HISTORY T1 Flashcards
What was appeasement?
Policy adapted by British and French governments towards the aggressive actions of Germany and Italy in the 1930s. “Britain appeased German demands for territorial expansion over Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938”
What was the Munich Conference?
Conference held to settle the question of German territorial demands- September 1938. Chamberlain appeased Hitler’s demands and Germany was given control of the Sudetenland.
What was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact?
Also know as the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact, this agreement in late August 1939 allowed Germany to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention. The deal partitioned Poland between Germany and the USSR.
What happened on September 1st 1939?
Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on September the 3rd. The USSR also invaded Poland two weeks later. Britain and France did not go to war with the USSR. By the end of 1939, Germany and the USSR had annexed half of Poland each.
What was the ‘Phoney War’?
The ‘Phoney War’ was a period between December 1939 and April 1940 where very little happened between the opposing forces.
What occurred immediately after the ‘Phoney War’?
The ‘Phoney War’ ended when Germany invaded northwards to Denmark and Norway from 9 April-10 June 1940. Germany invaded westwards to Belgium, Holland (the Netherlands), and Luxembourg on 10 May.
What happened at Dunkirk?
340,000 allied soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk in early June due to France’s surrender to the German invaders.
What happened during the Invasion of France?
Germany invaded France on the 12th of May 1940, using more blitzkrieg tactics. They managed to go around the massive French defensive positions (the Maginot Line). When the Germans pushed towards the French coast, 400,000 allied soldiers were trapped at Dunkirk. Hitler halted the advance out of concern for the condition of the German fast-moving tanks. France lost 40% of its army and 80% of its military equipment and surrendered on June 22nd.
What was the situation in Italy at the time?
Mussolini didn’t want Hitler to achieve all of the glory and territory, and so declared war on France and Britain on the 10 June 1940. After this Italian forces invaded the south of nearly-defeated France.
What were the origins of the Battle of Britain?
After France’s surrender, Hitler wanted to defeat Britain in order to secure the whole of western Europe. In order to do this however, Germany needed to destroy Britain’s air force so that Operation Sealion, the naval invasion of Britain, could proceed. Herman Goering, the commander of the Luftwaffe believed that a large number of high quality German aircraft and skilled pilots could gain control of the skies.
What happened during the Battle of Britain?
Between July and October 1940, the Luftwaffe sent wave after wave of fighters and bombers across the English channel. The RAF had the job of repelling these German attackers. This was the first battle fought entirely in the air.
How did Britain win the Battle of Britain?
The Luftwaffe first tried to destroy RAF airfields, as they had successfully done in earlier attacks elsewhere. However, the RAF had developed radar technology and so they could launch their aircraft into the air before the German planes arrived. The Hurricane and Spitfire fighters were also superior to all German fighters (except the Messerschmitt 109). The RAF had also been organised into regional ‘rapid response’ sections, which gave it great flexibility when dealing with German attacks. The RAF pilots could also stay longer in the air before refuelling, as the Luftwaffe fighters had to use fuel to cross the English Channel and reach Britain before engaging in battle and so only had 30 minutes combat before having to go home. And also if RAF pilots were shot down and bailed out safely, they could be back in the air withing hours, whereas German pilots who bailed out after being shot down ended up in prisoner-of-war camps
What were the results of the Battle of Britain?
Luftwaffe aircraft losses were 1,660 against the RAF losses of 1,116. In September 1940, the Germans switched to bombing British cities rather than the aircraft fields. However this would prove to be a fatal mistake for the Germans, because at this time the RAF was almost at its breaking point, and so if they had kept up their assault on the airfields, there is no doubt that the RAF would have been defeated, and Britain could have been invaded by Operation Sealion. The German bombing of British cities was also an unsuccessful attempt to break the morale of the British public.
What happened during the Italian invasion of Egypt?
Italian troops attacked British troops in North Africa and Egypt in September 1940. After some early successes, the Italian forces were defeated. Hitler sent the Afrika Korps, led by the brilliant general Erwin Rommel, to prevent the collapse of his Italian ally.
What happened during the Italian invasion of Greece?
Mussolini invaded Greece in October 1940, as he was still worried that his ally Germany was gaining all of the territory. However, Hitler had advised Mussolini not to invade, as he believed that the Italian army was not ready, and because he knew that the Greeks would likely fight to the death to defend their country. Mussolini ignored this advice. Within a week, his troops had been pushed out of Greece and back into Albania, where they spent the next several months fighting for survival.
