167 civilians as a result of Germany bombing them. Now it was time for pay back. British aircrafts dropped 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs on Hamburg on the night of July 24. More than 1,500 German civilians were killed in this attack. I chose this picture because it shows Britain bombing Hamburg, Germany at night. -
Period: to
D-Day
The Battle of Normandy lasted from June 1944 to August 1944. It resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from the control of Germany. The fight started on June 6, 1944 when 156,000 Canadian, American, and British forces landed along a greatly fortified coast of France’s Normandy region, stretching 50 miles. This invasion required extensive planning and was one of the largest military attacks in history. The Allies lead a big deception campaign goaled to mislead the Germans about the -
Period: to
D-Day Part 2
invasion target prior to D-Day. All of northern France was liberated by late August of 1944, and by the time spring came around, the Allies had defeated the Germans. I chose this picture because it shows the 156,000 Canadian, American, and British forces landing on the coast of France’s Normandy region, stretching 50 miles. -
Period: to
Battle of the Bulge
• On the morning of December 16, 1944 launched a major attack. The battle lasted for just over a month. During this time, American forces fought to keep Germany’s forces from overrunning Europe. Germany used nearly 1,000 tanks and over 200,000 troops to break through the US lines. German soldiers eventually broke through the US line and killed thousands of American troops. The Americans didn’t give up and held their ground. Thanks to the groups of American soldiers in the front who dug in and st -
Period: to
Battle of the Bulge Part 2
stood their ground until backup could get there, we won the battle for the Allies. I chose this picture because it shows the US troops trying to hold their ground until reinforcements could get there to help them. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps Part 2
retreated, but inside the remaining ones the Soviets found many personal belongings of the victims. More than 800,000 women’s outfits, hundreds of thousands of men’s suits, and more than 14,000 pounds of human hair were found. In the following months after the liberation of Auschwitz, the Soviets liberated additional camps. Germany then surrendered. • I chose this picture because it shows the prisoners being able to leave one of the concentration camps after the Soviets had liberated it. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Auschwitz, the largest concentration camp and killing center, was liberated in January of 1945 by the Soviets. Before the Soviets arrived, the Nazis had forced most of the prisoners to march westward, in what was known as the “death marches”. The Soviet soldiers found several thousand liberated prisoners alive when they got to the camp. There was an enormous amount of evidence of the murders that took place at Auschwitz. The Germans destroyed most of the warehouses in the camp before they retr -
VE Day Part 2
I chose this picture because it shows the celebration in the newspaper. -
VE Day
May 8, 1945 marks the victory for the Allies in World War ll. The Western Allies crossed the Rhine after breaking through the Siegfried Line and overran West Germany. Germany fell after the meeting of the Russian and Western armies n Saxony, and after Hitler’s death. On May 7, 1945, the surrender of Germany was signed at Rheims. It was then ratified in Berlin on May 8, 1945. This marked the formal celebration of the Allies victory over Germany in World War ll.