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IB Contemporary World History Mr. Blackmon The March to War in Europe [The following chronology is an elaboration of a chronology found in Eubank, Keith. World War II: Roots and Causes. (New York: D.C. Heath; 1992), pp. xi-xiii. I typed the chronology found on those pages and added some events and a commentary] 1918 November 11 Armistice ends World War I 1919 January 18 Peace Conference convenes in Paris June 28 Treaty of Versailles signed 1923 November 8-9 Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch in Munich fails. 1924 April 1 Hitler sentenced to 5 years in prison December 20 Hitler released from prison October 5-16 Locarno Conference. Gustav Stresemann offers a German guarantee to respect the eastern borders of France and Belgium as defined by the Treaty of Versailles. Stresemann further agrees to demilitarization of the Rhineland. These provisions are guaranteed by Britain and Italy. 1925 Germany is to be admitted to the League of Nations. On behalf of France, Aristide Briand yielded all claims to invade German soil in order to enforce treaties. France concludes separate treaties with Poland and with Czechoslovakia to provide mutual assistance in case of attack. France is trying to create a cordon sanitaire around Germany. (Sontag 120) 1928 August 27 Kellogg-Briand Pact, which outlawed offensive war, signed. 1930 January 4 The French National Assembly votes Fr 3 billion to begin construction of a fixed line of fortifications along the Franco-German border. The Minister of War is Andre Maginot, a wounded hero of Verdun, and so the line is named for him: the Maginot Line. France suffers from severe demographic problems. In 1919, metropolitan France had a population of only 39 million compared to Germany's 59 million. (Horne 64) She had suffered the death of 27% of all men between 18-27 (Horne 49) By 1935, her conscription classes showed the effects of the war time carnage, with only 184,000 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 2 men available compared to Germany's 464,000. (Horne 76) The most realistic assessment that could have been made from these facts is that France required a closely coordinated military and diplomatic strategy that would ensure she would fight with allies. This did not occur. The lessons of the First World War, especially Verdun, were improperly drawn. Worse, French military strategy contained a contradiction within itself, and did not support its diplomatic strategy. The Maginot line was intended to serve as a continuous line from Basle to Longwy, forcing the Germans to batter themselves against sophisticated fixed positions and to be chewed up by French artillery. Such a strategy was intended to conserve French lives and expend German lives. It was never intended to fortify the 250 mile Belgian border, since Belgium was an ally, and the French did not wish to fortify the border and leave the Belgians out. The Belgians would have no choice but to revert to neutrality. As late as 1934, Pétain had made it clear that he intended to advance into Belgium and fight the Germans there, should they duplicate the route of the Schlieffen Plan, thereby avoiding the Maginot Line. (Horne 75) In the event, only 87 miles were fortified, in large part due to expense. This expense, coupled with chronic budgetary crises and a large Socialist bloc opposed to rearmament in principle ensured that the French Army would be forced to cut corners in the mobile forces. The worst aspect of the Maginot Line was that it fostered a fortress mentality in the French high command. No coherent doctrine was evolved. Offensive doctrine, once the obsession of the French officer corps, completely atrophied. Inertia reigned and with inertia remained the methods of 1918--slow, methodical, set-piece advances with tanks used as strictly infantry support weapons. In 1935, Minister of War Gen. Maurin, speaking in the Chamber of Deputies, made it clear that the French Army had given up all idea of the offensive. (Horne 80) The fatal flaws in this are (1) the French Army now has no viable plan to support Belgium, or to act or react aggressively against the Germans, thus giving the Germans the initiative, and (2) France has no IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 3 possibility whatever of assisting its Eastern allies, the cordon sanitaire. This lack of capability means that Czechoslovakia and Poland are doomed. (cf Horne 80-82) 1930 September 14 Nazi Party wins 107 seats in the Reichstag 1931 September 18 The Mukden Incident: Japanese troops attack Manchuria and establish a puppet state of Manchukuo. (Ienaga 60) 1932 February 2 Geneva Disarmament Conference convenes. Public pressure forces Great Britain to support the Disarmament Conference. French weakness forces them to act in concert with Great Britain. The British try to reconcile the French with the German position--ie. decrease French armaments and increase German. Politically, neither country could rearm while the Conference dragged on. When he attains power, Hitler will be able to use the Conference to mask the crucial (and riskiest) first 15 months of his rearmament. (Bell 205-6) 1933 1934 July 31 Nazi Party wins 231 seats in the Reichstag January 30 Adolf Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany May Germany renews the Treaty of Berlin with the Soviet Union (Bell 219) July Hitler signs a condordat with the Vatican (Bell 219) summer Four power talks with Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany. (Bell 219) This is a smokescreen. October 14 Germany leaves the Geneva Disarmament Conference and the League of Nations. January 26 German-Polish Nonaggression Pact. Needless to say, Hitler is not really sincere. He is attempting to lull France and Great