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Nazis take the Sudetenland
France & Great Britain signed an agreement to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, which was home to many ethnic Germans. The Czechoslovakian government wanted to avoid war so they gave up the land to Germany, giving Germany more land and people (slaves or soldiers). I chose this picture because it clearly shows Nazi Germany & the Sudetenland. -
Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact
It's also know as the German-Soviet Pact. It was a ten-year agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union not to attack each other. Hitler always regarded it as a temporary solution.The pact enabled Germany to attack Poland on September 1, 1939, without fear of Soviet intervention. On September 3, 1939, Britain and France, having guaranteed to protect Poland's borders five months earlier, declared war on Germany. These events marked the beginning of World War II. I chose the picture because -
Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact
it shows the Germans and the Soviets signing the Pact. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
After heavy shelling and bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. Britain and France, standing by their guarantee of Poland's border, had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Poland remained under German occupation until January 1945. This picture shows the Nazis attacking Poland, and also one of the types of war vehicles they had at the time. -
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German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg means "Lighting War" to the Germans. This tactic was first used by the Nazis in WWII. It was based on on speed and surprise and needed a military force to be based around light tank units supported by planes and infantry (foot soldiers). A German attack on Russia resulted in the British and French armies being pushed back in just a few weeks to the beaches of Dunkirk and the Russian army being devastated in the attack in June 1941. -
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Battle of Britain
After the downfall of France in June 1940, Germany only had one major enemy left in Western Europe - Great Britain.The Battle of Britain was a decisive victory for the British, as it was the first time the Germans had faced defeat in World War II. -
Nazi Invasion of the Soviet Union
Codename "Operation Barbarossa", Hitler and the Nazis invaded Russia because they had tons of land and natural resources.They took Smolensk in the center and Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine. They spilled into the Crimean Peninsula in the south. German units reached the outskirts of Moscow in early December, which was their downfall as you should never invade Russia in the winter. This depicts a plane used by the Soviet Union in the defense against the German invasion. -
Pearl Harbor
from a Japanese bomb in the harbor. -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. They wanted to get America involved in the war, which worked. The bombing lasted only two hours, but the damage was devastating. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress declared war on Japan the day after the assault. The picture shows one of the explosions -
Wannsee Conference
15 powerful Nazi Party and German government officials gathered at a building in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to discuss and coordinate the start of what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question". The "Final Solution" was the code name for the destruction of over 11,000,000 Jews around the world. This is the building (present-day) that the Wannsee Conference was held in. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
Germany and its allies invaded the Soviet Union. Soviet forces counter-attacked during the Battle of Moscow and successfully drove the German Army from the city (Moscow). They wanted Moscow because it was the capital and it was a major industrial city on the Volga river. It was considered a turning point in the war. -
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Allied Invasion of Africa
The U.S. and British had decided on “OperationTorch” late in July 1942. Torch was the codename for the allied invasion of
North Africa. Forces began landing at Algiers on Nov. 8, met by little French opposition. The entire U.S. plan of attack was disrupted by a French counterattack in Arzew. On Dec. 24, the supreme commander of all Vichy’s forces, Jean-François Darlan, was assassinated. This ended the invasion. -
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Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was an aerial bombing movement by the Allies on Germany. They targeted the city of Hamburg, and destroyed a large part of it. 1 million residents were left homeless and 40,000 to 50,000 civilians were killed. The reason for the attack was that the Allies wanted to capture and take control of Germany, and Hamburg was a major city and a good place to start. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Also called "Operation Overlord", the Allies wanted to regain control of France (which was being occupied by Germany). This was the key battle of Western Europe, because the Allies won. It made people more optimistic about winning against the Nazi forces.This picture shows some troops getting ready to invade France and kick the Germans out. -
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Battle of the Bulge
Hitler wanted to split the Allied armies in Northwest Europe by a surprise Blitzkrieg. It was the most lethal and desperate battle of the entire war. It was also the costliest action ever fought by the American Army, which underwent over 100,000 casualties. -
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Liberation of Concentration Camps
The Soviets freed prisoners of Auschwitz, the largest death camp.They then went on to liberate more camps in Poland and the Baltic states. The British freed more concentration camps in Northern Germany. They revealed the Nazi's activities to the world. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) was the official end of the war in Europe. Germany surrendered to the Allies. People celebrated for hours on end, all night, in the streets of England. People of all the Allied nations were thrilled to finally be done with the war. The picture shows how happy people in England were when they found out the war was over in Europe.
