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German Expansion
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The Meeting With Military Advisers
Hitler called for a secret meeting with his advisers. This is where he clearly states the only way to expand Germany is by taking over its neighbors. Hitler planned on taking over Austria and Czechoslovakia with force. -
Union With Austria
German troops marched into Austria. Most of the population favored unification with Germany, so Germany annexed Austria. The rest of the world did nothing to help or stop this from happening. -
Munich Agreement
Hilter invited Édouard Daladier and Neville Chamberlain to meet with him in Munich. He claimed the annexation of Sudetenland would be the last demand to avoid war, and both of them believed him. They chose to dishonor their country and annex part of it rather than fight at war. -
Taking Over Czechoslovakia
German troops went to Czechoslovakia and took over what was left of it. They weren't done trying to expand on the Third Reich. Then, the Germans turned to Poland to try and get more land. -
Two-Front War
Much of the population in Poland spoke German. Hitler started telling them that they were all being mistreated and needed him to protect them. A two-front war was fought throughout World War I, and could be brought up again. However, many people thought Hitler would not make that mistake again. -
Nonaggression Pact
Stalin signed a nonaggression pact with Hitler. Germany and Russia also committed to never attacking each other again. Germany and the Soviet Union then signed another secret pact which split the land of Poland between them. -
Lightning War
The German air force flew over Poland and dropped bombs on their military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities. German tanks also drove over the countryside of Poland spreading confusion and terror. This was Germany's military strategy. This was called the lightning war. -
War on Germany
After the lightning war, which tested Germany's military skills, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The fighting was over in about three weeks before France or Britain sent defense. This was the start of World War II. -
Phony War
France and Britain worked together to create a system of fortifications on France's eastern border. They stared at the Germans waiting for something to happen. The Germans also stared back waiting as well. This was considered a phony war. Stalin then was trying to take over Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. -
Surprise Invasion
Hitler invaded Denmark and Norway their countries freedom and independence. However, this was not why he actually invaded Denmark and Norway. He was trying to get closer to Britain so he could strike on them. Then, Hitler went against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. -
Germany Surrenders
Italy joined the Germans in on the war. The Germans started heading to Paris and Italy invaded France from the south. On this date, Hitler handed his surrender to France. Germans were only allowed to take control of the northern part of France. -
Bombing on Britain
Since Germany couldn't compete with Britain in their naval power, Germany launched an air war as they began assembling an invasion fleet along the French coast. Germany had around 2,600 planes to use, and in one day sent 2,000 planes. The idea was to bomb London for two months so Britain's Royal Air Force would be destroyed. -
New Technology Takeover
The British were able to use their new tool, radar, to determine where the German planes planned on going. The British shot down 195 German planes and they only lost 26 themselves. The Germans then decided to call off the invasion indefinitely. However, much didn't change and the Germans were still bombing Britain's cities while the British were bombing Germany's cities.
