World War II Begins!

1. World War II Begins!

2. French Refugees Taking only what they could carry, civilians flee Paris in 1940 in anticipation of the German invasion.

3. Evacuation - "miracle" of Dunkirk German army pushed into France but waits near outskirts of Dunkerque. This allows the evacuation of as many troops as possible. All equipment and weapons had to be left behind. Navy ships began to take waiting troops off the beaches. Ships, ports, and beaches came under attack. Even small civilian boats were sent across to help take men directly off the beaches.

4. Miracle at Dunkirk

6. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was determined that Britain would not be demoralised by the defeat. “We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender”

7. In May 1940, the Germans attacked France. The Germans had superior numbers of aircraft and an invasion plan. The blitzkrieg sent French forces into a confused retreat, and as the Germans marched into Paris on June 14, the French government collapsed. France Falls! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ1fSRzVCys&feature=related

9. German Blitzkreig Dominates

10. The Bombing of Britain In Summer of 1940, the German Luftwaffe hit London with the Blitz, with bombing raids on the capital and dog-fights in its sky during the Battle of Britain.

11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO5LYRXMIQI&feature=related

13. Turning Point: Pearl Harbour Sunday, December 7, 1941, a surprise attack by Japanese aircraft at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor naval base. The USS Arizona was destroyed along with many other naval vessels and a large number of aircraft. Almost 3000 were killed

14. United States Declares War “a date which will live in infamy.”

15. Japanese Aggression in Pacific After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese took over the Philippines, Indochina, Taiwan, and many other Pacific islands.

16. Turning Points: Africa and Italy Operation Overlord (D-Day), 1944 Invasion of Sicily and Italy, 1943 Operation Torch, 1942-43 El Alamein, 1942-43

17. Turning Point: Stalingrad During the fall and early winter of 1941, German armored divisions had captured hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops But by the first week of December, snow began falling, and temperatures plunged to -40° C (-40° F). The German soldiers, not dressed for winter weather, were freezing and losing their will to fight. Their equipment also froze, becoming useless. The Russian winter finally accomplished what its military had failed to do: It halted the German offensive. Results: 90% of the city was in ruins 90,000 German soldiers surrender – Germans pushed back for first time!

18. Invasion of Italy Italy might withdraw from war. Force Adolf Hitler to send troops from the Eastern Front and help to relieve pressure on Russia .

19. “The Soft Underbelly”

20. Addressing Canadian Troops in Sicily

21. Liberation of Sicily! The capture of the island made it possible to clear the way for Allied shipping in the Mediterranean. It also helped to undermine the power of fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini.

22. Canadian Armour Passing Through Ortona

23. Street Fighting in Ortona

24. Advancing Through City Streets

25. Canadian Sherman Tank Empty Casings Destroys buildings or areas where German soldiers were hiding

26. Destruction of Buildings

27. To defend against snipers and hidden soldiers, buildings were destroyed. Grenades and bombs were dropped through the roof after it was demolished

28. http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactive/italian_campaign/index.htmlhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/interactive/italian_campaign/index.html • The once pisturesque ancient village was reduced to rubble. Canadian and German troops clash daily, in bitter, house-to-house fighting. Snipers, booby traps and land mines were a constant threat as every building gained brought about a terrible cost in blood. • The capture of Ortona was described as “the courtyard of hell.“ Known to those who fought it as the "Italian Stalingrad", is considered among Canada's greatest victories during the war. Click below for audio of Canadian soldiers’ accounts, describing the building to building, bitter street fighting.

29. Invasion of Italy! Mussolini’s body hung upside down for public viewing Allied soldiers at foot of Monte Cassino In 1945, Mussolini attempted to escape to Switzerland, only to be captured and executed by Communist Italians. His body was taken to Milan where it was hung upside down at a petrol station for public viewing.

30. Operation Overlord D-Day invasions at Normandy, France June 6th 1944 Massive allied invasion Canada lands at Juno Beach – 14,000 soldiers Arrive to find the German breakfast is still warm!

31. The Atlantic Wall -2,400 miles of fortifications made up of concrete bunkers, barbed wire, tank ditches, landmines, fixed gun emplacements, and beach and underwater obstacles. These obstacles were specially designed to rip out the bottoms of landing craft or blow them up before they reached the shore.

32. More than 150,000 men, a fleet of 5,000 ships and landing craft, 50,000 vehicles, and 11,000 planes were ready to secretly cross the English Channel. This force was the largest armada in history!

33. D-Day: Operation Overlord On June 6, 1944, a force of about 152,000 Allied soldiers from the United States, Britain, and Canada stormed the beaches of Normandy in northern France, where they were supported by about 23,000 paratroopers.

34. "In wartime, truth is so precious that she must always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." Winston Churchill, 1943 This 25-pound gun and its carriage were made from plywood Deception strategies to convince the Germans that an invasion would indeed take place-but not at Normandy. Fake invasion site was Calais, located at the narrowest part of the English Channel, only 22 miles from Britain.

35. Military Decoy Fake tanks, trucks, and rubber landing craft

36. The Allies built phony armies, complete with dummy planes, ships, tanks, and jeeps. With the help of British and American motion picture crews, they created entire army bases that would look authentic to German reconnaissance aircraft. These "bases" gave the impression of a massive Allied buildup in preparations for an invasion of France at Calais. A Sherman tank made from inflatable rubber The ruse worked. Hitler ordered a heavy concentration of troops and artillery in the Pas de Calais region. He left Normandy less heavily defended.

37. Thousands of Paratroopers dropped into Europe Many killed as they dropped or hit by anti-aircraft fire before jumping New technology Attacked inland while D-Day invasions approached from the sea

38. Battle of the Bulge • The Battle of the Bulge which lasted from December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945 was thelargest landbattle of World War II in which theUnited States participated. More than a million men fought in this battle including some 600,000 Germans, 500,000 Americans, and 55,000 British. • At the conclusion of the battle the casualties were as follows: 81,000 U.S. with 19,000 killed, 1400 British with 200 killed, and 100,000 Germans killed, wounded or captured.

39. On August 25th, 1944 the Allied forces had liberated France and began pushing German forces back. Canada lost 340 at Juno, 574 wounded

40. VE-DAY, May 8, 1945 Winston Churchill acknowledges crowd on VE-Day. VE Day marks the day of the Allies’ victory in Europe during World War II. After 3½ years of war, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally in 1945.