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Hitler meets with his advisers
Hitler organizes a meeting with his military advisers to explain his intentions on increasing Germany in terms of size and prosperity. He planned on taking over Austria and Czechoslovakia. Hitler´s advisers cautioned him that in doing so, he could provoke war. His response? ¨The German Question" could only be answered by force, which naturally entails risk. -
Hitler claims Austria
Austria, the Germany's initial target, was small to begin with due to the Paris Peace Conference. Most of Austria's population consisted of Germans, so when German troops came to take over Austria, things went smoothly. There was virtually no opposition from the citizens, the United States, or any other countries. -
The Munich Agreement is signed
When Hitler planned on annexing Czechoslovakia, it appeared to be a difficult feat. France and Great Britain were protecting the country at risk, until Hitler invited French and British rulers Edouard Daladier and Neville Chamberlain to Munich. Hitler told the two that the country at stake was his last territorial demand. The leaders signed the Munich Pact, giving Czechoslovakia directly to Hitler. Great Britain's Winston Churchill was outraged by such appeasement, he knew that war was coming. -
Stalin signs Non-Aggression Pact with Hitler
After taking over Czechoslovakia, Hitler became interested in Poland. Attempting Poland could stimulate a two-front war from both Poland and the Soviet Union, which hurt Germany greatly in WWI. Many believed that Hitler would not continue on such a path, until a shocking Non-Aggression Pact between Hitler and Stalin was signed. Behind the scenes, a secret pact was signed as well, securing the division of Poland between the two. -
Lightning war sparks a fire
German first adapted lightning war, or blitzkrieg, when it stormed into Poland, attacking swiftly from every angle. Completely surprised, Poland, Britain, and France declared war on Germany. Before an effective defense was formed, Germany and the Soviet Union claimed the land of Poland as their own, thus starting World War II. -
Calm after the storm
The Maginot and Siegfried lines divided the French and British troops from the German for the months following the fall of Poland. With no war, the period of time was referred to as sitzkrieg, the sitting war, or the phony war. The only real action was Stalin's annexing of various Baltic states and forcing Finnish troops to surrender. It was not until April 9 that Hitler suddenly invaded Denmark and Norway, which would be used as bases, or stepping stones to the intended attack on Great Britain. -
France falls
It was the Germans that crossed the Maginot line, an offensive act. After capturing almost 400,000 French and British soldiers, the Germans were joined by Italy in invading France. On June 22, Hitler "surrendered" to the French, however, he still ended up attaining northern France.