Britain, most of whose citizens wish to be lulled. February Louis Barthou becomes French Foreign Minister. His is by far the strongest hand at the tiller for France in the decade. He sets about systematically to strengthen France's alliances with IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 4 Czechoslovakia, Poland, Rumania, and Yugoslavia. He also desires a firm alliance with the Soviet Union, which was absolutely crucial to the success of France's Eastern strategy. This policy was perhaps doomed to failure because the Eastern states had no wish to be sheep guarded by Russia's wolf, but it had the virtue of being a realistic approach to the strategic problem France faced. (Bell 223) 1935 June 30 Hitler purges the SA in the Night of the Long Knives. July 25 Austrian Nazis assassinate Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, and attempt a coup d'etat. The plot fails, and Mussolini supports Austrian independence by maneuvers on the Austrian border. August 2 Death of President Paul von Hindenburg. Adolf Hitler becomes Führer, combining the offices of Chancellor with President. October 9 Louis Barthou, while riding in a car with King Alexander of Yugoslavia, is killed when Croatian terrorists assassinate the king. Barthou is succeeded by Pierre Laval., who is a disaster. December 4 Murder of Party Secretary Sergei Kirov in Leningrad. Stalin uses this as a pretext to begin his Great Purge. Estimates as to total victims range from 400,000 deaths and 4 million arrests to 10 million deaths and 7 million arrests. March 16 Germany repudiates military clauses of the Versailles Treaty. May 2 Franco-Russian Treaty of Mutual Assistance ratified, having been negotiated by Barthou before his death. Germany will use this as an excuse to repudiate the Locarno Treaty and remilitarize the Rhineland. (Bell 208) October 3 Italy invades Ethiopia. Great Britain did not regard Ethiopia as involving any vital interests; they are reluctant to act forcefully and poison relations with a potential enemy at a time when Britain has too many potential enemies. France also is trying to improve relations with Italy, and has little stomach for a real confrontation. Mussolini knows this. Public opinion in Great Britain, however, forces Britain to ask for League sanctions. These are a disaster: (1) oil was not embargoed, hence, no truly vital product was cut off (2) Britain did not close the IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 5 Suez Canal to Italian vessels, which would have stopped all Italian reinforcement (3) the sanctions did hurt Italy, and caused Italy to strengthen economic ties to Germany, which is the last thing Britain and France needed. The failure of League sanctions discredits the League, and is a triumph for Mussolini. (Bell 206-8) 1936 March 7 Germany denounces the Locarno Treaty and German troops reoccupy the Rhineland. (Eubank xii) Great Britain is primarily concerned with Italy and Abyssinia. The British felt that the Germans were merely occupying their own soil. Furthermore, in 1934, the Barthou Declaration had stated that "France will henceforth guarantee her own security by her own means." (Horne 83) The British refuse to act. France could easily have overwhelmed the 3 German battalions that marched into the Rhineland, especially since the Germans had orders to withdraw if the French resisted. But Gen. Maurice Gamelin, the Commander-in-Chief, refusing to admit that the French Army was unready for offensive action, grossly exaggerated the size of the German army (he claimed 300,000 men in the Rhineland, where 3,000 would have been too many). He told the government that it would require a general mobilization to eject the Germans. The government, with elections 6 weeks away, categorically rejected a general mobilization on the grounds that the public would not accept it. Moral cowardice at the very top had cost France its best chance to prevent World War II. July 18 The Spanish Civil War breaks out. August Stalin purges Kamenev, Zinoviev in show trials October Rome-Berlin Axis Alliance formed October 14 Alarmed by the apparent lack of French resolve, Belgium revokes the Franco-Belgian alliance. This was a very unwise move, (to say the least!!) It left the French plan of defense, based on the Maginot plan, in shambles (but the French did not reevaluate their plan). The refusal of the Belgians to allow joint planning or cooperation bore bitter fruit in 1940. It was a delusion IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 6 that the Belgians could rely on the good will of Germany, especially Hitler's Germany. The very existence of the Maginot line virtually guaranteed that Belgium would become a battle ground. 1937 1938 November Germany and Japan sign the Anticomintern (Anti Communist International) Pact. Both nations share a common enemy: Communist Russia. May 28 Neville Chamberlain becomes British Prime Minister. June 11 Stalin begins to purge his military. Tukhachevsky is shot. Stalin shoots the entire high command, and half the remaining officer corps. Understandably, the Red Army suffers a loss of efficiency. July 7 Incident at the Marco Polo Bridge; Japan invades China November 5 The Hossbach Conference between Hitler and Constantin Freiherr von Neurath, his Foreign Minister, and Werner von Blomberg and Werner von Fritsch, his top generals, in which he outlines Germany's need for living space in the East. All three are resistant to his proposals. December 12 Panay incident on the Yangtze River January 12 Werner von Blomberg marries a young woman with a shady past; this leads to his forced resignation. (Barnett 34-35) February 4 Werner von Fritsch returns from leave to find he has been framed on charges of homosexuality. He resigns his post to face a Court of Inquiry, is