L22
Phases and Theatres of Conflict (WWII)
- opening campaign - Poland (September - October 1939) in response to Hitler's aggression
- Denmark & Norway (January - June 1940)
* Blitzkreig - based on economic possibilities - cannot produce large numbers and engage
on war on different fronts efficiently
* use of paratroopers to overcome defences
- Belgium, Holland, France (May - June 1940)
* overlap despite the desire to fight on two fronts
- Battle of Britain (May - September 1940)
- supposed to be the first wave of campaign that envisaged the undertaking of
England
- air supremacy but aerial confrontation stopped plans for German plans to invade
- Hitler gave German airforce another task to reorganize and prepare for eventual
invasion of Britain
- already planned - all wars were fought on a timeline
- no choice from basis of German high command - forced to wrap up as Britain and
France declared war
- would be Poland Æ Soviet Union but had to deal with France and England
(Western Theatre)
- wanted to see if they could defeat Britain and have a free hand to the East
- decided that he would leave Britain alone as they were an island, not on land
(mistake)
- North Africa (June 1940 - January 1943)
- not where Germans wanted to fight
- ally, Mussolini attacked towards Egypt and lost - had to bail him out
- drew British to redraw the Egyptian coast
- open hostility in Northern Africa
- taking away resources from the main area of conflict - Germans trying to wrap it
up as quickly as possible [no more than 2-3 second/third line divisions committed to Africa]
- side show to the main German plan
- is part of a greater British/American plan of how to come back to the continent (D-
Day, attacked through Italy to knock out one of the Axis forces)
- go North from North Africa up the boot to Italy
- Battle of the Atlantic (September 1939 - May 1943)
- stopped from returning to Europe as resource lines halted
- the supply of resources (build up a supply of Arms on British shores, await
American troops) - in the hands of Germans/German U-Boats
- fought by Navies
- Germans effectively stopped resource transportation - Allies needed to reclaim
Atlantic
Æ until Americans can do that, they cannot send troops to Britain
1. secure logistical line of supply
2. win the shores of north Africa
- Soviet Union (June 1941 - May 9 1945)
- two days depending on where the Germans surrendered (May 8 to West, May 9 to
Soviet)
- the longest and most important theatre of war in Europe
- Pacific (December 1941 - August 1945)
- tied together - linked diplomacy and conflict/strategy globally
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