The First Battles of

World War II

What invasion caused WWII?When?Who?

Invade PolandWar!

War!

Surrender

The Invasion of Poland

• On Sept. 17, Soviet Army attacks

Poland from the East (part of the

secret “Nazi-Soviet Pact”)

• Polish Army is crushed by the

German Blitzkrieg

Result?Poland is divided into three parts

1. Incorporated into the Soviet Union

2. Incorporated into Germany (Poles are removed)

3. General Government: Controlled by Germany, A place for the Poles to live, also used for slave labor, concentration camps and natural resources

NAZI POWER IN POLAND

• Racism (Poles suffered physically and emotionally)• A special group of the S.S.

(Einsatzgruppen) were sent into to destroy unwanted

elements of the Polish population

• They travelled behind the army, searched for and

killed government officials, communists and Jews

SITZKRIEG –THE PHONEY WAR• SITZKREIG MEANS: WARFARE MARKED BY A LACK OF

AGGRESSION OR PROGRESS. Rather than attacking Germany, the British and French prepare for WWI style battles

They rely on fortifications & trenches and simply wait for the Germans to attack first

Germany uses this time to go after the weaker countries of Europe

They capture Norway, Holland, Denmark and Belgium

The Nazis oppress these people install dictatorships

The Invasion of France

Ardennes Forest

MAY 121940

WHEN?

RESULT OF INVASION

• France surrenders – Northern France is controlled by Germany, Southern France is still controlled by the French in exchange for becoming and ally of Germany (The Vichy Regime) {Germans play puppet with Vichy/Southern France}

THE MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK

After the French surrendered, the British Army was outnumbered and retreated to the coast city of Dunkirk.The odds of making it to England successfully? NOT GOOD

WINSTON CHURCHILL RALLIES THE BRITISH

THE MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK

British army got men from Dunkirk to England (using the English Channel): Picked up soldiers and fought off Germans. The British Army was saved from destruction!

Fun Facts

• During the thunderous applause following his famous ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ speech to the House of Commons in 1940, Winston Churchill whispered to a colleague, “And we’ll fight them with the butt ends of broken beer bottles because that’s bloody well all we’ve got!”

Fun Facts

Fun Facts• When photographer Yousef Karsh took a photo of

Winston Churchill, Yousef took the cigar straight from Churchill’s mouth and thus the facial reaction of the this photo…

• Winston Churchill, after being told that he could not drink in front of Saudi King due to the King’s religious beliefs, said “my religion prescribed an absolute sacred rite smoking cigars and drinking alcohol before, after, and if need be during all meals and the intervals between them.” 

Fun Facts

• Lady Astor, the first female British MP, was constantly at odds with British PM Winston Churchill. During a debate, she declared that if married to him, she’d have poisoned his tea. Churchill responded ‘Madam, if I was your husband, I would drink it.’

Fun Facts

ThugLife

#WaybackWednesday Poland is taken by the Nazis

and the Soviets The Nazis capture most of

western Europe The Nazis defeat France and

France is forced to join Germany

The British Army is saved at Dunkirk and Britain promises to fight to the end

Winston Churchill is awesome!