Axis Aggression
***
***
You know aggression when you see it. It is when someone, or even a country, uses force to get what they want. Bullies use aggression in school all too often in many different ways.
When it is countries being aggressive it might involve one country violating by force the rights of another country, particularly its rights to its own land. It can involve an attack or invasion that is carried out because of the greed of the attacking country.
Germans invading the Soviet Union - 1941
Aggression By Germany in Europe
******************************
German Invasion of Poland
(European area of war) September 1st, 1939
Map of Invasion of Poland
Map of Invasion of Poland
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War was an invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union that marked the start of World War II in Europe. In a defensive war you say you are doing it because someone attacked you first, and this is what Germany said had happened, but it was a lie.
Germany did not want to be blamed for starting the war, so they got some dead bodies from one of their Concentration Camps.
They then went to a radio station in Germany right on the border with Poland. They dressed the bodies in Polish uniforms and spread them around. Then they pretended like they were the Polish attacking the radio station.
Gleiwitz radio station where the Germans faked an attack
The next day, on September 1st, 1939, the Nazis invaded Poland.
Germans taking a rest while they are invading
They did not do it alone. Even though the Germans hated the Communists in The Soviet Union they had made a secret agreement with the Soviets to attack and split up Poland. Germany came from the West on September 1st, and the USSR ( Soviets) came from the East 16 days later.
The arrows show where each side came from, and how far they went. the flags show who came from which side. The red line shows where they had agreed to stop. Why would either side make this agreement if they knew they would be fighting each other soon???
It would prove to be a short war, as the Germans had completed their victory by October 6th, 1939 (That was only 35 days.).Germany would take over the Western part of Poland, and the USSR would take over the Eastern part.
Germany was able to do this so quickly because they used a new way of war called Blitzkrieg. It is when you send your planes over an enemy, and your fast moving tanks through and around them. Then your foot soldiers follow. Blitzkrieg means “Lightening War” because it moves so fast.
Map showing how Poland was divided
Germany was able to do this so quickly because they used a new way of war called Blitzkrieg. It is when you send your planes over an enemy, and your fast moving tanks through and around them. Then your foot soldiers follow. Blitzkrieg means “Lightening War” because it moves so fast.
German planes, tanks,and soldiers working together in a blitzkrieg attack
The sad thing is what happened in Poland after the fighting was over. The way the Germans thought and would act was supported by something their leader, Hitler, said before the attack was started.
German soldiers cutting the beard of a Jewish man. It was part of their religious beliefs that they were to have beards. Why do YOU think the Germans did this?
William (Welek) Luksemburg's Story
Welek around 2000
Welek after WW II in 1947
Click on THIS to hear Welek tell the story of what he experienced the first night of the invasion.
When the war was over six years later 2,700,000 Jews who were alive in Poland when the war started had been murdered. That is 90%.
Poland: The skull symbols show where the Germans had extermination camps where they took Jews to murder them
German Invasion of France and Capture of Paris: May, 1940
Adolph Hitler had planned to invade other countries in Europe, and wanted to do it right after winning in Poland. However it did not work out that way. The Invasion of those other countries had to wait. Then it happened fast. The Germans went into The Netherlands (Holland) and Belgium in May of 1940.
The arrows show the paths followed by the Germans
The reason they did it this way was so they could get to France by going around the French forts instead of through them. Again they used their Blitzkrieg plan.
France's capital of Paris was captured by the Germans on 14 June, 1940. On 22 June, an agreement to surrender was signed between France and Germany.
This is how the German celebrated:
This is how the French people felt when the Germans arrived
Battle of Britain: July 10th – October 31st, 1940
Once the Germans defeated France they set their sites on Great Britain. This picture shows what a German bombardier (person whose job was to decide when and where to drop the bombs) would have seen as they were deciding where to drop their bombs.
The Germans had planes less than 25 miles from England at bases in captured France. They had bases in other areas of Europe they had captured, including Denmark and Norway. They were close enough to hit many targets in Great Britain .
Great Britain (United Kingdom) is on the left. The red arrows show the paths the Germans used when attacking. The small red shape are places where the Germans had their planes.
The British leader, Winston Churchill, gave a speech to encourage his people where he said:
First the Germans tried to hurt Great Britain by bombing places called docks where ships brought supplies for the people and the army (Clip from movie showing this.). They thought that if they did this it would stop those supplies from coming in, and Great Britain would be weak when the Germans invaded with soldiers on foot. It caused a lot of damage, but did not work.
British docks (where ships come in and out) that have been hot by German bombs
Next the Germans tried to go after the British Fighter Plane Bases and Radar Bases (Radar was a tool that let the British see the Germans coming WAY before they got there.). They did this because those were the weapons that were allowing the British to keep stopping the German planes from having total success. The planes would have fights in the air called “dog fights.” (Clip showing a dogfight from a movie) This clip shows an actual dogfight, with a German pilot jumping out of his plan after getting it shot up.)
British pilots running to their planes to go shoot down Germans
Eventually they would engage in “Terror Bombing” against the people living in London. That part was called “The Blitz.”
In the end the British did not give up, and the Germans stopped their attacks by air on October 31st, 1940, and never attacked by land.
Winner??? - Great Britain!
