-
The Land of its Neighbors
On November 5th of 1937, Hitler secretly met with his head military advisers. He declared that in order for Germany to prosper, Germany needed the land of its neighbors. Hitler's plan was to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia in what he called the "Third Reich". -
The First Target
Hitler's first target was Austria. Since the majority of Austria's people were German, they favored the unification of Germany. On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria unchallenged which resulted in Germany announcing it's union with Austria was complete. The rest of the World was not involved in this and did nothing about it. -
View on Munich Agreement
Winston Churchill, prime minister of United Kingdom, did not agree with Chamberlain's satisfaction on the Munich Agreement. Churchill believed the agreement adopted a policy of appeasement. -
The Second Target
Hitler's second target was Czechoslovakia. Hitler wanted to annex Czechoslovakia so he would be able to provide more space for Germany. A bunch of German speaking people in Czechoslovakia lived in Sudetenland, near the western border. Hitler argued the Czechs were abusing the German people and he began sending the Nazis to the Czech border. Since France and Britain initially agreed to protect Czechoslovakia, Hitler convinced them to sign a "Munich Agreement" turning Sudetenland over to Germany. -
Gaining Czechoslovakia
Hitler continued to expand the "Third Reich" as he sent his troops into Czechoslovakia and took complete control. His next focus was Poland. -
Hitler to the Rescue
Hitler claimed German's in Poland were mistreated by the Poles and deserved to be treated fairly and protected by him. As tensions rose, Stalin signed a nonaggression pact meaning Germany and Russia would never go to war. This allowed Germany to attack Poland without worrying about Russia. -
Germany's Successful Strategy
The German air force attacked Poland using a military strategy called "Blitzkrieg". This strategy allowed military technology to catch the Germany by surprise and quickly crush them with overwhelming forces. The "Blitzkrieg" tactic involved using powerful aircrafts and fast tanks. -
Against Germany
Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. -
Surprise Invasion
Hitler launched a surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway. His reasoning was to protect freedom and independence. Later he turned against Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. -
Britain's Royal Air Force
Britain's Royal Air force fought back against Hitler's army, and shot down over 185 German planes... at the same time, they lost only 26 air crafts.
