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Germany Invades Poland
Desiring to expand his German Army, Hitler and his Nazis invaded Poland using a form of military tactic called a Blitzkrieg (lightning war) ,after signing a non aggression pact with the Soviet Union. This made sure the Soviet Union didn't intervene if Poland was to be attacked. -
Period: to
World War II
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Declaration of War
Having promised Poland that they'd protect them if they were attacked, Britain and France declared war on Germany. -
Phony War
After war on Germany war declared, the Allies (Britain, France, and the Commonwealth countries including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) hurried to get troops and weaponry ready for war. Germany, Italy, and Japan would form the Axis. The Allies placed many troops on the boarder seperating France and Germany, awaiting their next move after invading Poland, but nothing happened for seven months. Some believed there wasn't even going to be a war anymore. -
Illusion Shattered, Attacks on Denmark and Norway
After a very long period of no military action, Germany used a revamped Blitzkreig to attack Denmark and Norway. Using the elements of surprise, speed and overwhelming force to mesmerize the enemies. With German panzers driving through enemy lines, planes to cut off supply lines, and parachuters to disrupt communication leaving Denmark in trouble, they surrendered. Germany then attacked the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium, and in mere weeks conquered them all using the same attack method. -
Evacuation at Dunkirk
After the captures of Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium, Hitler went after France. The Germans attacked France through Belgium and trapped the 338,000 Allied soldiers on the French port of Dunkirk. Capture was not an option, as it was simply too many troops to potentially lose. Desperately, the British navy had large amounts of ships capable of carrying troops and getting through the English Channel to evacuate the troops. Germans bombed the port two days after, but evacuation was a success. -
France Captured
After the evacuation of the troops at the port of Dunkirk, the Germans continued the raiding of France. The French army was unable to fight off the German forces and surrendered on June 22, 1940. This left Britain and the Commonwealth alone to fight against Germany. -
North-African Campaign
This battle between the Allies and Axis for North Africa and it's valuable resources and strategic positions. After the Italian army that was there was almost destroyed by the British Commonwealth forces, German forces went in and prevented a victory. Neither side could pull off a win in three years but the Allies finally did on May 1943. -
Battle of Britain
Hitler initiated "Operatino Sea Lion", his plan to invade Britain . In order to suceed he had to take out the Royal Air Force (RAF). The attacks began with the bombing of harbours, shipping facilities, aircraft factories, and air strips. The Germans also bombed London and other cities. However because of the RAF's radar technology, and support from the Commonwealth Counties, the Germans were unable to beat the RAF despite outnumbering them and gave up in September. -
Operation Barbarossa
After failing to defeat Britain, Germany went after its ally Russia, fearing they'd take too much land and Germany was desperate for resources, such as what and oil. Russia was surprised by the three million soldiers. However the Germans were unprepared for the frigid Russian winters and were forced to surrender after trying to take Stalingrad. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Seeking to continue the expansion of it's empire, Japan was ready to attack American and European colonies in Southeast Asia for resources. The U.S. was so far neutral in the war, and Japan had to take them out as a part of their plan. They bombed Pearl Harbor, where the U.S. naval base was and killed most of the Americans. -
Battle of Hong Kong
Hours after bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked the British Colony of Hong Kong hours later. The Canadians sent two battalions to enforce the British Garrison, however both battalions consisted of inexperienced untrained soldiers. -
World at War
The United States joined the Allies and declared war against Japan, as well as it's allies Germany and Italy. Germany and Italy would declare war on the United States as well -
Black Christmas
After 18 days of bitter battling, the 20,000 inexperienced Allied soldiers were defeated by the Japanese Veterans and many were taken as Prisoners of War. Prisoners were forced to live in brutal conditions and some were worked to death. -
Dieppe Raid
After losing almost a million soldiers from invading Germans, the Soviet Union was by the middle of 1942 an part of the Allied forces. Stalin wanted to make Germany fight a second front, and to test new battle techniques, technology and equipment as well so they raided the French port of Dieppe with 4 pre-dawn attacks along the coast. Troops ran into a German convoy and fought, allowing Germans to realize they were being attacked and destroyed them on the beaches with machine guns with ease. -
Battle of Sicily
As an attempt to recapture Europe, the Allies invaded Sicily as it was seen as the "soft underbelly" of Europe. However it was anything but soft, fighting relentlessly for 38 days before it was finally captured by the Allies. -
Battle of Ortona
Canadians were handed the task to recapture the town of Ortona, but before getting there they had to cross river Moro, get past serveral hundred km's of German territory and take back some smaller towns. Once at Ortona, Canadians fought hard against the tough Germans but managed to capture the town. -
Battle of the Rhineland
The Allies started driving the Germans out and over the Rhine River and out of the Netherlands. It was a long hard fight, as the conditions were harsh with mud and flooded areas along with the German forces. The Germans would retreat, letting the Allies liberate Holland. -
D-Day
The Allies launched a massive attack on Europe which was also called "Operation Overlord". Having meticulously planned and ensured no mistakes would be made, the Allies had troops land on a stretch of beaches on the Normandy Coast in France. Using paratroopers to disrupt communication, and having massive naval support and many troops, and totally surprising the Germans lead to this being a success. They had no knowledge of the details of this attack and were unprepared. -
Battle of the Scheldt
After weeks of battling before the Allies could advance to France and Belgium to get to Germany, Canadians were given the job to clear Germans troops from the Scheldt River in Belgium. The river was a significant position, as the Germans occupied it and had control and access to it and the sea. The defeat of the Germans allowed more supplies to be transported to the Allies, and Canada did just that. -
Liberating the Netherlands
Canada was given the task to liberate the Netherlands, after a previous Allied attempt failed. The Germans had destroyed ports, and cut off supplies and resulted in the starving of many there. The cold winter didn't help their cause but managed to drive the Germans out of the Netherlands and the allies negotiated a truce with them to allow the delivery of supplies to the Dutch people. -
Victory in Europe
Germany, having been attacked in almost every direction by the Allies and Soviet Union surrendered as they had no chance of winning. The Allies declared May 8 as Victory Day in Europe and Hitler had suicided in Berlin before he could be captured. His body was never found.
