Download World War II The First and Second Year The Second World War

World War II
The First and Second Year
The Second World War began on September 1st, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. However, prior to
that there was combat between two participants of the war: Japan and China. The Second Sino-Japanese War began
in 1936, and would last until Japan and China become part of the Axis and Allies, respectively, later in the war. For
the first couple of years are primarily dominated by European events, though.
The European Theater – Germany’s invasion of Poland in September of 1939 showcased the new Blitzkrieg tactics
of Germany. This combined the use of air power, tanks, and mobile infantry units to quickly break through enemy
positions and take out command and control positions behind Polish lines. It was highly effective as Poland falls to
German control, and Warsaw, the capitol of Poland, is taken a little over two weeks after the war begins. France and
Great Britain declare war on Germany, but no major fighting between the countries happens in the calendar year of
1939. The Soviet Union who had a non-aggression pact with Hitler’s Germany invades Poland from the east and
helps control the rest of Poland on the eastern side.
Through the rest of that Fall and through the Winter into 1940, a “phony war” (sometimes called
“Sitzkrieg”) is fought between France and Germany. Some naval engagements take place between Germany and
Great Britain though, with German U-boats taking advantage of British military ships. Also in the winter, the Soviet
Union took advantage of the “phony war” to launch its own real war against Finland. Soviet troops begin pouring
into Finland in late 1939, and that phase of WWII is known as the “Winter War.” Probably one of the greatest
battles of 1939 is the Battle of River Plate, a naval engagement between German and British Ships. The German
Battleship Graf Spee was sunk in that battle, confirming that the Germans would need to rely on their undersea (Uboat) “wolf packs,” to disrupt British shipping. (FS- Battleships)
1940 saw significant action in the war. In March, the Germans bomb Scapa Flow and inflict the first
civilian British casualties of the war. In April the Germans begin to invade Norway, and also make gains against
Denmark. In May, after securing Norway and Denmark, the German invasion of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France
begins. France would fall to Nazi Germany in a little over a month.
In response to the unparalleled success of the Nazis, the Prime Minister of Great Britain is replaced with
Winston Churchill. Prior to the war, Churchill was one of the main voices of people calling for someone to put a
stop to Hitler and his plans. Most discounted Churchill in the British Parliament, but now with Germany actively
invading most of Europe, they elected him the Prime Minister. In a speech after being elected, Churchill tells the
members of Parliament that all he has to offer Britain is “blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”
In late May, Operation Dynamo begins, the Allied evacuation of 340,000 troops from the shores of
Northern France, at Dunkirk. The British and French forces had been trapped their by German blitzkrieg tactics, and
it was a miracle that these troops were allowed to be evacuated to the British Isles, to later fight against Hitler’s
Germany. By June the French surrender to Germany, as the country is split with Southern France remaining “free”
(they would be a puppet state of Hitler’s Germany for most of the rest of the war – called the Vichy French
Government). While this massive invasion was going on in France, the Italians joined the war on the German side
and invaded France from the south as well. Hitler and Mussolini had an agreement that Italy would join the war at
“an opportune time,” he saw the invasion of France as this time, and the French were forced to surrender or be
destroyed by two Fascist governments.
By July of 1940, only Great Britain remained as the one major obstacle to Hitler for European domination.
Hitler wanted Britain to surrender and sue for peace, but Churchill and the British remained steadfast in their
defense of their island nation. With the holdings of Italy and France in Northern Africa, the Axis powers of Italy
and Germany now controlled a massive area. Hitler began planning Operation Sea Lion, which would be the
German invasion of Great Britain. In an operation that was considered to weaken the power of the Royal Air Force
of Great Britain, the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe, began attacks on British Air Fields in August. This is seen as
the beginnings of the “Battle of Britain,” an air war between Great Britain and Germany that would go on for about
4 months of the war. Germany began to change their primary goal of striking military targets in the Battle of
Britain, when the British launched an air attack on Berlin. Hitler was furious with this attack, and in retaliation he
ordered air strikes on civilian targets in England, primarily London. This was known as the “London Blitz.” This
strategy change is seen as a “sub-turning point” in the war, because if the German Luftwaffe had continued to bomb
military targets in England, instead of civilian targets, there is a good chance that the British might have been forced
to surrender.
At the anniversary of the war’s beginning the German’s ordered Jews within their borders to begin wearing
yellow Stars of David so that they could easily be identified. The Jewish population of the German held lands had
greatly increased the amount of Jews under Hitler’s control. Concentration Camps, and rounding Jews up into
walled ghettos would primarily be used during this first year. However, a special group of German commanders
were tasked with coming up with a solution for what to do with the Jews as the war would go on. Many were being
used as slave labor by this time in the war.
The Tripartite Pact is signed between the “Axis” Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Japan takes
holdings in French Indochina as the French are now under then control of Germany, and the mutual aide provisions
in the pact recently signed allow for Germany to hand over Pacific Holdings to the Japanese. The Italians, in the
meantime, decide to broaden the scope of the war and invade Greece. However, by the end of 1940, the Italians are
doing poorly in military operations. The Greeks are pushing them back in the recent invasion, and in Egypt the
Germans suffer a major setback against British forces there.
A significant battle in this year of the war would be the Battle of Taranto. In this battle, torpedo carrying
planes launched from a British aircraft carrier, the HMS Illustrious, damage 3 Italian battleships, and 2 cruisers.
This secures transportation lines in the Mediterranean for the British Navy. However, with the first successful use
of naval aviation in sea power, it opens up a whole new way to wage war. The Japanese would study this battle
significantly, and base upcoming war plans on the tactic of using the aircraft carrier as an offensive military weapon.
By the end of 1940, the Axis powers have clearly taken advantage of the situation, and they are by far
“winning” the war. There would need to be significant events to turn the tide of victory away from them. The next
two years would see those events.