1939-1945

After Hitler's rise to power, he made political moves that allowed him to take control of Austria and Czechoslovakia without opposition. After signing treaties with Italy and the Soviet Union, the German military mobilized to begin the invasion of Poland. The modern German Army quickly captured the capital Warsaw. Inaction by France and Britain allowed Germany to attack Poland unopposed. The Polish Army attempted to make a stand in the Southeast Region, but the Soviet invasion from the east quickly defeated Poland.
 * World War II in Europe (timeline and maps may be helpful)**

As the Winter War ended between Russia and Finland, the invasion of Norway began. Norway lasted longer then Poland, but was soon overrun as well. France was next to be invaded. A fast German advance through Belgium prevented British aid to France, resulting in French capitulation and a British evacuation from France. Britain managed to fight off the German Air Force after months of airborne combat.

As Germany took control of Europe, fighting in North Africa tied down British, German, and Italian forces. By now the Balkans and Crete were under German control, but the Germans had a long fight to take Tobruk, and they were turned back at the Battle of El Alamein. German forces in Africa were quickly destroyed once the American forces entered the war and attacked from the west.

Despite warnings of an imminent betrayal, Josef Stalin refused to believe them. Stalin realized his mistake once German units began attacking the Red Army. Despite the surprise, German attacks failed at Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk.

Italy had become dissatisfied with the war, and dropped out when the Allies invaded. German forces continued to fight, but the Allies eventually captured Rome and pushed into the Alps. At the same time, a massive invasion of France forced Germany to defend their borders. At the same time Soviet troops advanced on Berlin, finally capturing it on May 2nd, 1945. Hitler killed himself during the battle for Berlin, and on May 7th, his successor Karl Dönitz surrendered. **Nazi Persecution** Types of people being persecuted  o Jewish o Homosexual o The mentally ill o Roma o Soviets/ communists o Prisoners of war o The physically disabled o Religious dissidents (Jehovah’s witnesses) o Political dissidents o Catholic priests and nuns who helped the Jewish escape o Gypsies  Types of persecution  o Gas chambers o Concentration camps o Mass shootings o Extermination camps - Cruel experimentations  Total death count: approximation  o 11-17 million people

= Jewish and Non-Jewish Resistance = · Armed resistance occurred in over 100 ghettos during the Holocaust · One of the most famous examples of this happening was in the Warsaw ghetto. The year was 1943 and the Jews living there at the time revolted against the German police and SS when they came to take the Jews to Treblinka killing center. Though the Germans were surprised at first, they eventually managed to get the upper hand after a month and were able to deport the Jews to the killing center. · After the conflict, SS and other German officials watched the ruins of the ghetto for months to avoid attacks. Jewish individuals who were resisting the Nazis also continued to hide there · Many Jews ran away from their concentration camps. · Sometimes the situation became violent. At Treblinka in 1943, inmates with stolen weapons went after camp guards. Most of the rebels were killed during the fight and once they had been caught but some escaped and survived the entire war. · A mutiny at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944 left 450 dead during and after the initial fighting, and the 5 women who supplied the rebels with explosives were later executed. · There were many forms of Spiritual Resistance. · Jews attempted to protect their culture by establishing cultural centers. · They observed religious holidays, · They published illegal newspapers. · They provided secret education. · They also recorded what happened in their life and saved it. ·  In Nazi territories, Jewish Palestinians would send paratroopers to help put Jews in hiding. · Underground resistance parties were founded in Belgium, France, Poland, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Slovakia. ·  The Communist, Socialists, and Trade Union Leaders all attempted to resist Nazi Regime. · A group of Social Democratic political officials unsuccessfully tried to assassinate Hitler in 1944. · SS General Reinhard Heydrich was the target of an assassination plot by the exiled Czechoslovakian Government. The plot succeeded, but the assassins were killed, and the entire village where the event occurred was deported. · Many other instances of Political Resistance and Assassination also occurred in Europe at the time, in places like Poland and the Netherlands. · Many church groups opposed the Nazi regime and its policies. · Jehova’s Witnesses would often ignore Nazi policies. For instance, they would not serve in the army and would coordinate illicit study groups in concentration camps even though they were prisoners. ·  Theologian Dietrich Bonheffer was executed in 1945 when he was discovered to have connections with anti-Hitler members of the military. · Carpenter Georg Elser attempted to assassinate Hitler in 1935, but the plot failed when Hitler left the area where Elser planted a bomb. · A group of Roma gypsies refused to leave their barracks to go to a gas chamber in 1944 while they were at Auschwitz. They were armed with axes and knives. The SS backed off.
 * // Jewish Resistance //**
 * **Armed Resistance**
 * **Running Away**
 * **Spiritual Resistance**
 * **Resistance in Nazi Occupied or Allied Countries**
 * // Non-Jewish Resistance //**
 * **Political Resistance/Assassination Plots Against Nazi Party Members**
 * **Religious Resistance**
 * **Individual Resistance**
 * **Other Group Resistance**

= United States =
 * On December 7, 1941 Japan attacked a U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. All this was under the influence of a promise made by Hitler saying that Germany would join the fight and help Japan if they attacked America. All this was because of a year old pact made by Hitler and Japan made to intimidate America and keep them from helping Britain. Under the circumstances of the pact, Germany didn’t have to declare war on America since Japan was the aggressor, not America. Although he didn’t have to, Hitler still declared war on America because he thought it would help his alliance with Japan and also he had heard that Roosevelt was on the verge of declaring war. Now that America and Germany were at war this allowed Germans submarines to attack the America boats protecting Britain. Once Hitler had put the finishing touches on his speech, he declared war and changed everything.


 * Throughout the Holocaust the United States would stay uninvolved the beginning but in 1942 the US States department received a cable telling the Nazi plans to kill all of Europe’s Jews. They didn’t act on this or do anything to help them. On April 19, 1943 US and british representatives met in Bermuda hoping to find a solution to the wartime refugee problems. In 1943 a Polish underground courier, Jan Karski, informed Franklin Roosevelt of reports about mass murder. Not until 1944 did they help when Roosevelt made the WRB (War Refugee Board). In the following spring, the Allies knew of Nazis killing Jews with poison gas chambers. Jewish leaders requested that US bomb the gas chambers and rail the tracks. All US said in response was that their air raids didn’t have the accuracy or capacity to do it.

** Liberation ** Countries involved in Liberation : German Resistance : Evidence of Mass-Murder : Illness and Death :
 * Soviet Union
 * United States of America
 * Great Britain
 * Destroyed camps
 * Burned crematoriums to hide evidence of mass-murder
 * Forced 'death marches' of prisoners
 * Victim's personal belongings found in warehouses
 * 14,000 pounds of human hair (at Auschwitz)
 * 800,000 female outfits (at Auschwitz)
 * Typhoid
 * Malnutrition
 * At one camp alone, there were 60,000 liberated prisoners suffering from typhus out of which 10,000 died

See what liberators said here

References World War II [|Invasion of Poland] [|Winter War] [|Battle of Britain] [|North African Campaign] [|Battle of Moscow] [|Battle of Stalingrad] [|Battle of Kursk] [|Italian Campaign] [|D-Day] [|Battle of Berlin] [|Karl Dönitz]