Chapter 24 - From Western European to World War

• When did war in Europe break out?

  3rd September 1939 when Britain and France declared war on Germany following its invasion of Poland
• What ensured Germany's rapid conquest of Poland in September 1939?

  The success of Germany's Blitzkrieg tactics
• How did Germany use Blitzkrieg tactics to their advantage in Poland Sept 1939?

  - Involved fast and devastating use of modern technology- The Luftwaffe began attacks by bombing railway lines and communication links- Then tanks and infantry moved in by large numbers to fight off resistance and secure the area
• How did Britain and France respond to the German invasion of Poland Sept 1939?

  They did very little to assist Poland, but did hope to prevent the German invasion of Norway as Scandinavia supplied 51% of Germany's iron ore
• What is meant by the term "Phoney War"?

  Refers to the lack of firm action taken by the Allies from September 1939 until Norway was threatened in March 1940
• What happened when British attempts to secure Norway against a Nazi attack had failed?

  Neville Chamberlain resigned and was replaced by Winston Churchill, who refused to give in to influential figures pressing for an agreement with Germany
• Where else were Blitzkrieg tactics used by the Germans to devastating effect?

  Against the Netherlands, Belgium and France
• How did Britain respond to German Blitzkrieg attacks against France?

  The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) dispatched to support the French, but were forced back to the beaches of Dunkirk in the north and only escaped back to Britain with a hastily organised evacuation in May and June 1940
• Why did France surrender on 21st June 1940?

  Due to the Wehrmacht having swept through it and Italy declaring war against it on 12th June
• What did the French surrender mean for Britain?

  That Britain and its empire stood alone against the German war machine
• What were Hitler's intentions for Britain after the fall of France?

  - Hitler had never aimed to invade and subjugate Britain - Unlike his conquests in Eastern Europe, he respected the British as imperialist role models and natural allies against communism- This may explain what was, by German military standards, a half-hearted attempt to prep for invasion of Britain in summer 1940
• What was Germany's attack on Britain like in summer 1940?

  - Under Operation Sealion, Hitler instructed the Luftwaffe to eliminate the RAF in the Battle of Britain- The RAF's superior planes and the home front advantages helped secure the first Allied victory against the Nazis in Sept 1940- This prompted a change in German strategy
• What was the Germans' change in strategy from 7th September 1940?

  As a result of Britain's victory thus far, the Blitz began, targeting civilians in their homes with heavy bombing for 8 months
• What was the key objective of each side of the war, as in WW1?

  To prevent supplies from reaching the enemy
• When did Canada join the war on Britain's side?

  September 1939
• What did the USA do from November 1939?

  - Sold supplies to Britain under the Cash and Carry scheme- This replaced earlier American Neutrality Acts as Roosevelt was adamant that the Western democracies should receive some assistance- The Cash and Carry legislation stipulated that goods must be transported by the purchasing nation who assumed all the incumbent risks in doing so (after Germany's attacks on American shipping was a reason for the USA joining WW1)
• What happened as the conflict in Europe developed?

  - Britain's ability to pay upfront for necessary war materials decreased- Roosevelt was alarmed by the swiftness of the Wehrmacht's conquest of Europe and, while aware that most Americans were still in favour of neutrality, advocated more support for the democracies
• What did the Lend-Lease scheme mean from March 1941?

  - Enabled the USA to supply the materials necessary for the war against the Axis powers- This included weapons, military transport vehicles and food to Britain, China, and France's gov in exile- The scheme extended to the Soviet Union after its invasion by Germany- Over $50 bil supplies were shipped to these countries under Lend-Lease, and were provided on the condition that they be returned where possible, or paid for after the war
• How did Roosevelt attempt to gain public support for the Lend-Lease scheme?

  - He compared the situation to that of someone lending a garden hose to a neighbour whose house was on fire- He said - "What do I do in such a crisis? I don't say "Neighbour, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it!" I don't want $15 - I want my garden hose back after the fire is over"
• Why was the Lend-Lease scheme significant for Britain?

  - Under the scheme, food and raw materials arrived in Britain via shipping routes in the North Atlantic- Without these, it could not have continued to resist Germany- German U-boats played a key role in disrupting British supply lines- Initially, they were so badly affected that Churchill later admitted "the only thing that ever really frightened me was the U-boat peril"
• What did Italy's declaration of war on Britain in June 1940 prompt?

  Fighting between Italian and British troops in Libya as British soldiers were stationed in neighbouring Egypt
• What did General O'Connor do despite being heavily outnumbered?

  Led a British force into Libya and met little determined resistance from the Italians
• What was the result of the British and Italian conflict?

  Tobruk and Tripoli fell to the British
• What did the British do in January 1941?

  The British army attacked Abyssinia
• What happened in May 1941?

  Haile Selassie was restored to power in Abyssinia five years after being forced into exile
• What reversed Italian fortunes in North Africa?

  The intervention of Germany, which in turn decreased Germany's resources
• What did Mussolini do on 28th October 1940?

  - He ordered the invasion of Greece in the hope of realising his long-held dream of securing dominance in the Balkans - However, the assault was a disaster
• What did Germany do in April 1941?

  - To prevent the failure of the fascist attack in the Mediterranean arena, Germany invaded Yugoslavia- They completed the conquest of Greece within a month
• What happened on 20th May 1941?

  Crete was attacked by Germany and its gov surrendered within 8 days
• What was the outcome of German attacks on Malta?

  Malta resisted sustained German attacks, and due to its great strategic importance to the Allies, was awarded the George Cross by Britain
• What became under threat when Japan joined the war on the side of the Axis Powers?

  Western colonial possessions in the Far East
• How did Britain respond to the threat to its colonial possessions in the Far East?

  British colonial troops from across the empire were deployed to defend its colonies, especially Burma, Britain's longest campaign of the war
• What was the outcome of Japanese invasions of the Far East?

  - Many islands in the Philippines fell following Japanese invasions in the first half of 1942- New Guinea also fell in 1943- US submarine warfare was increasingly used to disrupt Japanese shipping, and by 1943, the Japanese were in retreat
• What happened on 17th September 1939?

  The USSR invaded Poland from the east, thus enacting the secret clause of the Nazi-Soviet Pact (the division of Poland)
• What was the outcome of the USSR's invasion of Poland 1939?

  - Poland's army was ill-equipped, and the British and French invasion of Germany that the Poles had hoped for never materialised- The country ultimately fell to the USSR and Warsaw surrendered on 27th September 1939
• When was the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Demarcation signed?

  28th September 1939
• What did the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Demarcation 1939 say?

  The Germans and Russians agreed how to divide up Poland into their respective spheres of influence
• What did the Nazi-Soviet Pact allow Stalin to do in October 1939?

  - Establish a sphere of influence in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, states on the USSR's western border which had declared their independence from Russia between 1918 and 1920- Stalin was determined to match the Tsarist possessions in Eastern Europe, and by Oct 1939, the Red Army had overthrown their independent govs
• What was the "Red Army"?

  The land military forces of the Soviet Union
• What had the success of the German Wehrmacht at the start of the war proved about the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

  - That it had been a necessary and prudent precaution- By contrast, the Red Army's operations were far less effective