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Nazis Take the Sudetenland
In September, 1938 Hitler met with the officials from Germany, France, Britain and Italy. Hitler threatened Europe with terrorist attacks and in order to ensure that he did not attack, the other countries agreed to support in in taking back Czechoslovakia. You see, the Sudetenland had originally belonged to Germany so the Czechs would be willing to fight under Hitler. Also, Hitler wanted more land and resources. So in October, 1938, the German troops marched into Czechoslovakia. -
Nazis Take the Sudetenland
I chose this picture because it shows the German troops arriving in Czechoslovakia. -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg means “lightening war”. The Germans first used this in WWII from 1939-1940 and it is based on speed and surprise. They would use light tank units supported by planes and foot soldiers. Hitler got the idea from a military pamphlet written by Heinz Guderian. This military strategy was very successful and helped Germany acquire quite a bit of land. In this event, the Germans attacked Britain with great force and speed accompanied by the element of surprise. -
German Blitzkrieg
The British forces were then pushed back even further than before. I chose this picture because it shows German airplanes, which they used during the Blitzkrieg. -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
On August 23, 1939, the Nazi and Soviet Union met to make a pact that said neither country would attack the other. In this pact, the Soviet Union was awarded land. Hitler did this to prepare for war. Germany protected itself from fighting a two-front war in WWII that would soon start. An impact is that when Germany attacked Poland in September, the Soviet Union stood by and watched, rather than fight. I chose this picture because it shpws the Pact being signed by German and Soviet officials. -
Invasion of Poland
In September, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. They had originally made a non-aggression pact with Poland so that the Polish could not have an alliance with France. Within weeks, the Germans had successfully conquered Poland by successfully encircling them and coming at all sides. By October, all territories that had belonged to Poland were annexed to Germany. With this, the Germans gained more land, resources and people. I chose this picture because it illustrates Hitler mobilizing his troops. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain took place in July, 1940 and lasted till the autumn of that year. It was the epic air battle between Germany and Britain. After Germany overcame France, they had one enemy left in Western Europe; Great Britain. The Germans thought they could take Britain by dominating the air space,then the ground. At first they targeted airfields, then started bombing. After the British hit Berlin, the Germans started coming at the British civilian sites. -
Battle of Britain
The British defenses held and eventually Hitler cancelled his plan, bombings did continue though. The British did not back down and waited for the United States to join the war. I chose this picture because it shows the Germans flying over to Great Britain and begin the Battle of Britain. -
Invasion of the Soviet Union
In June, 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union under the codename Operation “Barbarossa”. Hitler’s original plan was to completely annihilate the Soviet Union and the Jewish people there, but it did not go as planned. The Soviet forces burned their small cities down so that the Germans had nothing and by the time German troops had reached anything important to the Soviet Union, it was winter. The German troops were not equipped with winter-supplies and they had become extremely exhausted. -
The Invasion of the Soviet Union
The Soviets launched an attack on the front lines on Dec. 6 then drove the Germans back. The Germans then came back a year later during the summer and conquered the Soviet Union. I chose this picture because it shows Soviets waving there flag over a city during the Invasion. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was when Hitler tried taking over Joseph Stalin’s most beloved city. Hitler did this because he hated Stalin. It took place at the end of 1942 and lasted until early 1943. In November of 1942, the Soviets gathered and made a counterattack. They trapped the Nazis in Stalingrad and soon they began to run out of food. The German general eventually surrendered and lost Stalingrad. I chose this photo because it shows the German general surrending and giving up the fight. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese and USA had been on the brink of war for quite some time now because they did not have good relations and war was unavoidable. then on December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed an American naval base in Hawaii. The bombing had crippled or destroyed 18 ships and nearly 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans were killed and around 1,000 were wounded. This event brought America into the war and eventually led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
Pearl Harbor
I chose this picture of an old newspaper because its headline shows the most significant outcome of this event; the US being brought into WWII. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was the final discussion on how to address “The Final Solution of the Jews” or how to exile and later exterminate them. It took place in January, 1942 in Berlin. This conference was to determine the outlook of Hitler’s plans. At first he wanted the Jews separated from everyone else, but eventually he wanted them terminated. This discussion led to the Holocaust. I chose this photograph because it is a photo of the building where the Wansee Conference was held. -
Allied Invasion of Africa
The Allied Invasion of Africa took place in November of 1942. It is when all the allied forces (US, Great Britain) came together to take down part of Germany’s rule and they decided that North Africa was the place to be. This was called operation “Torch”. This event happened so that the Germans would not gain any more land, resources, or people. Despite the attacks, German defense stayed in place until 1943, but the damage had been done. -
Allied Invasion of Africa
I chose this photo because it shows the troops invading North AFrica. -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was when the Americans bombed Hamberg, Germany and British bombers raid it by night. This event took place in July, 1943. The cause was the Germans bombing London. The British also used a new radar-jamming device called “Window” which was basically dropping aluminum foil to block the signal. The bombings continued throughout November. This event lowered German moral and had a significant impact on Hitler, that he would not visit any of these burned down cities. -
Operation Gomorrah
I chose this picture because it shows the remains of the once-flourishing cuty, Hamburg. -
D-Day
Also called the Battle of Normandy, this event took place on June 6, 1944 and lasted until August. It was when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian soldiers invaded France’s Normandy region on the coast. They conducted a large campaign designed to mislead the Germans so they could not prepare for the attack. By late August, all of Northern France had been liberated and by spring of next year the allies had defeated the Germans. -
D-Day
The outcomes of this event were defeating the Germans and liberating countries, also ending WWII. I chose this photo because it shows the troops arrving on the shores of the Normandy region of France. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The outcome of this was finding out just how cruel the Nazis were and a new found respect of life. I chose this picture because out of all the terrible things that occured during the Holocaust, here you can see a soldier interacting and being friendly with prisoners that had been freed. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
After D-Day, the Allies moved throughout Europe defeated more German troops and also came across thousands of concentration camps. The prisoners of the camps were sorely inflicted with disease and starvation. The Soviets were the first to come across a Nazi concentration camp in July, 1944. The Nazis tried covering it up by demolishing the camp, but there was still evidence. Around 60,000 prisoners were liberated, but some 10,000 died soon later do to malnutrition and disease. -
Battle of Bulge
The Battle of Bulge took place shortly after D-Day in December, 1944 and lasted until January of 1945. During the onset of winter, Germany launched a counteroffensive attack designed to split apart the Allies’ forces. Germany sent out 3 different armies to perform this task, but they were fatigued with cold and hunger. The Allies had beat the Germans yet again, but it was the costliest fight considering the US lost over 100,000 soldiers. -
Battle of Bulge
This also led to the end of WWII and the liberation of concentration camps. I chose this picture because it shows the Allies' tank and troop. -
VE-Day
VE Day stands for Victory in Europe Day and it marks the end of WWII. This event took place on May 8, 1945. Quite a few events led up to this. On May 2, the German forces in Italy had surrendered the following day German forces in Northern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands surrendered. Many people celebrated or mourned and finally the stress of war for 6 yrs was over. I chose this picture because even though the "kiss" is supposed to be the main focus, you can see just how happy everyone is.
