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Author / Mark Callagher
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Focus Questions
1. What explains the inactivity of the Allies in the first six months of the war?2. Why did Germany invade Denmark and Norway?
3. Why was Churchill asked to take over as British Prime Minister?
4. How important was the evacuation at Dunkirk?
5. Why was France defeated so easily?
Russia’s Actions
The USSR had joined the war on 17 September 1939 when Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland, as agreed in the Nazi-Soviet Pact.By November they had occupied 20,000 km2 of land.
Further north the USSR extended its influence by forcing the small Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to allow Soviet troops onto their soil.
Finland Invaded
In December 1939 the Soviet government demanded territory from Finland and, when the country refused to hand it over, invaded the country.Finland put up stiff resistance and exposed weaknesses in the Soviet Red Army. Although the Finns fought bravely against the odds it took a huge toll.
Finland was forced to sign a peace treaty with the USSR in March 1940 which surrendered 16,000 square miles of its territory. / <caption>”Russian Steamroller” by Illingworth, January 1940</caption>
Expulsion from the League
Many countries were angered by the Soviet attack on Finland, but could not agree on how to help the Finns.The only positive action they took was to expel the USSR from the League of Nations in December 1939. However, by now the League had ceased to operate as an effective forum. / <caption>“First Casualty” by David Low, 27 February 1940</caption>
Phoney War
The first six winter months of the war were noted by the inactivity of the allies. It became known as the Phoney War.
France
· Approximately 2 million French troops dug in along the Belgian border and behind the Maginot Line and waited for the German Army.
Britain
· Britain’s first move was to air drop pamphlets on Germany.
· In support of France they sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) of approximately 250,000 soldiers to join the French on the Belgian border
The inactivity of the Allies was dubbed a “sitskrieg”
British Preparation
Britain used this time to increase production and preparation with its British Commonwealth Allies.Plans were laid to make Canada a centre of intensified air training for a progressively increasing number of pilots from the British Dominions, with corresponding expansion of the production of aircraft for the Royal Air Force. / <caption>“Now for a new transatlantic record” by Low, 28 December 1939</caption>
Fall of Denmark and Norway
Iron Ore SuppliesGermany imported most of its vital iron ore supplies from northern Sweden. It was shipped to Germany directly from Sweden via the Baltic Sea. But when the Baltic froze over in winter it had to be shipped via Norwegian ports.
The British Navy controlled the Norwegian coast. In April 1940 the British laid mines to threaten German ships carrying the vital iron ore. / <caption>Map of Scandinavia – early 1940</caption>
Germany Invades
Germany decided to remove the mine threat by invading Norway via Denmark.German Paratroopers were dropped in Norway to secure landing strips. From there a full scale air invasion occurred.
German ships also landed large numbers of troops and equipment / <caption>Map of German invasion of Norway, April 1940</caption>
British Response
The British had been caught by surprise. The Royal Navy engaged German land targets on the Norwegian Coast and landed British troops. The exercise ultimately failed as the Germans had dug in.The British had to endure a humiliating evacuation.
Britain had been too slow to stop the German invasion. Norway had been lost / <caption>HMS Warspite fires on German shore batteries at Narvik, Norway</caption>
Churchill Takes Over
Chamberlain resignsChamberlain and his government had been humiliated over the Norwegian debacle.
The failure led to a debate in the British Parliament which called for:
· better direction
· better leadership
As a result the Government resigned and Chamberlain stepped down as Prime Minister.
Churchill recommended
Chamberlain recommended that Churchill take over. He was the popular choice of the British public, Conservative Government and opposition parties. However there were some doubts about his past recklessness. Churchill had been responsible for previous debacles:
· Failed Gallipoli campaign in World War I
· The attempted Norwegian landing the previous month / <caption>Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty (head of the Royal Navy) when asked to take over as Prime Minister </caption>
The War Leader
Churchill replaced Chamberlain on 10th May 1940 and immediately brought a new vigour and drive to the war effort.In his inauguration speech to parliament he said “I have nothing to offer you but blood, toil, tears and sweat….”