exonerated, and retires. (Barnett 33-35) Hitler shakes up the command structure of the German armed forces and becomes his own Minister of War. He places pliable men (Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl, both of whom were executed at the Nuremberg Trials) in Blomberg's and Fritsch's positions and takes administrative control of the army. February 12 Hitler invites Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg to Berchtesgaden to pressure him into accepting Nazis into his cabinet. March 9 Schuschnigg calls for a plebiscite on the issue of Austrian independence for March 13. All signs pointed to an overwhelming IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 7 "Yes" vote. March 11 Hitler demands and obtains Schuschnigg's resignation. Hitler's puppet in the Austrian cabinet, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, invites German troops to enter. March 12 The German Army crosses the border to cheers and flowers, which partially disguises the frequent breakdown of German tanks and other transport. March 13 Germany announces Anschluss, the annexation of Austria. March Stalin purges Bukharin and Yagoda (his chief of the NKVD) April 24 Hitler now decides to swallow Czechoslovakia. His pretext is the sizable German minority in the Sudetenland. On Hitler's orders, the leader of the Sudeten Nazis, Konrad Henlein, demands autonomy. "We must always demand so much that we never can be satisfied." (Sontag 336, Bell 231) May 19-21 Reports of German troops movements against Czechoslovakia (which were not in fact true) arouse fears of war. Czechoslovakia calls up some reservists; Britain warns Germany of war with France and Britain as well. Since Hitler had not intended to destroy Czechoslovakia quite yet, his lack of action makes it appear as if he had bowed to Anglo-French pressure. He is furious and resolved not to be humiliated again. (Bell 236-7) May 30 Hitler signs a directive for Operation Green, the invasion of Czechoslovakia on October 1. August Japanese column invades Soviet claimed territory on the Manchurian border. They are defeated at Lake Khasan despite Stalin's decision to shoot his victorious general. September 5 Czechoslovakian President Eduard Beneš offers to meet most of Henlein's demands. Hitler orders riots in the Sudetenland and follows up with a saber-rattling speech. September 15 Chamberlain meets Hitler at Berchtesgaden and is told that Hitler would risk war to incorporate the Sudetenland. Chamberlain agrees in principle to Czechoslovakia's dismemberment and returns to IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 8 consult with his cabinet. The Czechs are not consulted. (Bell 238-9) September 22-23 Chamberlain meets Hitler at Godesberg only to find that Hitler is now pressing Hungarian and Polish demands on Czech territory as well as Slovakian independence. Chamberlain returns to consult with his cabinet. The French begin mobilization and the British mobilize the fleet. Hitler's change of tactics leads them to fear that Hitler is not pursuing limited goals in the East after all. (Bell 240-1) September 29 The Munich Agreement: Chamberlain, French President Eduard Daladier, Mussolini and Hitler agree to a German partition of Czechoslovakia. Germany would occupy the Sudetenland, leaving Czechoslovakia without a defensive line and without the Skoda armaments factories. France and Great Britain guarantee the new borders--surely a great comfort to the Czechs, who have still not been invited to the party. His Majesties' Government is prepared to defend Czechoslovakian sovereignty to the last drop of Czech blood. Hitler assures Chamberlain that he had no more territorial demands. Chamberlain returns to Britain with the agreement and says he has secured "peace in our time." This is the high point of the policy of "appeasement." Churchill rightly pointed out that it made a great deal more sense militarily to fight for Czechoslovakia than it did for Poland. The conditions for war would have been much more favorable in 1938 than in 1939, as any glance at a map would show. The Czech army and its equipment were of high quality, and the Skoda works a crucial addition to German armaments capacity. In the opinion of the generals and of some subsequent historians, Germany could not have gone to war in 1939 without the addition of the Czech tank fleet. Four of Germany's ten armored divisions in 1939 were equipped largely with Czech tanks.(Perrett 3, 29) October 1 German troops begin occupation of the Sudetenland. October 2-12 Poland seizes Teschen. IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II 1939 Mr. Blackmon Page 9 October 24 Hitler's new Foreign Minister, Joachim Ribbentrop, offers a treaty to Poland for inclusion in the Anticomintern Pact and German annexation of Danzig in return for German border guarantees. Poland's Jozef Beck refuses to be drawn into the German orbit at the cost of a breach with the Soviet Union, nor will he give up Danzig or be dictated to. This is a courageous decision, but virtually suicidal-Poland will suffer perhaps more than any single country in World War II. (Bell 251) February 1 Beginning of a reversal of British policy. Chamberlain expresses unqualified support for French security. The Imperial Staff submits a paper arguing that Home Defense required the territorial defense of France and that Britain must build a continental army. (Bell 247) March 10 Stalin's speech to the Eighteenth Party Congress, where he indicates he has no preference between the competing blocs of capitalist states. March 15 Germany absorbs Bohemia and Moravia while Slovakia becomes a German puppet state. The SS enters the new territories, answerable directly to Himmler. (Bell 250) March 17 Chamberlain delivers a speech in Birmingham in which he states that Britain will resist an attempt to dominate the world by force. He realizes that Hitler has deceived him. (Bell 253) In point of fact, the hardening public attitude in the West is that Hitler simply cannot be trusted, there is no point in further negotiation, that Hitler was bent on world domination and that he posed a very real and palpable threat to the very moral foundations of the West's way of life. Hitler does not comprehend this change in public opinion. It was not rational to fight for Poland and not for Czechoslovakia; Hitler had formed a contemptuous opinion of Chamberlain and Daladier. March 23 Germany annexes Memel from Lithuania. (Bell 250) March 30 Great Britain offers Poland a guarantee of independence. April 7 Italy invades Albania. Britain and France offer Greece and Rumania guarantees of independence. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland are added a few days later. April 28 Hitler denounces the nonaggression pact with Poland. IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 10 May The Japanese invade Soviet territory at Khalkin Gol and dig in. The future Marshal Zhukov envelops the position and destroys the Japanese force. May 3 Probable opening gambit from Stalin to Hitler: Foreign Minister Litvinov, a Jew, is replaced by Molotov. (Seaton 7, Bell 259) May 8 Negotiations between Britain, France, Poland, and the Soviet Union, which ultimately break down. Only the Red Army could provide support for Poland in a timely manner. Britain wants to include guarantees for the Baltic and Balkan states. Stalin wishes to write a treaty that would permit him to "protect" client states on terms that he defines. The British, not surprisingly, are highly suspicious and refuse to agree. The Poles also flatly refuse to permit the Red Army on their soil, on the grounds that they would never leave. (Bell 2589) May 22 Germany and Italy sign the Pact of Steel May 23 Hitler tells his generals that Poland must be attacked and destroyed as soon as possible. He also announces that the rearmament program must be completed by 1943 or 1944. (Sontag 367) August 22 Hitler again tells his generals that Poland must be destroyed. He sets August 26 as the date, and assures them of access to Russian resources. He stressed British and French weakness. He emphasizes that they must "close their hearts to pity and act brutally, with the greatest harshness." (Sontag 376-7) August 23 Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact signed. If either became involved in a war, the other would remain neutral. Secret provisions divided Poland into halves. Russia received a free hand in Finland, Estonia and Latvia; Germany in Lithuania. Russian interest in Rumanian Besserabia is recognized; Germany declares to have no interest in Rumania and the Balkans (Hitler was unaware of this provision; Ribbentrop had been given a free hand to obtain a treaty). An economic treaty is also signed, in general favorable to Germany. It permits Germany to make large purchases of critical materials Hitler is a winner from the pact, despite the high price. He believes that Britain and France will not fight with the Soviet Union out of the IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 11 equation. Even if they do fight, he has cleared his Eastern flank. He can quickly crush Poland and concentrate force against the West. If he had properly followed through with this strategic situation, he would have won World War II. After defeating Britain, he could have turned his full attention to Russia. Stalin, in the end, comes out a winner. His short term benefits are massive: he gains a large buffer zone between the Soviet Union and the German border; he also gains time, which, considering the impact of the Great Purge on the Red Army, is enormously important. Hitler's eventual invasion of Russia tends to disguise those benefits-Russia came perilously close to defeat. For all its brutality, Stalin is pursuing a rational foreign policy designed to protect the Soviet Union. Stalin believed that Germany and the West would tear each other to ribbons, allowing him to reap the rewards cheaply. British attempts to make a pact including the Soviet Union founder on (1) slow and inept diplomacy (2) intense suspicion of each other's motivations and most importantly (3) the absolute refusal of Poland or Rumania to permit Soviet intervention--in the event, well justified, when one notes Stalin's systematic massacre of the intelligentsia and other leadership classes. (Seaton 8, Bell 260-2) The Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact is decisive. War is now inevitable. Hitler is implacable in his determination to destroy Poland. The Poles are determined to resist. Great Britain and France are determined not to yield to further aggression because they now see Hitler as a direct threat to their own security. Stalin is delighted to watch the capitalists destroy each other. August 29 German ultimatum delivered to Poland. September 1 Germany invades Poland. September 3 Britain and France declare war on Germany. September 17 Soviet Union invades Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. October 12 Hitler establishes a rump state of Poland as an SS state. A racial war against Poles and Jews begins. In the Western campaigns, Hitler's course bear a strong resemblance IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 12 to Bethmann-Hollweg's program of 1914 of German domination of Mitteleuropa. In the East, Hitler wages racial war driven by ideology. Mussolini's role is driven by ideology plus opportunism. As was the case with Hitler, Mussolini had expressed long-term foreign policy goals which he believes he can fulfill through war. (Bell 271-83) 1940 November 30 Soviet Union invades Finland. Their initial campaign fails