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The Battle of Britain
The defeat of France in June
1940 left GB alone against Hitler.
Hitler was sure that
GB would ask for peace
The new prime minister Winston Churchill inspired
his people to continue the fight
Hitler’s plan for invasion of GB was called
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sea Lion
The Royal Navy is too strong for a
sea attack
1.
2.
The Wehrmacht is more powerful than theRoyal Army but it is
useless here
3.
Can theLuftwaffe
beat theRAF ?
Eliminate the RAF and the Royal Navy becomes
vulnerable.
In July 1940 the attacks are limited to strategic locations such as ....
•Airfields
•Harbours
•Refineries
At the same time Churchill ordered the bombing of German cities by
Lancasters
This is the first time in the war that the German civilian population is directly
affected by total war.
Goering orders the bombing of cities such as
London
The destruction on both sides is unprecedented.
But the British had
five advantages
This period of bombing is called The Blitz.
1. With the bombing of cities, it is now easier for British aircraft to operate.
2. British fighters, Hurricanes and Spitfires are very maneuverable
3. Radar
4. The distance
5.The British are superior in air
combat called “dog fights”
In October 1940, Hitler
realizes that he has lost the
battle, his first defeat.
Operation Barbarossa
After the Battle of Britain, the Wehrmacht continued its
conquest
In June 1941 Hitler
launched his
invasion of Russia
It is the largest military
operation in history!
Why attack Russia?
1.
To destroy communism
2.
To get agricultural land(lebensraum)
3. To get access to
oil
4.
The Slavs are seen as untermensch, and a source of free labour
Leningrad
Moscow
Stalingrad
Hitler’s 3 targets
At first, the panzers advanced very quickly, traveling up to 80 kilometers per day
The 2 Russian
advantages
1.
Vast territory
1600 km
Moscow
Berlin
The Russians practiced a policy called scorched earth.
As they retreated they left nothing for the invading Germans
German supply lines were long and delays common
2. The cold
The Battle of Stalingrad is long and brutal
Better trained at urban warfare, the Soviets
eventually crushed the Wehrmacht, capturing 70000
soldiers in July 1943.
The Soviets advance towards
Berlin.
Despite huge losses, it is Russia who stops Hitler.
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Number of civilian and military deaths in millions
Russia
China
Germ.
Pol.
Japan
Yug.