Britain now had what it needed: a genuine “War Leader”. / <caption>“All behind you, Winston” by Low, 14 May 1940</caption>
Western Europe Invaded
The same day that Churchill took over as British Prime Minister, Germany launched Blitzkrieg against the Netherlands, Belgium Luxembourg and France.
Play this Animation to follow the events of the invasion:
include
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwtwo_map_fall_france/index.shtml
width>715</width>
height>520</height>
</include>
Evacuation of Dunkirk
After the Maginot Line was bypassed by German Panzer tanks, which attacked through the 'impassable' Ardennes forest, the Germans circled north and surrounded the Allied armies in Belgium centred on the coastal town of Dunkirk.Approximately half a million Allied forces including most of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) were trapped. / <caption>Allied forces trapped by German forces in Belgium</caption>
The Rescue Operation
The British admiral, Bertrand Ramsay was to conduct the rescue operation. It was Ramsay who decided to use civilian boats and freighters in the rescue operation, called Operation Dynamo because Ramsay set up headquarters in a place that had housed a diesel-driven dynamo.For nine days the boats travelled to and from Dunkirk and each time British and French soldiers watched out to meet them as they arrived. The Nazis dive-bombed and shelled the boats, but didn't attack with tanks until the last day of Operation Dynamo, and no one knows why, because they could have prevented the rescue operation from continuing. / <caption>British soldiers wading out to be rescued</caption>
The Miracle of Dunkirk
Before the evacuation began the British Cabinet was told that only 50,000 men could be saved. However, In total 340,000 soldiers were rescued. (200,000 British and 140,000 French).Over a thousand vessels, including Royal Navy destroyers and a flotilla of smaller boats of every shape and size, had taken part in the rescue.
It was celebrated as one of the greatest rescues of all time. / <caption>Evacuating soldiers with German bombing in the background</caption>
British view of Dunkirk
A British soldier tells of what he saw when he reached the beaches:“Most of the men were exhausted. Snake-like lines of men stretched from the sand dunes to the water’s edge. When there was an air attack everyone ran for cover. Mostly, the troops just dived into the water, up to their necks. They would then fire their rifles at the planes. The bombs fell, machine gun fire swept the beaches. In a few seconds the raids were over. A number of British soldiers would not be needing transport to England.” / <caption>Lines of Allied Soldiers waiting to evacuate</caption>
German view of Dunkirk
A German fighter pilot wrote:“I hated Dunkirk. It was just cold-blooded killing. The beaches were jammed with soldiers. I went up and down spraying them with bullets.” / caption>Not everyone was rescued. These British prisoners are marched off to POW camps</caption>
Churchill Defiant
Winston Churchill was famous for his speeches which spurred on the British public.One of his most famous speeches:
Winmedia
File / churchill fight on beaches.wav
Path / C:\Documents and Settings\Mark Callagher\My Documents\History\PPT WW2\
Width / 75
Height / 42
Autostart / True
Align / Left
Long description
Caption / Churchill: "..we will never surrender."
Link to player / False
/ <caption>“To fight another day” by Low, June 1940</caption>
Dunkirk Animation
Play this Animation if you want to follow the events of Dunkirk further:
include
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwtwo_movies/index.shtml
width>715</width>
height>520</height>
</include>
France Defeated
After the Allied evacuation at Dunkirk Germany then turned its attention to finishing France off. Paris surrendered on June 14. The Wehrmacht parade through Paris was on the same route as the victorious French Army after World War I
<caption>German troops marching into Paris, June 14 1940</caption> / <caption>A Frenchman weeps as German soldiers march through the French capital, Paris</caption>Italy Joins in
Under the Pact of Steel Italy and Germany had an agreement to help each other in times of war.Mussolini had been reluctant to join Hitler after the invasion of Poland had begun.
· He feared fighting alone in the Mediterranean against the British and French
· His advisers had argued that Italy was not well enough equipped to go to war
However watching Germany’s successes was too much for Mussolini. He did not want Italy to miss out on the spoils of war.
