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The Second World War 1939-45

ICSE · Class 12 · History

Quick revision notes for The Second World War 1939-45 — ICSE Class 12 History. Key concepts, formulas, and definitions for last-minute revision.

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Key Topics to Revise

1

Phase 1: Opening Moves (September 1939 - December 1940)

  • Poland defeated rapidly by German Blitzkrieg (lightning war) combining tanks, motorized divisions, and air power
  • The 'Phoney War' - five months of inaction in western Europe while Germany consolidated eastern gains
  • Germany invaded Denmark and Norway (April 1940) to secure Swedish iron ore supplies and naval bases
2

Phase 2: Axis Offensive Widens (1941 - Summer 1942)

  • Germany sent Afrika Korps under Rommel to North Africa (February 1941) to help failing Italian forces
  • German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia (April 1941) forced British withdrawal; delayed Operation Barbarossa by 5 weeks
  • Operation Barbarossa - German invasion of Soviet Union (22 June 1941) with 5.5 million troops, 3,550 tanks, 5,000 aircraft, breaking Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
3

Phase 3: Offensives Held in Check (Summer 1942 - Summer 1943)

  • Three major turning-point battles shifted momentum to Allies: Midway Island, El Alamein, Stalingrad
  • Battle of Midway Island (June 1942): Americans defeated Japanese with only 3 carriers against 5 Japanese carriers; destroyed 4 Japanese carriers and 330 planes; Americans lost fewer ships and pilots
  • American success at Midway based on: breaking Japanese radio code, Japanese over-confidence, unexpected American dive-bomber attacks from 19,000 feet
4

Naval and Air Power's Role in Allied Victory

  • Battle of the Atlantic: German U-boat campaign against British merchant shipping; peak losses 108 ships in March 1943
  • Allies defeated U-boats through: long-range Liberator aircraft, centimetric radar detection, improved escort tactics and experience
  • By July 1943, Allies produced ships faster than U-boats could sink them; German U-boat threat eliminated

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Key Concepts

A military strategy developed by NaziA period of relative inactivityAn aerial battle in whichHitler's surprise invasion of the SovietThe Japanese attack on the American

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