SLJ - Week 2 day 4 - (Activity 1 to 2)

Day 4: Another World War (1939-1945)

At the end of the 1930s, the world has been shaken once more by

the start of another World War (WWII). World War Two started

on the 1st of September, 1939 when an army from Germany invaded

a country called Poland. Two days later, England and France declared

war on Germany and WWII began.

Activity 1: An Eventful Experience

WWII was made up of many battles and events. Follow this link to

read more about the timeline of WWII.

Choose two key events and find out some more information about what

happened on those days. On your blog, write a short summary of two

events, including the names of people involved and where the event happened.

1 Key Event: Italy invades Albania

In april 7 1939 Italy invaded Albania. It lasted for about 5 days until it ended

at 12 of april. It was confirmed that Italy won against Albania.

2 Key events: Britain, France, New Zealand and Australia

declare war on Germany

Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on

Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland. The same day, a

German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner SS Athenia some 250

miles off the Irish coast, killing more than 100 out of the 1,400 people on board.

                                                           

Activity 2:  A Call to Arms

Over the course of WWII, approximately 140,000 New Zealanders were

sent overseas to serve in the war. Many were sent to fight in huge battles,

including the Battle of the Atlantic that lasted for 2064 days

(over 5 years)! The Battle of the Atlantic came to an end in 1943,

in large part due to the heroic efforts of people like Lloyd Trigg, a

pilot from New Zealand. He was awarded a special medal from the

New Zealand Government for his bravery. It is called a Victoria Cross

(‘VC’ for short). A total of 22 New Zealanders have been awarded VCs.

Click on this link to find a list of VC winners. Choose one from the Second

World War, and read about him. On your blog tell us about him. Who was he?

What did he do to earn a Victoria Cross medal?

The person I chose is a two time vc winner. His name is Charles Hazlitt
Upham. It is know that he is the most famous New Zealander soldier.
Upham earned his first VC in Crete in May 1941, and his Bar at Ruweisat
Ridge, Egypt, in July 1942. In March 1941, Upham's battalion left for Greece
and then withdrew to Crete, and it was here that he was wounded in the action,
from 22 to 30 May 1941, that gained him his first VC.