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TIMELINE OF THE EVENTS 1933 Feb 24 The Reichstag burns. 1933 Mar 12 The Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act pass 0934 Aug 29 Adolf Hitler becomes Führer. 1938 Oct- Germany invades Sudetenland 1939 Jan 17, The Reich issued an order forbidding Jews to practice as dentists, veterinarians and chemists. 1939 Jan 20, Hitler proclaimed to German parliament his intention to exterminate all European Jews. 1939 Feb 14, The Reich launched the battleship Bismarck. 1939 Mar 16, Germany occupied the rest Czechoslovakia. 1939 Mar 21, Nazi Germany demanded Gdansk (Danzig) from Poland. 1939 Mar 22, Germany marched into Klaipeda (Memel), Lithuania. The Lithuanian warship Prezidentas Smetona was left without a harbor. The ship soon settled at Latvia’s port of Liepaja. In December Ltn. P. Labanauskas was named captain. In 1940 Soviet occupiers called for the ship to raise the Soviet flag, but Captain Labanauskas sailed the ship out of Soviet territory. The ship was later handed over to the Soviet Baltic fleet. On Jan 11, 1945, it hit a mine and sank off the coast of Finland. 1939 Mar 31, Britain and France agreed to support Poland if Germany threatened to invade. Seven French islands were annexed by Japan. 1939 Apr 5, Membership in Hitler Youth became obligatory. 1939 Apr 6, Great Britain and Poland signed a military pact. 1939 Apr 16, Stalin requested a British, French and Russian anti-Nazi pact. 1939 Apr 28, Hitler claimed the German-Polish non-attack treaty to be still in effect. 1939 May 23, Hitler proclaimed he wants to move into Poland. 1939 Jul 6, Nazis closed the last Jewish enterprises 1939 Aug 2, Albert Einstein signed a letter to President Roosevelt urging creation of an atomic weapons research program. 1939 Aug 27, Nazi Germany demanded Danzig and Polish corridor. 1939 Sep, 1, at 4:40 a.m., World War II began. The Germans attacked Poland with their strategy of Blitzkrieg, or lightning war. 1939 Sep 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland. After Germany ignored Great Britain's ultimatum to stop the invasion of Poland, Great Britain declares war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II in Europe. France follows 6 hours later quickly joined by Australia, NZ, South Africa & Canada 1939 Sep 4, The Nazis marched into Czestochowa, Poland, two days after they invaded Poland. 1939 Sep 5, The United States under FDR proclaimed its neutrality in World War II. 1939 Sep 6, The 1st WW II German air attack on Great Britain took place. 1939 Sep 7, In response to the German invasion of Poland a week earlier, France invaded its neighbor Germany. In Operation Saar, French forces marched into the Cadenbronn and Wendt Forest near Saarrucken. The French met little or no opposition as they drove five miles into Germany. The sluggish advance was hindered by low troop morale and lack of support. The Soviet Union’s invasion of Poland from the east on September 17 prompted the French withdrawal to the Maginot Line in anticipation of a German counterattack. The only French offensive of WWII lasted 14 days. 1939 Sep 17, The Soviet Union attacked Poland, more than two weeks after Nazi Germany launched its assault. They took 217,000 Poles prisoner and occupied eastern Poland within a week with losses of 737 dead and 2,000 wounded. The Polish submarine Orzel escaped from internment and went on to fight the Germans against long odds. 1939 Sep 29, Germany and the Soviet Union reached an agreement on the division of Poland. 1939 Sep 30, Germany and Russia agreed to partition Poland. 1939 Oct 11, Albert Einstein wrote his famous letter to FDR about the potential of the atomic bomb. Einstein, a long time pacifist, was concerned that the Nazis would get the bomb first. In the letter, Einstein argued the scientific feasibility of atomic weapons, and urged the need for development of a US atomic program. 1939 Oct 30, USSR and Germany agreed on partitioning Poland. Hitler deported Jews. 1939 Nov 15, Nazis began their mass murder of Warsaw Jews. 1939 Jan 18 German scientists split the uranium atom with a slight loss of total mass that is converted into energy. 1940 Jan 25, Nazis established a Jewish ghetto in Lodz, Poland. 1940 Feb 12, The USSR signed a trade treaty with Germany to aid against the British blockade. 1940 Mar 18, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini held a meeting at the Brenner Pass across the Alps during which the Italian dictator agreed to join in Germany’s war against France and Britain. 1940 Mar 27, Himmler ordered the building of Auschwitz concentration camp. 1940 Apr 9, The Nazi army invaded and occupied Denmark and Norway. German forces landed along the Norwegian coast and made a paratrooper assault on Oslo and Stavanger 1940 May 12, The Nazi blitz conquest of France began with the crossing at the Meuse River. 1940 May 14, British and French forces began a general retreat from Belgium, heading southwest toward France. 1940 May 17, Germany occupied Brussels, Belgium, and began the invasion of France. 