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World War II began with the NAZI invasion of Poland (1939). Historians often note the earlier Japanese seizure of Manchuria (1931) and invasion of China (1937) as well as early European Axis aggressions as a prelude to war. The NAZI invasion was followed by a British and French declaration of war, but failure to come to Poland's assistance. Within only a few days, the Soviets joined the NAZIs in invading Poland, followed by a series of other invasions of their own. The NAZI success in Poland was followed by a string of startling military successes, especially the invasion and defeat of France (1940). The NAZI successes were puncutated by the victory of the RAF in the Battle of Britain (1940). The Italians joined their Axis partner after the defeat of France was already largely achieved. Almost from the beginning, however, the Italians proved more of a drag on the NAZI war effort than an assett. The War was tranformed when Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union and then without any effort to coordinate opetrations, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Historians argue about the turning point of the War. After a series of almost uniterupted victories, the War turned against the Axis in second half of 1942. The Red Army bled the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Font while the Western allies ponded German cities. Finally the German losses in the East combined with growing Allied air power enabled the Western Allies to renter the Continent with the D-Day landings. What followed was a string of Allied victories, although achieved at great cost. Finally after Hitler's suicide and the fall of Berlin the NAZIs surrendered (1945). The Japanese surenderd after America dropped the A-Bomb and the Soviets invaded Manchuria (1945).
All three AXIS countries AXIS countries (Germany, Italy, and Japan) were involved in military campaigns before World War II finally began with the German invasion of Poland in 1939. NAZI Germany renounced the Versailles Treaty as soon as Hiltler seized power, but the next few years was spent in supressing domestic oppositon and sreadily excluding Jews from national life. The NAZIs remilitarized the Rhineland in 1936 and carried out the Anchluss with Austria in 1937. These actioins coukld be seen as domestic German matters. he nexyt target was Czecheslovakia which had been created by thge Versilles Peace Treaty. Hitler in 1938 demanded the Sudetenland in Czecheslovakia which had a minority German population. The British and French gave in at talks held in Munich, but the NAZIs then seized the rest of the country in March 1939, areas without German poulations. The Germans beginningh in 1936 were also active in Spain helping Franco establish a Fascist regiment. The defenseless Basque village of Guernica was the first European city to be destroyed by the Luftwaffe. The Italians conducted a mercilless campaign in Libya to supress rebels, including the use of poison gas. This was generally seen as an internal colonial matter. This changed in 1935 when the invaded Ethiopia, using modern weaponms, again inclusing poison gas, to attack a largely unarmed country. They were condenmed by the Leagur of Nations and then walked out of the organization. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1932 and established a puppet regim, Manchuko, under the figurehead last Chinese Emperor, Pu Yi. The Japanese invaded China itself in 1937. Theuy were also condemned by the League of Nations and withdrew. Japan drove deep into China, but was able to defeat thr Chinese which received miklitary assiastance from the Americans and British. The war with China was to tie down the bulk of the Japanese Army throughout World War II. A little known, but major engagement was fought with Soviets troops along the border. The Soviets wree commanded by Georgy Zukov and smashed the Japanese. This experience probably played a major role in convincing the Japanese to strike America rather than the Soviets in 1941.
World War II began with the NAZI invasion of Poland (1939). The NAZI invasion was followed by a British and French declaration of war, but failure to come to Poland's assistance. Within only a few days, the Soviets joined the NAZIs in invading Poland, followed by a series of other invasions of their own. The NAZI success in Poland was followed by a string of startling military successes, especially the invasion and defeat of France (1940). The NAZI successes were puncutated by the victory of the RAF in the Battle of Britain (1940). The NAZIs in 1940 had victory within their grasp, but allowing the British Army to escape at Dunkirk and the victory of the RAF over Britain meant that Britain could continue the war, especially as President Roosevelt had decided to support Britain. The Italians joined their Axis partner after the defeat of France was already largely achieved. Almost from the beginning, however, the Italians proved more of a drag on the NAZI war effort than an assett. The War was tranformed when Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union. Here the Axis had another opportunity to win the War. It seems likely that if the Japanese had attacked the Soviet Far East that the Axis would have prevailed. But rather than a coordinated attack, the Japanese and then without any effort to coordinate opetrations, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This resulted in an enormous shift in the strategic ballance.
Historians argue about the turning point of the War. Most look to the decisive Allied victories in the second half of 1942 as the turning point. It was in 1942 that the course of the War changed [Groom] It was the AXIs' last real chance to win the War. They would have to win the War in 1942 or the soperior resources and industrial capacity of the Allies would inevitably prevail. Major campaigns, however, were not settled until later. The Battle of the Atlantic eas not decided until mid-1943 and the air war over Europe what not decided until early 1944. As important as 1942 was, it was the period from Hune to December 1941 that in gact the decisive point of the War. Hitler until this point had exercised considerable caution. He attempted to pick off his enemies and vulnerable neutrals one by one, taking care to placate the Soviet Union and avoiding conflict with the United States. Yjis changed when he decided to invade the Soviet Union (June 1941) and incredibly when that attack was beaten back before Moscoe, decalred war on the United States (December 1941). Hitler is often faulted for invading the Soviet Union before defeating Britain. This is a valid criticism, although a case can be made for the invasion. The decession to declare war on the United States, while still fighting the Soviet Union, however, was strategic madness and is in sharp contrast to his deft handling of strategic ininitatives in the first plase of the War. One wonders if the shock of failure in front of Moscow combined wih the drugs provioded by his doctor may not have addled his mind. Hitler made his decessions unilaterally so it is difficult to tell just what what drove him to do this. Here historians can only speculate.
After a series of almost uniterupted victories, the War turned against the Axis in second half of 1942. It may seem strange that the first phase of the war was almost entirely a series of Axis victories and the second stage of the war was an almost uninterupted string of allied victories. The reason of course is that in the space of 6 months, the Axis without any real attempt at coordination forced the Soviet Union into the Allied camp and then forced America to enter the War. Given the humnan, industrial, and material resources of the Soviet Union and the United States, this incredible strastegic move almost ordained the defeat of the Axis. The Red Army bled the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Font while the Western allies ponded German cities. Finally the German losses in the East combined with growing Allied air power enabled the Western Allies to renter the Continent with the D-Day landings.
What followed was a string of Allied victories, although achieved at great cost. Finally after Hitler's suiside and the fall of Berlin the NAZIs surrendered (1945). The Japanese surrenderd after America dropped the A-Bomb and the Soviets invaded Manchuria (1945).
Histories of the War are generally written from the perspective of two great Alliances: the Axis (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allies (America, Britain, the British Dominions, and France) along with the Soviets. This is not a correct assessment of the situtation. The Soviets were a third power center, separate from the Axis and the Allies. The Axis succeeded during the first phase of the War in part because the Soviets were a junior partner. The Allies prevailed because Hitler firced the Soviets into the war on the allied side. This is an important destinction because after the War some observers complain that the post-War peace settlement was not well handled by Roosevelt and Truman. The simple fact, however, is that the Western Allies did not win the War, it was the Western Allies and the Soviets. This the post-War settlement would not be dominated by democratic values. These values were promoted in the West in the countries liberated by the allies. In the East, the Soviet victory meant that one form of totalitarianism would be relaced by another. Here we will develop a chronology of the three major groups involved in the War.
Groom, Winston. 1942: The Year That Tried Men's Souls (Atlantic Monthly, 2005).
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