Invasion by the Germans was a major threat, and there were many calls from the public and the cabinet to begin peace negotiations, however Churchill refused to consider this, and instead used his skill in public speaking to strengthen the mood of the nation into one that was prepared to fight. The main German objective of the campaign was to achieve air superiority over Britain by destroying the RAF and Britain’s aerial defences, as a precursor for an airborne and amphibious invasion of the British Isles, or to force Britain to the negotiating table. The Luftwaffe’s failure to achieve either of these objectives was Germany’s first major defeat in the war, and can be viewed as a crucial turning point in the early war period. German military success on the continent, resulting in them successfully taking control of almost all of Western Europe by the summer of 1940, had been heavily supported by Luftwaffe operations, making it vital for the British war effort that they retained air superiority over Britain. Britain was in a poor position during summer 1940 with failures and problems in almost every direction that you look.
2. How did the naval arms race encourage the development of the alliance system the way it did? Be sure to refer to Great Britain, France, Germany, and Russia, as well as each of the alliance groups specifically. Britain had a strong navy due to its state of being an island country, having control over the oceans and being part of the Triple Entente including France and Russia. This encouraged Germany to increase its strength in navy because of the rivalry between Great Britain and Germany.
Nobody was happy with it and Italy and Germany wanted revenge. The Treaty of Versailles made the country lose all colonies (it was under the control of the League of Nations) and also some territories that used to be part of Germany. Many citizens that used to live in Germany were now living in other countries, new ones, created by the peace settlement. This made Hitler make promises that he would use any means to reunite all Germans and that empire was desirable. It was obviously a threat to surrounding nations.
A mass break-through - which in any case is beyond our means - is unnecessary. Within our reach there are objectives for the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. If they do so the forces of France will bleed to death.” This quote illustrates the ease to which the Germans thought the French would break but that was not the case. I think after the battle of Verdun the Germans morale was significantly lowered and the French were established as a force to be reckoned with. Morale is an important part of any war and Verdun’s impact on morale was huge but was it worth losing so many soldiers?
While the Allies were pouring more and more Troops into the war, the Axis were losing ground and resources very quickly. The Germans were surrounded in Europe and blockaded by the British, and the Russians coming in from the east killing up to 50% of the German army in the war. Also the Nazi’s were not prepared for the soviets cold winter. They had summer gear because Hitler thought the war would be finished before winter. There equipment was literally frozen, the Germans were stuck where they were and couldn’t do anything.
The Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain was one of the main events that occurred in WW2. The battle began when France had surrendered to the Nazis. Because France had surrendered, Britain was the last unconquered territory in West Europe. The Nazi’s were on the French coast waiting to invade Britain. They hoped the Luftwaffe (the German air force) could smash morale, radar installations and air power before they could sail there troops across the channel to gain control.
Weimar militarism was instrumental in the establishment of political chaos in Germany and led to the eventual collapse of the Weimar democracy. The Reichswehr became an essential force against the uprising from the left of Weimar politics. The troublesome beginnings of the Weimar Republic require extensive military support and establishment. The pact between Ebert and Groener in November 1918 was essential to the cooperation between the Army and Weimar. This support became evident when it came to the suppressing of communist activities and revolts, such as the 1919 Spartacists uprising in Berlin.
In the landings, it led to confusion among the German ranks and broke down their courage as well as slowed them down as a well, allowing the allies to gain a considerable amount of land beforehand. The Fortitude operation had fixed German attention on the Pas-de-Calais. They were certain it would be the site of the battle, and they had placed the bulk of their panzer divisions north and east of the Seine River, where they were unavailable for counterattack in Normandy. However, most allied soldiers were still shelled or shot down; in fact, the 29th Infantry Division suffered 96% killed or wounded. However, surprise wasn’t as important as a reason for allied success because it didn’t give them a huge advantage in the landings as most people were shot down at the beginning whilst the Germans had
This forced Allied forces to abandon heavy machinery, such as tanks and artillery. It also lead to a forced evacuation of all Allied troops across the channel. The evacuation was, for the most part, successful, but it lead to heavy Allied casualties. The evacuation essentially gave France, and the remainder of most of the western continent to Nazi forces. This was much to Hitler’s delight, and was seen as more successful than first
o Pre-war doctrines were ill equipped to deal with modern technology; leadership was naïve, they were governed by out dated doctrines of cavalry v the rifle. o Naïve offensive military tactics, like soldiers going ‘over the top’, cost many lives. o The failure of the Schlieffen Plan halted German advance o Attempts to break the trench lines were unsuccessful and despite the creation of new weaponry and tactics, offensive tactics were halted only after the capture of a few km of territory. Verdun: 21st Feb – Dec 1916 o Falkenhayn hoped to break the French army by forcing it to defend Verdun. He knew that the French would defend Verdun because of its strategic position and its historical status as a great French fortress.