2.1 World War Two (In One Take)

In 1919, the Allied powers signed a peace agreement ending World War One at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris. Germany had to pay huge reparations for damages, give up land, and limit its armed forces.

In 1938, Hitler demanded the return of the Sudetenland, a Czech border area where German people lived. In an attempt to prevent conflict, Britain, France and Italy signed the Munich Agreement and accepted Hitler’s demands. This controversial policy was known as appeasement.

In August 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing a pact agreeing that the two countries would not attack each other for the next ten years. Secretely they agreed to invade and split Poland.

In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Hitler was also confident that Britain and France would continue their strategy of appeasement. Instead, they declared war on Germany and World War Two was underway.

In May 1940, the new German ‘blitzkrieg’ strategy enabled Hitler to overcome the French in six weeks. The sudden French collapse left Britain to fight against Germany alone.

In July 1940, the Luftwaffe (German air force), launched destructive air raids over southern England. However, Britain’s Royal Air Force stood firm and ultimately prevented a German invasion.

In July 1941, Hitler launched an invasion of the USSR, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. German forces attacked Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the centre, and Ukraine in the south. Germany’s failure to defeat Soviet forces became a turning point of the war.

In December 1941, Japan launched a surprise aerial attack on the US Navy base in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. The USA declared war on Japan. Japan’s ally, Germany, then declared war on the USA. The USA reciprocated thereby entering World War Two.

In August 1942, Germany tried to take the city of Stalingrad. Following initial success, the Soviets cut off German supplies. The harsh winter made matters worse for the Germans. This proved to be the most deadly battle in the war and seriously weakened German forces.

In October 1942, the second battle of El-Alamein in Eygpt, led by British General Montgomery, brought a decisive victory for the Allies. Victory ended the Axis threat in North Africa.

In June 144, Allied forces launched an invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. D-Day was the largest invasion by sea in history. Allied soldiers broke through German defences. By September 1944, Paris had been liberated.

On 8 May 1945, fighting in Europe came to an end after six years of war. There were huge celebrations and street parties across the UK. However, the war was not fully over as fighting was still taking place in Japan.