BATTLE OF 1940 BATTLE OF BRITAIN TIME Summer

BATTLE OF

1940

BATTLE OF BRITAIN TIME: Summer and autumn of 1940 • Hitler believed after the Fall of France Britain would quickly follow • OPERATION SEALION – invade Britain • First major campaign fought entirely by air forces • Largest and longest bombing campaign EVER • Did not succeed in forcing an armistice or surrender • RAF used advanced radar and communications – allowed for coordination of all aircraft and advance warning • German planes were fast but poorly armoured • By October, German casualties were 2 x British • By November, Hitler had turned his attention to Soviet Union

If Nazi bomber planes attacked Toronto today, what would you do? a) Hide in the subway system b) Ask to be sent away to a safer country c) Join the Royal Canadian Air Force to get revenge

PEARL HARBOR TIME: DECEMBER 7 1941 BACKGROUND: • Japan is allied with Nazis • Seeking to take over British colonies in the Pacific • US-JAPAN relations are worsening due to naval blockades / embargos OBJECTIVES: • Destroy US aircraft carriers • Cripple the US Navy • Destroy US airbases • 6 aircraft carriers 235 miles off shore of Hawaii • 2 waves of attack • 350 fighters and bombers 3 AM – US spots submarine periscope 7 AM – Japan attacks all 7 battleships simultaneously - SURPRISE 10 AM – attack is over 21 ships sunk, 188 aircraft destroyed, 2403 people killed

What would you do if you were a Japanese pilot sent to attack Pearl Habor? a) Follow orders and bomb the heck out of Pearl Habor b) Refuse to follow orders c) Surrender to the Americans d) Desert and fly away in your plane

FALL OF HONG KONG TIME: DECEMBER 8 -25 1941 BACKGROUND: • British colonialism • continuing Japanese expansionism CANADIAN, BRITISH & ALLIED TROOPS: • 14 000 Infantry, Artillery, and Medics • 5 planes at Kai Tak Airport GIN DRINKER’S LINE – a defence line of bunkers, fortified machine guns, trenches, artillery JAPANESE INVADERS: • 52 000 soldiers • 8 AM – cross the Shenzhen River • 12 bombers take out Kai Tak easily • Rapidly breach Gin Drinker’s Line • Split defences East and West, retreat to Hong Kong Island • Allies surrender Dec 25 • Japanese TERROR ensues

If Japanese infantry units were attacking our school what would you do to protect it? a) Barricade yourself in the classroom b) Evacuate by jumping out the window c) Surrender and hope for the best d) Fight back and try to drive them out

D-DAY & JUNO BEACH TIME: JUNE 6 1944 BACKGROUND: • a redo of a failed invasion into Nazi-occupied France (Dieppe) • Normandy beaches (Operation Overlord) • Juno is 1 of 5 landing sites NAZI DEFENCES: • 2 nd most heavily defended site • 8 000 soldiers • Batteries, pillboxes, fortifications • Sea wall • Heavy mines • Inexperienced, little transport CANADIAN TROOPS: • Aerial and naval bombardment had little effect • Landed 745 AM • 30 000 soldiers • Aug 25 – Paris was liberated

If you were part of the Allied invasion forces on D-Day, who would you rather be? a) A soldier storming the beaches on foot with an assault rifle b) A sailor navigating an attacking Destroyer c) A paratrooper jumping out of a plane into enemy territory to run a reconnaissance mission d) A fighter pilot in a Spitfire dogfighting a Messerschmitt