See how German troops parachuted behind the Maginot Line as part of the blitzkrieg against Allied forces
See how German troops parachuted behind the Maginot Line as part of the blitzkrieg against Allied forces
The German invasion of France, May 1940; from The Second World War: Triumph of the Axis (1963), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Still with the hope of not directly engaging in the war, the United States provided defense materials and other support systems for the Allied forces at the dawn of the 1940s.
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National Archives, Washington, D.C.B-25 bombers lined up on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet during the Doolittle Raid, April 18, 1942.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail NARA/U.S. Department of DefenseNazi Germany invading the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, June 22, 1941.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzJoseph Goebbels calling for total war before a crowd in Berlin, 1943.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.World War II explained in five questions.
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Public DomainU.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy” during his request to Congress on December 8 that it declare war against Japan.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn more about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States during World War II.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Washington D.C.Allied strategic bombing over Germany escalating in 1943.
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Transcript
[Music in]
NARRATOR: As in Poland, the blitzkrieg was violent--ruthless--and efficiently executed. Parachutists, dropping behind the lines, took strategic bridges. The French had been sure that their famous Maginot Line would protect them; but the Germans merely bypassed it. Within weeks they cut the Allied forces to pieces.
[Music out]
NARRATOR: As in Poland, the blitzkrieg was violent--ruthless--and efficiently executed. Parachutists, dropping behind the lines, took strategic bridges. The French had been sure that their famous Maginot Line would protect them; but the Germans merely bypassed it. Within weeks they cut the Allied forces to pieces.
[Music out]
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