miserably as the Finns prove they are the best soldiers in Europe. The second campaign is launched with such overwhelming force that the Finns are forced to concede defeat and grant territorial concessions. September Sitzkrieg, the Phoney War on the Western Front. April 9 Germany invades Denmark and Norway, which are neutral. Hitler is securing the Swedish iron mines and control of the Baltic. May 9 Buffeted by the disaster in Scandinavia, Neville Chamberlain resigns as Prime Minister. May 10 Winston Churchill is asked become Prime Minister and to form a Cabinet . May 10 Germany invades Holland and Belgium, which are neutral, and France. The German right wing lures the best of the French and British divisions north to fight a meeting engagement. The Allies believe they are facing the Schlieffen Plan all over again. May 13 After traversing the supposedly impassable Ardennes, the Germans break through the French front and begin a rapid drive for the English Channel; they penetrate successive French lines of resistance before they can be organized. Psychologically, the French High Command collapses. May 27 The British army forced to evacuate at Dunkirk. June 10 Italy invades France. June 22 Final collapse of France and establishment of a puppet regime at Vichy. IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 13 American public opinion shifts: while hoping to avoid war, most Americans now see Germany as posing a serious threat to U.S. security; thwarting German victory becomes an ultimate goal. 1941 June FDR circumvents isolationists by trading 50 over-age destroyers desperately needed by the British for naval/air bases in the West Indies, a brilliant and mutually beneficial action. FDR will begin getting the US involved in the war. He must tread carefully, since the public is opposed to entry if at all possible. July 10 The Battle of Britain, which must secure control of the air space over the English Channel as a preliminary to Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Great Britain, begins. September 3 FDR and Churchill conclude a deal for 50 destroyers in exchange for bases September 14 Italy invades Egypt September 17 Operation Sea Lion postponed indefinitely. September 27 Tripartite Pact signed: Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis formed; European and Pacific wars are now linked. There is, however, no real coordination of war effort. October 28 Mussolini invades Greece. The Greeks stop his offensive cold. October 30 The Battle of Britain ends. The Germans switch to the Blitz, largely ineffective night bombing raids. (Keegan 94) November 5 FDR re-elected for a precedent shattering third term in office. November Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia brought into the Tripartite Pact December US embargoes scrap metal to Japan December 29 FDR proclaims the U.S. the "arsenal of democracy." The enormous US war making capacity begins to be mobilized. (Rich 243) January 6 "Four Freedoms" speech: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, freedom from fear: this represents the ideology IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 14 of democracy. January 7 Japanese Admiral Yamamoto initiates planning for an attack on Pearl Harbor. (Costello 82-3) January 22 British offensive in North Africa captures Tobruk March 1 Bulgaria joins the Tripartite Pact March 11 The Lend-Lease Act to assist anyone resisting aggression is passed. Initial beneficiaries are primarily Great Britain and China. March 30 U.S. seizes all Axis shipping in U.S. ports March 30 U.S. occupies Greenland and extends range of naval patrols. March 30 Hitler addresses senior commanders and tells them they would wage a "race war without pity" against the Soviet UnionOrders were issued indemnifying German soldiers against crimes committed against the Soviet population. The famous "Commissar Order," by which commissars were to be shot out of hand, is issued. "The responsibility for the occupied territories was to be handed to the SS, and order was to be maintained aby the deliberate spreading of terror. This was to be achieved by mass murder, torture, deportations and confiscations irrespective of sex or age. . . . [Hitler's] intention was to prepare his commanders psychologically for the new pattern of ideological war, complete in its totality, a war which would be fought by both sides without compassion or mercy, without honor or decency. . . . [These orders were followed by others ] forbidding the surrender of Leningrad and Moscow, and ordering the encircled cities to be razed to the ground by shell fire and bombing. The female population of Stalingrad was to be transported and the males destroyed." (Seaton 54-5) March 31 Erwin Rommel’s offensive besieges Tobruk April 6 Hitler invades Yugoslavia and Greece. His purpose is to bail out Mussolini and to secure his southern flank for the invasion of Russia. He is extremely sensitive to British air strikes against the Ploesti oil fields. April Failure of Ambassador Nomura's mission to resolve differences IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 15 between Japan and the U.S. April 13 Ignorant of Hitler's plans, Japan concludes a nonaggression pact with Russia; Japan wants to clear its flank before moving into Indochina and the Dutch East Indies. Not keeping the Japanese informed is a serious blunder by Hitler. Eventually, the Russians will use Siberian troops to launch their winter counter-offensive before Moscow. A coordinated German-Japanese attack could have been decisive. (Rich 229-30) June 14 All Axis assets in the U.S. frozen June 22 Operation Barbarossa begins: Germany invades the Soviet Union; the bloodiest, most savage war in human history begins. Hitler embarks on a fatal course of action, a two front war with Russia