1940 Jun 5, The Battle of France began during World War II. Germany attacked French forces along the Somme line. 1940 Jun 10, Italy declared war on France and Britain; Canada declared war on Italy. The Supreme War Council The Supreme War Council was a central command created by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George to coordinate Allied military strategy during World War I. It was founded in 1917, and was based in Versailles. The council served as a forum for preliminary discussions of potential armistice terms and peace treaty settlement conditions. The main purpose of these sessions were initially to establish a common war strategy against the brutal advance of the Third Reich, which was Hitler’s Nazi Party’s manic renaming of the German Republic designed to create the feeling of a successor to the historical Germanic empires. The first meetings took place during the so-called Phoney War when Germany was trying to invade Poland and both France and Britain were obligated by the virtue of their agreements with Poland to enter the war against Germany. At this first phase of the Second World War, no major military conflicts occurred. The Allies and the Axis Powers have largely prepared for the prospects of inevitable and devastating warfare that would result from the clash of the world’s military and economic superpowers. Logistic and strategic agreements were reached at this point. For example, the possibility of conducting a pre-emptive strike was lengthily thought upon. Over the following meetings, the new Prime Minister of the British Empire Winston Churchill joined in. As Germany began its “Blitzkrieg” into France, obliterating everything in its path and advancing in a never before witnessed haste, an emergency session for the SWC was demanded. Over the three consecutive meetings in France, the situation had reached a bottom point with pure desperation reigning at the deliberations. We will be commencing our debates under the harsh conditions of the war to end all wars. It is absolutely crucial to understand the conditions the original ones were, in order to be able to come to historically accurate conclusions and to make adequate decisions. Winston Churchill Sir Leonard Winston Spencer Churchill was born on 30 November 1874 and passed away on 24 January 1965. He was a man of various traits, being a soldier, a Nobel Prize winning author, a historian, a politician and perhaps most crucial of all, one of the most influential leaders of the 20th Century. He had fought in the First World War and in several other wars for Britain. He had served as the Member of Cabinet for many governments. But most importantly he led the government of the British Empire through the Second World War. Paul Reynaud Paul Reynaud was a French politician born on 15 October, 1878 in Barcelonnette, Alpes-de-HauteProvence and passed away on 21 September 1966. He was a lawyer having studied in Sorbonne, most prominent during the time between the two world wars. General Charles de Gaulle General Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (born 22 November 1890 – died 9 November 1970) was another French politician who served as the head of the French resistance movement against the Nazis during their invasion of France in the Second World War. During the war, de Gaulle led a French government in exile from England and afterwards he came back to found the postWar French Republic. Marshal Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain was an important general of the pre-War France and served as the Commander in Chief and the “Chief of France” for a brief period. His legacy remains largely disputed even today due to his cooperation with the invading Nazis and he has been therefore convicted of treason3 after the war. He was born on 24 April 1856 and died on 23 July 1951. Maxime Weygand Maxime Weygand was another French military general who served in both World Wars and had accumulated a great deal of influence thereby. He was a decorated member of military, however as France lost the Battle of 1940 almost immediately, he did not join the resistance and quite unexpectedly helped the Nazis maintain control by collaborating with them. He was also later judged and found guilty of treason. He was born on 21 January 1867 and died on 28 January 1965. Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon was a British politician who served in a variety of positions including Foreign Secretary for three periods between 1935 and 1955, including the last five years of World War II. He was very popular in public opinion for a long time but he had to resign because of the Suez Canal incident. Although he couldn’t find support for his case at the time, nowadays he is seen to be largely right in his judgement. He was born on 12 June 1897 and passed away on 14 January 1977. Major-General Edward Louis Spears Sir Edward Louis Spears was a great military leader of the Second World War, especially excelling with the communications he set up between English and the French. He was a decorated general (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1941, Companion of the Order of the Bath 1919, Military Cross 1915) and was a 1st Baronet. He was born on 7 August 1886 and died on 27 January 1974 General Sir John Dill Field Marshal Sir John Greer Dill was one of the most important military commanders of the British army in both World Wars. He had played a vital role in the strengthening of the cooperation between the United States of America and the British Empire. This relation had helped Britain a great deal during and after the war and because of his services John Dill was greatly decorated. Although his legacy remains a current topic of controversy due to his alternative plan of using mustard gas, he is still seen as a war hero in Britain. He was born in 25 December 1881 and died on 4 November 1944. General Hastings Ismay General Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay was an English general who served in various positions during the First and the Second World War. He was also the first Secretary General of NATO and is mostly remembered for his time as the Chief Military advisor to Churchill during the days of the most heated fights in the WWII. He was born on 21 June 1887 and died on 17 December 1965. Prior to formation Status of France Much alike the rest of the world, an uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty was eminent during the period between two world wars in France. The French Republic had lost at least %10 of its working population in the Great War, and came out of it in a state of utter economic and political confusion. Although the GDP growing rates during the first years of the interwar period were relatively high, sometimes even reaching %4.74 and the peasant population was rapidly renewing itself, the political trauma caused partially by the state of affairs in the world prevented France from fully regaining its former economic strength. With the arrival of the Great Depression (although somewhat later than the rest of the world), the Third French Republic‟s economy stagnated and experienced a heavy fall. French people put the blame on the government and this started a chain reaction of unhealthily founded political alterations and a resulting inability to recover. This made France of the time gradually weaker and disorganized. Many think that French defeat of 1940 was caused by what they regard as the innate decadence and moral rot of France. Status of England The British Empire had emerged victorious from the First World War, however it too was severely wounded. In addition to losing a hefty sum of financial resources in order to win the war, the quality of the manpower of the British Empire fell dramatically. The commanders of the old order who weren’t just English but have been working in parts of the Empire all over the world have either resigned or died much like low-ranking but perfectly experienced soldiers they’ve commanded. In addition to the quantitative and qualitative loss of people, British Empire has also found itself amidst of internal problems. Many ethnic minorities saw this weakening of the central power as an opportunity to demand more economic, social and political autonomy (in India and Ireland’s case even complete independence). These internal factors, combined with international events deteriorated the overall standing of the British Empire and crippled its preparative efforts before the Second World War commenced. HİTLER’S CABINET Rise to Power At the end of World War I, the draconian terms in the Treaty of Versailles, coupled with the severe economic setbacks such as hyperinflation provoked bitter indignation throughout Germany. Radical political factions united, and found significant support among the desperate people. The concomitant civil unrest greatly debilitated the democratic regime of the young Weimar Republic. The National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP, also known as the Nazi Party) was one of the handful of active far-right political parties in Germany at the time. The party platform included the rejection of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, replacement of the Weimar Republic, radical anti-Semitism and anti-communism. They advocated a strong central government and the formation of a national community based on race. Furthermore, they promised increased Lebensraum6 for people of Germanic descent. The already grim situation of the post-war German economy was exacerbated by the US stock market crash of 1929. Millions of citizens were thrown out of work, and several large firms collapsed. Hitler and the Nazi Party took advantage of the emergency to gain public support. Hitler gave a series of highly orchestrated, emotionally manipulative speeches in which he promised to provide jobs and strengthen the economy. This strategy turned out to be a huge success: in the federal election of 1932, the Nazis were by far the largest party in the Reichstag, holding 230 seats with more than 37 per cent of the popular vote. Führer and Reichskanzler In the months following the election, the NSDAP rapidly brought all aspects of German life under the control of the party. Civilian organizations such as sports clubs and volunteer organizations and academic institutions had their leadership replaced with Nazi sympathizers and party members. On the night of 27 February 1933, the Reichstag was set on fire. Hitler laid the blame on the Communist Party, and violent suppression of communists by the Sturmabteilung (SA) followed. In total, over four thousand members of the Communist Party were arrested. Most German civil liberties such as rights of assembly and freedom of the press were abrogated by the Reichstag Fire Decree. The decree also allowed the police to detain people indefinitely without charges or a court order. In March 1933, the Enabling Act passed the Reichstag 444 to 94 and endowed upon Hitler plenary authority. In order to acquire the two-thirds majority to pass the bill, the Nazis leveraged the provisions of the Reichstag Fire Decree to keep several Social Democratic representatives from attending parliament. Almost all political parties were subsequently dissolved; and on 14 July 1933, Germany effectively became a single-party state when the founding of new parties was illegalized. The regional state parliaments