Battles of WW2
2
Important Battles of World War 2
September 1st,1939-Hitler invades Poland
-It tooks weeks for the German army to invade Poland
-Hitler took over Poland because the Polish people would not give up the city of Danzig, in Poland- which was considered a "free city." They would not give it up.
-The Germans broke through the Polish border with 2000+ tanks and 1000+ aircrafts.
-The city of Warsaw surrendered on September 27th, 1939.
-Poland remained under German rule until January, 1945
September 15th, 1939-Battle of the Atlantic
September 15th, 1939-Battle of the Atlantic
-The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest, continuous battle of World War 2, lasting the entire war.
-This battle's focus was at sea, with the use of submarines and warships.
-The Germans wanted to get rid of the convoy's that were shipping cruicial (important) supplies to the troops in Europe.
(*What might some of those have been? *)
-Many lives were lost in this long battle, including 70,000 Allied men at sea, including 4600 Canadians.
-Canada joined the war on September 10th, 1939. At first, it's fleet of ships were small, so they went on a massive shipbuilding spree- building smaller warships known as Corvettes.
-The Allies won the war, but at a very high cost, with many dead.
October 31st, 1940- Battle of Britain
-The Battle of Britain was a battle "in the sky" between German (Luftwaffe) and British (Royal Air Force), the largest bombing campaign to that date.
-It was clear that the German Air Force was losing ground
against the superior, trained, and skilled RAF.
-Lives were lost on both ends, but British secured victory,
saving the country from ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces.
December 7th, 1941- Attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7th, 1941- Attack on Pearl Harbor
This event is what caused the USA to join World War 2, after the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Japanese soldiers attacked the Naval Base on Pearl Harbour, in Hawaii. The attack was sudden, (lasting two hours) and horrific (destroying 20 American naval vessels including 8 enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes).
It left mass casualities (2000 dead, 1000 wounded) and spurred the USA into action.
The Blitz- May 10th 1940
The Blitz- May 10th 1940
-On May 10th, Germany unleashed a blitzkrieg, or "lightning war" against the neutral countries of Netherlands and Belgium.
-Germany then reached the English channel, aiming to separate the British and French troops.
-Unknown to them, the British had evactuated more than 250,000 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk.
-The 1st Canadian Infantry division was asked to support British and French troops to fight against the Germans.
-Much of the Blitz was fought in the sky, with the RAF (Royal (British) Air Force) and the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force)
The German's unnleashed "intensive nighttime bomber attacks" on London and other British cities. The British displayed a strong sense of resistence and helped the British and people of North America gain support overseas.
Battle of the Atlantic
Battle of the Atlantic
-This was the longest, continuous battle of World War 2, lasting the entire war.
-This battle occured in the sea, mainly between British (Allied) and German (Axis) forces, in submarines and warships. Canada was a great help in aiding the British soilders.
-The Germans wanted to stop supply ships from delivering crucial supplies to the armed forces in Europe.
*(What might these supplies have been?)*
-The Allies eventually won this victory, but at great cost. More than 70,000 Allied seamen, merchant mariners and airmen lost their lives, including 4,600 Canadians.
Normandy- D Day: June 6th-Aug 21st, 1944
Normandy- D Day: June 6th-Aug 21st, 1944
The Battle of Normandy was one of Canada's greatest achievements.
-The Canadian soilders helped set up the plan to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
- On D-Day, they landed more than 156,000 soldiers — six infantry divisions, plus armoured units — on five beaches along a 100-kilometre coastline and also behind enemy lines. Additionally, the Allied forces had paratroopers that landed on the coast as well.
-Was the largest seaborne invasion in history, and many had no combat experience.
-Allied forces were able to secure the Normandy beachead.
-Although Canadians heavily contributed to the successful battle, again, it came at huge cost. 10,000 casualities, including 359 Canadians.
Canada's Contributions to WW2 and it's search f...
Canada's Contributions to WW2 and it's search for Independance.
Through World War 2, Canada was able to establish itself as a strong country, able to fight well and skillfully. It was thanks to strong soilders on land, air, and sea, that they were able to contribute to our Allied victory.
Canada has always struggled with being in the USA's shadow, and this helped differentiate themselves in being independant.
Take a moment to think with a partner. What did Canada contribute to the war from the information that you learned today?