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Union with Austria
In November of 1937, Hitler announced to his advisers that in order to thrive, Germany needed to obtain the land around it despite the risks. He wanted Austria and Czechoslovakia to join the Third Reich. Hitler first went for Austria. Most of the people living in Austria were Germans who were supportive of the country merging with Germany. On March 12, 1939, troops from Germany entered Austria with no opposition, and just a day later, Germany announced that the two countries had been joined. -
Bargaining for the Sudetenland
After gaining Austria, Hitler wanted to annex Czechoslovakia to create more living space and control natural resources. He accused Czechs of abusing Germans in their area and placed troops on the border. France and Great Britain had promised to protect Czechoslovakia at the beginning of this situation, but Hitler assured them that this was the last land he would demand. In an effort to avoid war, France and Great Britain signed the Munich Agreement and gave the Sudetenland over to Germany. -
The Soviet Union Neutrality
Hitler was actively talking about invading Poland. Poland was neighbors with Russia, so Poland thought Germany would not invade. Stalin signed the nonaggression pact with Hitler. This nonaggression pact made it a one front war for Hitler. -
Blitzkrieg in Poland
The German Luftwaffe started bombing Polish military bases. At that same time German tanks began to come invade Poland. This Invasion known as blitzkrieg was were they hit you fast and hard. The tactics worked marvelously and Germany now had Poland and WWII had begun. -
The Phony War
After Poland had been conquered by Stalin, French, British, and German troops sat staring at each other on the Siegfried and Maginot Line. In late 1939 Stalin sent his army into Finland where he outnumbered the Finns and had seized Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Later, on April 9, 1940, Hitler attacked Demark and Norway, using both countries to build bases to strike at Great Britain. By the end of May, Hitler had taken the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg; the war was over. -
The Fall of France
The Maginot Line was not as effective as they had thought and German soldiers marched through the Ardennes, avoiding French and British troops. The German army had trapped hundreds of thousands of French and British soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk. Over 800 vessels came to take them away to safety. On June 22, 1940 Hitler announced his surrender, but the Nazis would still held control. After France had fallen, French general Charles de Gaulle left France and started a government-in-exile. -
The Battle of Britain
Germany wanted to control Britain but knew that it could not compete with its naval powers, so it launched a land and air attack at the same time. Germany's first targets were its air field, but then they started to attack cities, trying to ge the civilians to give up. These battles lasted all summer night after night trying to get the other side to give in. The British won thanks to the radar allowing them to track the enemy plans.
