CHAPTER FOUR

Timeline: Battles of the Second World War

Refer to the Student Workbook p.96-106

Complete the notes for each “battle” of the Second World War.The battles here are presented along chronological lines, not according to locale.

BATTLE: THE INVASION OF POLAND / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: /
______.
______allowed the Germans to sweep through Poland with little resistance.
Canada was not ______to go to war, but chose to do so a week after Britain’s declaration.
WHERE:
WHAT: The Germans invaded Poland using ______.
OUTCOME: ______and ______declared war on Germany. ______declaration followed a week later.
BATTLE: THE PHONY WAR / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN:
WHERE:
WHAT: It was expected that Germany was going to invade ______.
OUTCOME: Germany did not invade due to ______.
BATTLE: EVACUATION OF DUNKIRK / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / A few weeks later, France surrendered to ______.
WHERE:
WHAT: British and French troops retreated to the French beaches at ______and became ______.
OUTCOME: ______sailed from England and rescued ______soldiers.
BATTLE: THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / The use of radar and the German cipher machine (the Engima) contributed to Britain’s power in the airs.
Hitler’s change in tactics in response to Churchill’s bombing of Berlin likely cost him the war.
WHERE:
WHAT: Air attacks by the ______on Britain’s ______
OUTCOME: Hitler eventually abandoned air attacks on the airfields and ordered daylight bombing raids on London. This allowed Britain’s forces to regroup and later win the battle.
BATTLE: THE INVASION OF THE SOVIET UNION / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / Hitler invaded the Soviet Union to fulfill his vision of ______and to destroy communism.
WHERE:
WHAT: Hitler launched an invasion called “______” with 3 million German troops.
OUTCOME: The Germans advanced but were stopped just outside of Moscow for now.
BATTLE: PEARL HARBOUR / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / Canada declared war against Japan and Canadian troops were sent to fight in Hong Kong.
WHERE:
WHAT: The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base.
OUTCOME:
BATTLE: THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / The American fleet sank the best units of Japanese naval aviation (aircraft carriers).
WHERE:
WHAT: The Americans intercepted the Japanese fleet which was preparing to conquer these islands.
OUTCOME:
BATTLE: DIEPPE / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / More Canadian troops died in these few hours than on any other day in the war.
Allies learned that heavy air and sea support would be necessary for any future invasion of France.
WHERE:
WHAT: ______landed on the beach with the goal of taking the beach and the town back from the Germans.
OUTCOME:
BATTLE: BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / This victory was a turning point in the war. It was the first time the Allies had defeated the forces of the fascist countries.
WHERE:
WHAT: The Germans and the Italians sought control of Egypt.
OUTCOME:
BATTLE: BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / The Royal Canadian Navy provided much of the protection for merchant ships.
2,000 members of the Canadian Navy lost their lives in combat.
Many Canadians also served by manning the freighters that transported material to Europe.
WHERE:
WHAT: Germany wanted to cut off all Allied supplies to Britain; British and Canadian navies wanted to put an end to the German submarine threat.
TECHNOLOGY USED:
OUTCOME: The Allies beat the German submarines, “______”, by dropping bombs and ______.
BATTLE: THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD / SO WHAT?
(Canadian Involvement / Significance)
WHEN: / This victory was an enormous boost in morale for the Allied forces.
After this battle,
WHERE:
WHAT: Hitler attacked Stalingrad because of its name, and to go past it to the ______oil fields.
OUTCOME: