THE INVASION OF POLAND: Sept. 1, 1939

The USSR also invaded on Sept. 17, taking eastern Poland.
Hitler based his attack on the right to reoccupy the Danzig Corridor, part of Germany given to Poland after WWI.
 

The Phoney War From Sept. '39 to April, 1940:
Called "Sitzkrieg" or "sitting war" because both sides prepared for war with no real fighting.

Hitler Invades Western Europe: April, 1940
Norway and Denmark are occupied.
Holland & Belgium are attacked: The Low Countries fall to Germany in May, 1940.
France gives in to Germany in June, 1940.

THE FALL OF FRANCE:

France is forced to sign a humiliating armistice. Thousands of British soldiers are evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in North France.
De Gaulle heads a government-in-exile in London.
Marshall Henri Petain leads a puppet government in France.
Southern France continues to be unoccupied, called Vichy France because of its capital city. Britain left alone to fight against the Axis Powers.

[Events in Europe 1919-1939]   [Before America's Entry]   [America Reacts]   [Moving Towards War]  
[WW2 Begins in Europe]   [Identifications]   [Matching Activity]   [Key Terms]
[WW2 Index]

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