in front of him and Great Britain (backed by the United States) to his rear. June 24 FDR extends Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union July 8 U.S. occupies Iceland and extends North Atlantic patrols still further July 28 Japan invades Indochina, in part to cut China's supply line of LendLease aid FDR freezes Japanese assets and embargoes oil sales to Japan; without a compromise, a Pacific war is now inevitable within 6 months. August 14 FDR and Churchill meet and issue the Atlantic Charter August 17 The Germans capture Kiev September 4 Greer incident; FDR issues a "shoot-on-sight" order; U.S. is now fighting an undeclared war in the North Atlantic September 8 The siege of Leningrad begins. It will last 900 days; 2,000,000 civilians will die October 17 Hideki Tojo becomes Japanese premier; Japan decides on war with the U.S. and sets the plan for Pearl Harbor in motion IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 16 October 17 USS Kearney torpedoed October 20 USS Reuben James sunk September 30 Germans launch Operation Typhoon, the final drive on Moscow November Continued fruitless negotiations between Nomura and Cordell Hull with neither side willing to compromise December 5 Operation Typhoon grinds to a halt December 7 " . . . a date that will live in infamy . . ."; Japan attacks the U.S. at Pearl Harbor; beginning of a Pacific onslaught December 8 Japan attacks Hong Kong, the Philippines, and invades Malaya December 8 the United States declares war on Japan December 11 Japan attacks Burma. Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S. The German declaration of war against the U.S. is a colossal blunder--some historians rank it as Hitler's fatal mistake (my own view is that Barbarossa is). The U.S. is now fully committed to a global war. December 23 Japanese seize Wake Island January 11 Japan attacks the Dutch East Indies February 15 Japan captures Singapore April 9 Bataan surrenders to the Japanese April 18 Doolittle Raid on Tokyo May 6 Corregidor surrenders to the Japanese May 6-8 Battle of the Coral Sea–the first carrier to carrier naval battle; the two fleets never actually saw each other. May 30 1,000 Bomber Raid on Cologne 1942 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 17 June 4 Battle of Midway Island; Japan loses 4 carriers, the US one. This is the turning point of the war in the Pacific. July Regular air raids against the Ruhr and Hamburg September 13 Battles of Stalingrad begin October 23 Battle of El Alamein begins; Rommel is defeated and driven west; this is the turning point of the war in North Africa November High point of U-Boat sinkings November 8 Operation Torch; Allies land in Morocco and Algiers January 14-24 Casablanca Conference; FDR and Chruchill meet. February 2 Stalingrad surrenders to the Soviets April 19-May 16 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising May 12 Axis forces in Tunisia surrender May 26 Discovery of the Katyn Massacre July 5-August 6 Battle of Kursk fought; Russian counter-offensive liberates Orel and Belgorod July 10 Allied invasion of Sicily July 25 Mussolini dismissed by the King August 17 US daylight bombing raid on Schweinfurt and Regensburg 1943 Quebec Conference August 23 Soviets liberate Kharkov September 3 Allies invade Italy; Italy surrenders Soviets liberate Novorossisk and Smolensk IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 18 October Soviets liberate Zaporozhe and Dnepropetrovsk November 6 Soviets liberate Kiev US Marines assault Tarawa November 22-26 Cairo Conference November 28-Dec 1 Tehran Conference Churchill accepts the Curzon line in Poland and Soviet territorial gains 1939-41 Churchill proposes in 10/44 “spheres of influence” in the southeastern Europe i. Romania USSR 90% Britain 10% ii. Bulgaria USSR 75% Britain 25% iii. Hungary USSR 50% Britain 50% iv. Yugoslavia USSR 50% Britain 50% v. Greece USSR 10% Britain 90% vi. Molotov asked for further revision, no agreement was made, and Roosevelt never signed off on it. (McCauley Origins 389, 54) January 12 Allies land at Anzio January 27 Siege of Leningrad lifted February 15 Allies bomb Monte Cassino April 2 Soviets enter Rumania June 4 US troops enter Rome June 6 Operation Overlord. The Allies successfully land in Normandy. Bitter fighting ensues as the Allies attempt to break out of the bocage country June 12 First V-1 bombs strike London June 15 US invades Saipan 1944 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 19 First US B-29 raids against Japan June 23-July 3 Soviets launch Operation Bagration; German Army Group Center is annihilated; Belarus is liberated July 20 Attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler fails. July 23 Soviets capture Lublin and create the Polish Committee of National Liberation August Field Marshal Albert Kesselring establishes the Gothic Line August US recaptures Guam and Tinian; they will be used as bases for B-29 attacks against Japan August 1-October 2 Warsaw Home Army uprising against the Germans August 24 French General Leclercq liberates Paris September 3 Brussels liberated September 8 First V-2 rockets strike London September 12 Romania signs an armistice September 17-30 Operation Market-Garden; daring air-borne operation to breach the Rhine fails September 19 Finland signs an armistice October 20 US forces land in the Philippines October 20 Yugoslav Partisans enter Belgrade October 25 Battle of Leyte Gulf November Systematic bombing of Japan begins December 16 German Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge) begins. January 12 Soviet general offensive begins 1945 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 20 January 17 Soviets liberate Warsaw February 4-12 Yalta Conference 2/45 vii. Big Three (1) Franklin Delano Roosevelt--US (a) Chief goal is to