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Failure of appeasementSept. 1939-Germany Invades Poland
Blitzkrieg- “Lightening War”Britain & France declare war on Germany
May 1940-Evacuation of Dunkirk
•Allies trapped w/ backs to the seaForced to escape mainland Europe across the English Channel
June 1940-France falls
Northern France controlled by GermanyVichy France- Puppet govt. set up in Southern France (Marshall Petain)
German Blitzkrieg quickly overruns much of Europe & Northern Africa
Britain now stands alone against Germany
The Battle of Britain- Summer 1940- May 1941
•Germany’s devastating air bombardment of London
•Massive death & destruction
•Radar, Enigma machine, RAF pilots & leadership of Winston Churchill help English repel attack
1941- Germany invades USSR
Operation Barbarossa (Costly mistake)
Russian cold & shortage of supplies help save USSR1942-USSR defeats Germany @ decisive Battle of Stalingrad
90,000 German troops surrender
City was 99% destroyed
Germany on defensive for the rest of the war
Lend Lease Act- US ships arms & supplies to allies w/out paymentAtlantic charter Aug. 1941
Churchill & Roosevelt meet secretly to discuss post WWII plansUpheld free trade & self-determination
Plans for a United Nations after the war
D-Day June 6, 1944Allied troops land on Beaches of Normandy (France)Allies liberate France & push towards Germany
Hitler’s last ditch offensive of the WWIIDecember 1944The Ardennes Forest, BelgiumGermany now on the Run Allies cross the Rhine into Germany March 1945
April 1945 Mussolini caught escaping Italy with retreating Germans
Executed & hung in Milan town Square
1945 Allied troops surround Berlin
Soviets from the EastBritish & US from West
April 30 Hitler commits suicide rather than surrenderMay7, 1945 V-E Day – unconditional surrender of Germany
