World War II – Beginnings to turning Point

European Theater

France – False Sense of Security?

The Maginot Line

France – Did not learn from History

Dunkirk Evacuated June 4, 1940

• Churchill ordered in every boat that could float to evacuate the city… 5 nations took part in its evacuation. Britain, Netherlands, France, Belgium and Poland

• Hitler’s First Blunder: By not taking Dunkirk, over 338,000 men escaped, to fight Hitler later.

France Surrenders June, 1940

A Divided France

Henri Petain

Now Britain Is All Alone!

Battle of Britain: The “Blitz”

• They Bomb Civilians

• Churchill’s Sacrifice

• Leads to the Germans loss of the Battle. Why? – Strengthened British

resolve

– By not attacking the resources of Britain they could endure

– 2nd major blunder

August 8th 1940 and beyond

• Mussolini gives the order: ATTACK EGYPT

• On September 13th 200,000 Italians have driven the British soldiers back

• By March 41’ The British had kicked the Italians out of Egypt.

What about Africa?

• Well the Germans come marching in again to save the Italians. – Germans send their best Military General: Field Marshal

Erwin Rommel- “The Desert Fox” to go down their and kick some tail.

– Although his orders were to “Hold the Line” Rommel quickly ignored that order and Attacked with his Afrika Korps

– He quickly drove the British back and by April 1941 Rommel had retaken their lost territory

Operation Torch- Late 42’ Early 43’

Oh the French…

• The French fired first

and then Americans fired back…

• Enough said, they fell like Dominoes.

Why Does Germany Let North Africa Go?

• Germans decided to turn on their Non-Aggressive friend Russia.

• Hitler Launches Operation Barbarossa- The invasion of Russia (June 22, 1941)

• Why? – *Slavs as an inferior race* – Ukraine would be a reliable source of agriculture. – Having the Soviet Union as a source of slave labor would vastly

improve Germany's geostrategic position. – Defeat of the Soviet Union would further isolate the Allies,

especially the United Kingdom. – The German economy needed access to more oil and controlling the

Baku Oilfields would achieve this.

World War II: The Turning Points

The Russian Front

Hitler’s Greatest Mistake: Russian Invasion

• June 22, 1941

• “We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down”

• Russia didn’t play by the Rules. Scorched-Earth Policy.

• Stalin would sacrifice his men in order to slow down the German advance.

Oh, the weather!

• Rains started on the 13th of Oct.

– The roads turned to mud and the German advance slowed to 2 miles a day

• On October 31st German High Command ordered a stop so they could reorganize.

• This gave Russia a chance to Bring in Reserves from Siberia.

– 30,000 men and 1,000 more tanks and planes.

Germans are forced to retreat.

• With low supplies and poor equipment – the Germans tuck tail and run.

• The biggest problem was the Cold- German Soldiers suffered from Frostbite- black feet

The Battle of Stalingrad

German Army Russian Army

1,011,500 men 1,000,500 men

10,290 artillery guns 13,541 artillery guns

675 tanks 894 tanks

1,216 planes 1,115 planes

World War II: The Turning Points

The Pacific Theater

Battle of Midway Island: June 4-6, 1942

The Battle of Midway

• BACKGROUND

– Yamamoto and the Japanese thought if they could attack Midway, an Island close to Hawaii, the U.S. Carriers would have to respond and they would be able to sink them and win the war.

• Too Bad for the Japanese, we knew they were coming and were waiting for them.

– Admiral Chester Nimitz sent his task force (carriers) North East of Midway and waited for them.

The Tide Turns

Midway

• Japan lost: – 4 Carriers – 1 Cruiser – 253 planes – 4,800 people – And are forced to go on the defensive.

• The U.S. Lost

– 1 Carrier – 1 destroyer – 98 planes

Solomon Islands

• 1st U.S. Land offensive of the war – Proves to be too

costly and U.S. adopts the plan of ISLAND HOPPING.

– Lost over 10,000 men. Japan lost almost 80,000.

Japanese Kamikaze Planes: The Scourge of the South Pacific

Kamikaze Pilots

Suicide Bombers