secure Soviet declaration of war on Japan (2) Winston Churchill--Great Britain (3) Josef Stalin--USSR viii. Agreements regarding Europe (1) USSR receives part of eastern Poland (2) Poland compensated by moving western border to the Oder. (3) USSR would receive largest share of the reparations from Germany (4) Germany to be divided into US, British, French, and Soviet zones of occupation (ZOC) (5) Berlin to be jointly governed by the Four Powers (6) Democratic interim governments were to hold free elections in the liberated states. (a) “democratic” and “free” proved to be enormously flexible. ix. Agreements regarding Asia (1) USSR would receive Sakhalin island and the Kurile Islands, plus rights in Manchuria (including the naval base at Port Arthur and the operation of the Manchurian Railroad): in other words, a return to the status quo ante 1905 (before the Russo-Japanese War) (a) Outer Mongolia becomes a Soviet satellite (2) Stalin promised to declare war on Japan between 60 and 90 days after Germany’s surrender. (a) Stalin kept this promise to the day. x. A “Declaration on Liberated Europe” was issued (1) Stalin once told Anthony Eden that a declaration was “algebra” and an agreement was “practical arithmetic.” Stalin did not disparage algebra, but he preferred practical arithmetic. (McCauley 55) xi. Factors to Remember (1) The Battle of the Bulge left the West in a poor bargaining position (2) Location at Yalta gave Stalin a stronger bargaining position IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 21 (3) FDR’s military advisers were adamant on the subject of Soviet help with Japan. FDR has to pay Stalin’s price. February 13 Budapest surrenders to the Soviets February 11-14 Firebombing of Dresden March 7 US forces cross the Rhine at Remagen Bridge April 1 US lands on Okinawa April 12 FDR dies; Harry S Truman succeeds as President April 13 Soviets enter Vienna April 16 Final Soviet offensive against Berlin begins April 28 Mussolini is shot by partisans and hung up side down on display April 30 Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his bunker in Berlin May 2 German forces in Italy surrender May 7 Germans surrender in Rheims May 9 Soviets enter Prague July 17-26 Potsdam Conference August 6 US drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima August 8 Soviet Union declares war on Japan August 9 US drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki August 14 Japan capitulates September 2 Japanese surrender signed on the deck of the USS Missouri IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 22 Weapons Production of the Major Powers 1939-45 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Aircraft Britain 7,940 15,049 20,094 23,672 26,263 26,461 12,070 USA 5,856 12,804 26,277 47,826 85,998 96,318 49,761 USSR 10,382 10,565 15,735 25,436 34,900 40,300 20,900 Germany 8,295 10,247 11,776 15,409 24,807 39,807 7,540 Japan 4,467 4,768 5,088 8,861 16,693 28,180 11,066 Major Vessels Britain 57 148 236 239 224 188 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 23 64 USA --544 1,854 2,654 2,247 1,513 USSR -33 62 19 13 23 11 Germany (U-boats only) 15 40 196 244 270 189 0 Japan 21 30 49 68 122 248 51 Tanks * Britain 969 1,399 4,841 8,611 7,476 5,000 2,100 USA -c. 400 4,052 24,997 29,497 17,565 11,968 USSR 2,950 2,794 6,590 24,446 24,089 28,963 15,400 Germany c.2,200 1,300 5,200 9,200 17,300 22,100 4,400 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 24 Japan c. 200 1,023 1,024 1,191 790 401 142 Artillery Pieces ** IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 25 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 26 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 27 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 28 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 29 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 30 Britain 1,400 1,900 5,300 6,600 12,200 12,400 USA -c.29,615 1,800 72,658 67,544 33,558 19,699 USSR 17,348 15,300 42,300 127,000 130,300 122,400 31,000 Germany c.5,000 2,000 7,000 12,000 27,000 41,000 * Includes self-propelled guns for Germany and the USSR ** Medium and heavy caliber only for Germany, USA, and Britain, all calibers for the USSR (Overy 331-2) Distribution of German combat divisions by theatre June 1941 - March 1945 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II East West Norway/ Finland Denmark Balkans Italy Africa 27 June 1941 134 (32)* 38 (0) 13 (0) 17 (6) (0) 2 (2) Sept. 1941 144 (32) 14 (0) 17 (0) (0) 3 (3) Dec. 1941 146 (32) 32 (2) 15 (0) 18 (0) (0) 3 (3) March 1942 164 (32) 16.5 7 (0) (.5) 3 (3) June 1942 171 (34) 27 (3) 16.5 (.5) 18 (0) (1) 3 (3) Sept. 1942 171 (33) 15.5 (.5) 19 (0) (1) 4 (3) Dec. 1942 178 (33) 36 (5) 15.5 (.5) 210(0) (1) 6 (4) March 1943 175 (29) 16.5 (.5) 115(0) (1) 7.5 (4.5) June 1943 179 (28) Mr. Blackmon Page 31 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 32 42 (8)(.5) 16.5 217(0) (1) Sept. 1943 181 (26) 18 (0) 2.5 (.5) 19 (1) 7 (6) Dec. 1943 175 (34) 37 (6) 17 (0) 5.5 (.5) 24 14 (2) (6) March 1944 169 (36) 16 (0) 4.5 (.5) 21 19 (5) (6) 6157 June 1944 (30) 56 (11) 16 (0) 3.5 (1.5) 20 22 (4) (6) Sept. 1944 127 (33) 55 (14) 15 (0) 2.5 (.5) 17 21 (3) (4) Dec. 1944 132 (44) 71 (15) 14 (0) 2.5 (.5) 16 22 (3) (4) March 1945 166 (43) 63 (9) 9.5 5.5 (0) (.5) 19 (3) * Number in brackets = panzer and motorized divisions Source: Ellis Statistical Appendix Table 35 Number of German combat divisions engaged by the Russians and by the Western Allies June 1941 - March 1945 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Date Number of divisions engaged Number of German German engaged by by Russians W. Allies Percentage engageddivisions by Russians Percentage engaged by W. Allies 27 June 1941 147 (32)* 298(2) (97) 2 (3) Dec. 1941 161 (32) 398(3) (91) 2 (9) June 1942 187 (34) 398(3) (92) 2(8) Dec. 1942 183 (33) 697(4) (89) 3 (11) June 1943 195 (28) Mr. Blackmon Page 33 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 34 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II 100 (100) Mr. Blackmon Page 35 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 36 IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 37 Works Cited Barnett, Corelli. Hitler's Generals. New York: William Morrow, 1989. Bell, P.M.H. The Origins of the Second World War in Europe. New York: Longman, 1986 Costello, John. The Pacific War: 1941-1945. New York: Quill, 1981. Eubank, Keith. World War II: Roots and Causes. 