and the Reichsrat were all abolished the following year. As millions of Germans were still unemployed, Hitler sought to revive the economy. Massive public works were undertaken using deficit spending. More than 1.7 million Germans were put to work in 1934 alone. Average wages began to rise significantly. Shortly before the death of President von Hindenburg on August the 2nd 1934, the cabinet enacted the "Law Concerning the Highest State Office of the Reich", according to which the office of president would be abolished and its powers merged with those of the chancellor. Hitler thereby became head of state as well as head of government. He was formally named Führer und Reichskanzler. Germany thereby became a totalitarian state with Hitler as its undisputed leader. As head of state, Hitler also became the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. The new law altered the traditional loyalty oath of servicemen so that they affirmed loyalty to Hitler personally rather than the office of supreme commander or the state. On 19 August, the merger of the presidency with the chancellorship was approved by 90 per cent of the electorate in a public referendum. To give his dictatorship the appearance of legality, Hitler explicitly based many of his decrees on the Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act. The deluge of propaganda by Joseph Goebbels, along with the long yearned-for economic and political stability also served to reinforce his popularity. Nevertheless, the Nazis continued to take repressive measures against their political opposition and marginalized those whom they considered socially undesirable. The campaign against Jews living in Germany thereby gained momentum. Adolf Hitler The Reichskanzler and Führer of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. After serving in the army during World War I, Hitler joined the German Workers’ Party in 1919, and quickly rose in ranks, becoming the party leader by 1921. During the so-called Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, Hitler attempted a coup to seize Munich and later use it as a base to march against the Weimar Republic. Although the coup attempt failed, it brought Hitler to national headlines, whereupon he used his nationalist rhetoric to gather new supporters. 15 The coastal region of northwestern Europe, consisting of the Netherlands and Belgium. 12 Following the German federal elections of March 1933, the Nazi Party (the successor to the German Workers’ Party) registered a substantial increase in votes, which facilitated the passing of the Enabling Act. The act effectively rendered the Reichstag powerless, and gave Hitler absolute control over the state. In the following six years, the Nazi Party restored economic stability and ended the mass unemployment that followed the Great Depression through military spending. His aggressive policy of acquiring Lebensraum through conquest eventually caused the outbreak of World War II in Europe. Hermann Göring The President of the Reichstag and the designated successor to Hitler. One of the early members of the NSDAP, he fought by Hitler during the Beer Hall Putsch. After helping Hitler take power in 1933, he became on of the most powerful figures in the country. After serving as the head of several Government offices, he was promoted to the rank of Reichsmarschall, which put him above all other Wehrmacht commanders. Joseph Goebbels The Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945. Hitler’s closest associate and one of his most devoted followers, he was known for his deep, virulent anti-Semitism, which is thought to have influenced Hitler himself in his extermination of the Jews. From the beginning of his tenure in 1933, Goebbels organized actions against Jews living in Germany, which culminated in the violence of the Kristallnacht16 of 1938. During World War II, he gave a series of speeches urging the German people to embrace the idea of total war and mobilization. Heinrich Himmler The Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel. From 1929 to 1940, he developed the SS from a 300-man squadron into a powerful army of its own. One of the most powerful figures of Nazi Germany, he was the one most directly responsible for the atrocities committed during the Holocaust17 such as the formation of the concentration and extermination camps. Walter von Brauchitsch The Commander-in-Chief of the German Army. A decorated World War I veteran, Brauchitsch was put in charge of the East Prussian Military District immediately after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. Although his kind personality did not really bond well with the ferocity of Nazism, he persisted for his country and was the chief military officer of the campaigns in Greece and Yugoslavia. Wilhelm Keitel The Supreme High Commander of the German Armed Forces and Hitler’s senior military advisor. He was personally responsible for the armistice agreement with the French Republic. Alfried Jodl The Colonel-General of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces and deputy to Wilhelm Keitel. He acted as the Chief of Staff during the occupations of Denmark and Norway. Erich Raeder The preeminent naval leader of Germany throughout most of World War II. He is renowned for his strategy of dispersing the relatively weak German Navy around the world so that the stronger British Royal Navy would have to do the same, thereby impeding British naval dominence in any one area.