Download France and Britain in WW2 Early in the war, Nazi Germany had

France and Britain in WW2
Early in the war, Nazi Germany had already gained control over most of the Western
European Nations. So far, the blitzkrieg tactic was very successful and the future looked
bright for Hitler and the Nazis. But the war was far from over. Hitler still had to deal with
the two most powerful nations in Western Europe; Britain and France. These were the
foes that Germany lost to in the Great War. Hitler could not afford to underestimate them.
He needed to be careful in dealing with the French and the Brits. For Germany to achieve
its goal in Europe, the French and the Brits had to be dealt with effectively and as quickly
as possible. Hitler was afraid that if the war dragged on without the defeat of France and
Britain, then Germany might lose this war as well. So he had to act fast.
The first obstacle for the German military was France, since it was a neighboring country
with Germany. However, there was a huge problem. The French had a substantial
defensive network setup on their border with Germany. This defensive line was called the
Maginot Line. It was meant to prevent the Germans from invading France and to buy the
French enough time to bring their entire army to the frontlines. This defensive line did
have many impressive features, which were meant to stop any invading armed forces. It
included machine guns, cannons, bunkers, forts, and tunnels. However, it did have one
major weakness.
The Maginot Line did not cover the border between France and Belgium. Belgium was a
small country between northern parts of France and Germany. Belgium was officially
neutral in the war and it was a country with very thick forests. The French saw no need to
extend the Maginot Line between France and Belgium. They believed that the German
tanks won’t be able to cross through the thick forests of Belgium. They were wrong.
As the war began, the Germans had a plan to quickly deal with the French and kick them
out of the war. They divided their army into two sections. The first section was to be
stationed in front of the Maginot Line, facing the French defense line. Their job was to
pretend to attack the French head on, While a second army would enter Belgium, cross
through its territory and enter France Behind the Maginot Line.
The plan worked. The French defense line was surrounded by two sides; And with the
help of their Italian allies, the Germans had overcome most sections of the Maginot Line.
Seeing their defensive network overrun by enemy forces, the French leaders pushed for
peace and surrendered. Whatever was left of the French forces was quickly transported to
Britain with any available ships that the Allies could spare. France was now lost to the
Germans, and it would remain occupied by the Germans until D-Day (the Invasion of
Normandy).
With the successful campaign over the French, Hitler turned his attention to Britain. Now
if he could deal with the British the way he did with the French, then the war was just as
good as won. However, defeating Britain was not that easy. Britain was a large island
nation surrounded by water. Hitler’s blitzkrieg tactic would not help him here; And at
that time, the British had the best navy in the world. There was no way for the Germans
to land forces in British shores without being destroyed by the superior British navy. By
this time, the German Navy was mostly destroyed by the Brits anyway. So there was no
way, the Germans could challenge the British navy with their own navy.
The other option for the Germans was to use their Luftwaffe (German Air Force) to
attack the British ground forces and its navy. However, to do that, the Germans had to be
in control of the British skies. This could only be achieved by destroying the RAF
(Britain’s Royal Air Force). Without the RAF to protect Britain’s skies, the Germans
might have a chance in defeating the Brits. But this was easier said than done. The RAF
were powerful enough to challenge the German pilots and protect Britain’s skies.
Furthermore, Britain also had access to new technology called, radar. The new
technology allowed the British to detect incoming German airplanes and gave the Brits
enough warning to prepare for the attacks.
As the Battle of Britain raged on over the skies, the odds of winning slowly turned
against the Germans. Over time, they began to lose experienced pilots which were really
hard for the Germans to replace, whereas the Brits had unlimited supply of pilots,
especially those coming from the U.S. and other allied countries. Over time, it became
obvious to Hitler that the Luftwaffe failed to gain control of the British skies. And he
realized that without the Germans controlling the skies over Britain, there is no chance
for an invasion of Britain.
His dreams for total and quick victory in Western Europe just went up in smokes. He
realized that the opportunity for his great success had just been lost. Disappointed, Hitler
put his plans for Britain aside, and instead turned his attention to the east. There, in the
east, with its vast territories and unlimited natural resources lay the Soviet Empire. The
Russians were now the masters of the East; But they were not the Aryans. They were not
the master race. Looking into that direction, Hitler saw an opportunity and maybe a bright
hope for his goal of a Thousand Year Reich. In the east, lay his destiny. If he only took
advantage of it, all will be well again. He would tame the Bear. He would be its master.