2nd ed. New York: D.C. Heath, 1992. Horne, Alistair. To Lose a Battle: France 1940. New York: Penguin 1990. Ienaga, Saburo. The Pacific War. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978. Keegan, John. The Second World War. New York: Penguin Books, 1989. Messenger, Charles. The Art of Blitzkrieg. London: Ian Allan Ltd., 1991. Perrett, Bryan. Knights of the Black Cross. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1986. Rich, Norman. Hitler's War Aims. New York: W.W. Norton, 1973. Seaton, Alan. The Russo-German War 1941-45. New York: Presidio, 1971. Sontag, Raymond J. A Broken World: 1919-1939. New York: Harper and Row, 1972. IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II IB Contemporary World History Mr. Blackmon Page 38 Mr. Blackmon Chronology of Origins of World War II Test 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Treaty of Locarno Kellogg-Briand Pact Mukden incident; Japan invades Manchuria Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany Germany walks out of the Geneva Disarmament Conference Night of the Long Knives Murder of Sergei Kirov in Leningrad marks the beginning of the Great Purge Italy invades Ethiopia Germany reoccupies the Rhineland Spanish Civil War breaks out Incident at the Marco Polo Bridge; Japan invades China Hossbach Memorandum; Hitler outlines his aggressive designs Germany announces Anschluss with Austria The Munich Agreement leads to the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia Germany occupies Moravia and Bohemia, and proclaims a puppet Slovakian state Chamberlain abandons appeasement at the Birmingham speech; soon after, Britain offers Poland a guarantee of independence and integrity Italy invades Albania The Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Pact signed. Hitler invades Poland Stalin invades Poland and the Baltic States The Phoney War Hitler invades Norway and Denmark Hitler invades Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg and France Germans break through the French front at the Meuse Battle of Britain Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis formed Lend Lease Act is passed Barbarossa: Hitler invades the Soviet Union Japanese occupy French Indochina; the U.S. embargoes scrap iron and oil Japanese attack Pearl Harbor IB Contemporary World History Mr. Blackmon Chronology of Origins of World War II Test Form A Place the following events in their correct chronological order by placing a number (1) beside the first event, and number (2) beside the second event, a number (3) beside the third event, etc. __________ 1. Hitler invades Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg and France __________ 2. The Munich Agreement leads to the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia __________ 3. Germany reoccupies the Rhineland __________ 4. The Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Pact signed. __________ 5. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor __________ 6. Germany walks out of the Geneva Disarmament Conference __________ 7. Mukden incident; Japan invades Manchuria __________ 8. Lend Lease Act is passed __________ 9. Incident at the Marco Polo Bridge; Japan invades China __________ 10. Chamberlain abandons appeasement at the Birmingham speech; soon after, Britain offers Poland a guarantee of independence and integrity IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II IB Contemporary World History Mr. Blackmon Page 41 Mr. Blackmon Chronology of Origins of World War II Test Form B Place the following events in their correct chronological order by placing a number (1) beside the first event, and number (2) beside the second event, a number (3) beside the third event, etc. __________ 1. Italy invades Ethiopia __________ 2. Stalin invades Poland and the Baltic States __________ 3. Hitler invades Poland __________ 4. Murder of Sergei Kirov in Leningrad marks the beginning of the Great Purge __________ 5. Japanese occupy French Indochina; the U.S. embargoes scrap iron and oil __________ 6. Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany __________ 7. Treaty of Locarno __________ 8. Battle of Britain __________ 9. Germany announces Anschluss with Austria __________ The Phoney War 10. IB Contemporary World History Chronology: Road to World War II Mr. Blackmon Page 42 IB Contemporary World History Mr. Blackmon Chronology of Origins of World War II Test Form C Place the following events in their correct chronological order by placing a number (1) beside the first event, and number (2) beside the second event, a number (3) beside the third event, etc. __________ 1. Germany occupies Moravia and Bohemia, and proclaims a puppet Slovakian state __________ 2. Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis formed __________ 3. Hossbach Memorandum; Hitler outlines his aggressive designs __________ 4. Italy invades Albania __________ 5. Night of the Long Knives __________ 6. Kellogg-Briand Pact __________ 7. Barbarossa: Hitler invades the Soviet Union __________ 8. Hitler invades Norway and Denmark __________ 9. Spanish Civil War breaks out __________ 10. Germans break through the French front at the Meuse