· France was almost defeated
· The war might be over if Britain made peace with Germany
So Italy declared war on Britain and France on the 10th June. The Dunkirk evacuation had ended on the 4th June. Mussolini had waited until victory was assured. / <caption>“Buck Benito rides again” by Herblock 1940</caption>
Surrender signed
France finally surrendered on 22 June 1940. They were forced to sign a humiliating surrender in the same rail carriage as that used when Germany signed the Armistice at the end of World War I. Hitler attended the French surrender. He had the rail carriage blown up after the surrender was signed. / caption>Hitler after the French surrender. The rail carriage is in the background</caption>Hitler in Paris
To Hitler the surrender of France was the ultimate victory. He had become very bitter when lying in a hospital bed was told of the signing of the German armistice (surrender) ending World War I.France had humiliated his beloved Germany with the Versailles Treaty. Now the Treaty had been well and truly shredded. / <caption>Hitler sightseeing in Paris</caption>
Vichy & Occupied France
Vichy FranceA French Government was set up with its capital in Vichy. The Vichy government was to co-operate with German demands.
Occupied France
The rest of France remained occupied by German troops. French patriots had to either flee the country or resist secretly. / <caption>Vichy France and Occupied France</caption>
Reasons for the French Defeat
Although many have attributed Germany’s rapid conquest of France to simple weakness of France’s armed forces, this conclusion is incorrect.France’s military at the time was actually larger and more technologically advanced than Germany’s. In fact, before the invasion, a number of senior German military leaders felt strongly that Germany was unprepared to take on France militarily.
During the invasion, Hitler himself was highly apprehensive and expressed disbelief at his own victories.
Army Organisation:
Army Group (2+ armies)
Army (100,000+)
Division (10,0000 – 20,000)
Battalion (300 – 1000)
Company (60 – 250)
Platoon (25 – 75)
(Note: There are more names such as Corps, Brigade, Regiment…etc) / <caption>Map of Allied Forces and German forces</caption>
Command Structures and Battle Tactics
Although the opposing armies seemed evenly matched, there was a crucial difference in command structures and battle tactics.
The Germans
The Germans had an aggressive battle plan and utilised modern communications such as radio. German tank generals including Heinz Guderian and Erwin Rommel commanded from the front lines, improvising when necessary, and urging their troops onward. Morale was very high.
The Allies
The Allies assumed a defensive, World War I style battle plan centred on the Maginot Line, a string of defensive forts along the French-German border, south of the Ardennes forest, stretching from Luxembourg to Switzerland. Allied generals were usually nowhere near the front and even relied on hand-delivered messages. The high speed mechanised German 'blitzkrieg' continually caught the Allied armies’ off-guard. In many cases, Allied generals ordered troops to defend areas which had already been overtaken by the Germans.
Mistaken Assumptions
Main AttackFrance fell primarily due to mistaken assumptions about how the attack would be carried out. Germany’s advance through the Ardennes Forest was not anticipated, and even when French intelligence received word of it, they took little action because they did not believe that German tanks could make their way through a dense forest.
Thus, the core of the French forces, reinforced by the British, was sent into Belgium, where the main attack was incorrectly expected to take place.
Panic After Breakthrough
The French forces panicked after the German breakthrough in the Ardennes. Many preferred to surrender than fight. They also incorrectly suspected that Fifth Columnists operating in their rear.
Withdrawal to Paris
With the breakthrough and ensuing panic the French troops were ordered to withdraw to protect Paris. This left the troops that had gone north to help Belgium and Holland in a vulnerable position. It made it easier for the Ardennes German force to ignore French troops that had been in front of them and to swing north to trap the Allied armies. / <caption>German attack plan</caption>
Summary
· Russia attacked and defeated Finland in early 1940
· Britain and France did little very little in the first six months of the war. They took a defensive stance behind the Maginot line
· Germany successfully defeated Denmark and Norway to secure iron ore supplies from neutral Sweden
· Winston Churchill took over as Prime Minister of Britain
· Germany attacked and defeated the Allies using a superior attack plan against France and more modern and aggressive blitzkrieg tactics
· The bulk of the British Expeditionary Force along with a large number of French soldiers were successfully evacuated to Britain from Dunkirk
· Italy joined the attack on France once victory was assured
· While the French signed a humiliating surrender Churchill was defiant and promised to fight on