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THE BATTLES OF WWII
The Battle of Britain The Invasion of Russia
& Pearl Harbor
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN After the fall of France, Britain was left
to battle Germany alone However, the powerful British Navy
protected then from attack Hitler planned to invade Britain
(Operation Sea Lion) but realized the only way this was possible was if Germany could control the skies above the English Channel
Therefore, the German Air Force began to attack Britain in an attempt to destroy the British Air Force
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN PART 2 The Battle of Britain was fought only in
the Air The first time Canadians saw action in
the war British won with the help of RADAR and
new Spitfire fighter planes Operation Sea Lion was scrapped and
Britain was safe However, Hitler continued to attack
Britain by invading British Colonies in North Africa
THE INVASION OF RUSSIAOPERATION BARBAROSSA Although Hitler has a pact with Russia,
he decides to invade them He is driven by his hate for communism
and Jews and his quest for more natural resources and living space (Lebensraum) for the German people
The plan was delayed by 3 months because Germany was forced to help the Italians in Greece
Started on June 22, 1941
THE INVASION OF RUSSIAOPERATION BARBAROSSA PART II Hitler believed that Russia was “a house with rotten
wood, If you kick in the door, the whole place would collapse”
In the early stages, the Nazis scored amazing victories, however, they were stopped before the reached Moscow, the Soviet Capital.
Russia’s enormous size, horrible weather and vast amount of people gave them an advantage over Germany
Also, Joseph Stalin (the leader of the USSR) was willing to sacrifice anything to win and forced millions into military service (even women)
Russian soldiers who retreated or failed were killed, Russians who were captured without injury faced death if they came home
IN THE PACIFIC Japan continues its
march through China
On Dec 7, 1941, Japan launches a full scale attack in every direction
They attacked islands in the pacific, Hong Kong (a British colony) and into Indochina (modern day Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos)
THE BATTLE OF HONG KONG Hong Kong was a British colony in
Southern China Britain knew that if Japan attacked there
would be no hope However, the British did not want to
leave the colony without putting up a fight
Therefore, the British government requested help from the Canadian Army
2000 Canadians were sent
HONG KONG PART II The Japanese attacked with a force of over 20,000 men
and soon overwhelmed the British and Canadian defenders.
Although the Canadians fought bravely, they suffered heavy casualties and were forced to surrender when Hong Kong's government fell.
At Hong Kong, the Japanese routinely tortured and killed prisoners and civilians
On Christmas day, 1941, the Japanese murdered dozens of nurses, doctors and wounded soldiers in a military hospital(The Christmas Day Massacre)
Canadians who were captured were sent back to Japan to work as slave laborers. They were denied proper food and medical care. Few of these men lived to see the end of the war.
PEARL HARBOR Dec 7, 1941, the Japanese also attack the
American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawai'i
Japanese bombers and fighters from aircraft carriers destroy many American warships and kill thousands of people
Japan was hoping to destroy the American Navy in one stroke in order to rule the pacific region
Germany declares war on the USA in support of Japan
The USA officially enters WWII
KEY POINTS Germany is defeated at the Battle of
Britain(only air planes, Canada’s first combat)
German attacks North Africa Germany invades Russia but is stopped
outside Moscow Japan attacks in every direction Japan hits Pearl harbor (USA enters war) Japan hits Hong Kong (Canada’s first
ground combat. Canadians are tortured, killed and captured)
