Figure 1.--Millions of people in German occupied countries found themselves in the hands of a brutal occupation authorities without any protection of law and little possibilityof resistance. In some cases the German objective was to exploit or seize new territory and resources. In other cases it was simply to kill. Here Jews are having to report to a German military command center somewhere in occupied Poland. It looks like a very early point in the German occupation, perhaps October 1939. They are probably being registered.

Many more countries were occupied in World War II than World War I. This was because of the wider scope of the War and because several new countries were carved out of the Austro-Hungarian, Tsarist, and Ottoman Empires. And the nature of the occupation regimes in those countries was radically different, much more brutal and in several countries actually genocidal. The desire to seize territory and resources was a major cause of the War, unlike World War I. Here the goal was not so much temporary occupation, but permanent territorial adjustments and new colonial structures. And as part of this process, masive ethnic cleanings including the murder of tens of millions of people becaue of their ethnicity was planned and begun. Occupation meant in many instances life and death for the occupied countries. The Germans wanted the East and changes in the West. Italy wanted the Mediterranean Basin, and Japan wanted China and the Southern Resource Zone (SRZ). And once in possessions of these areas, harsh exploitation began. Hitler thought that the resources of the East would make Germany invulnerable. This lead to the NAZI invasion of the Soviet Union, but despite great victories, few of the resources were secured. As it turned out, by far the most important occupied country supporting the German war economy was France. Some countries were occupied by more than one countries. Eastern Euopean countries were occupied by both the Connunists and NAZIs. In Asia, the situation was different. Except for China and the Philippines, Japan invaded European colonies. Japan was determined to conquer China with its resources and vast market. As it turned out, the resources gained only supported the army deployed and the cost of the war proved a drain on Japan's economy. This ultimately led to Japan's decesion to attack the United States as part of the effort to secure the SRZ. Japan in a very short period occupied a huge swath of Oceania and Southeast Asia. Japan got the resources it coveted, but getting them back to the war industries of the Home Island proved an entirely different matter. And in the SRZ, Japanese brutality and imcompetent administration began to cause sufferin and in several years deadly famines.

Africa

The only Sub-Saharan country occupied by the Axis was Ethiopia, the first aggression of the European Axis is the lead up to World War II. Ethiopia and Liberia were the only independent countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, although South Africa was a self-governing Dominion. The rest of Africa was European colonoes (Belgian, British, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish). The Italian invasion of Ethiopia had been brutal, including the use of poison gas (1935). The actual Italian occupation was not the horrific experince of the countries in Euope occupied by the Axis. Ethiopia was independent, but very backward and traditional. Slavery still existen in Ethiopia. The Italians began a modernization process. Here the infrastructure projects were more sucesful than social reforms. After the War began, the situation in Africa changed substantially. The Germans occupied Belgium and France and Spain was leaning toward the Grmans. Portugal was wavering. Italy invaded and ocupied British Somaliland. Thus the Axis had th potential to seize much of Africa. The Belgian Congo declared its aliegence to the Belgian Govrnment-in-Exile. THe many French colonie, however, declared their loyalty to the rump French Vichy government which was ithin the German orbit. This meant that the Fench colonists were under a more authorutative govrnment, but as the Jewish populationnwas small did not mean a great deal in evry daylives. More important was thepotenial strategic consequences.

America, Latin

Axis invasions did not reach Latin America. The French did, however, have colonies in the region, including French Guiana. Guadeloupe, and Martiunique. They declaredcloyalty to Vichy. Marinique became a serious concern because of the French aircraft carrier B�arn -- of some significance in 1940 because of Britain's vulnerabiliy. It was interned at Marinique.

America, North

Germany invaded and occupid Denmark (April 1940). Greenland was nominally a Danish colony, but largely autonomous. The War and invsion largely cut off contacts between Denmark and Greenland. The Germans unlike other countries did not replace the Danish Government. Thus there was no Government in exile. The British Royal Navy seized any ships arriving from Axis-controlled Europe. Britain and Canada prepared plans to occupy Greenland. The United States opposed this operation and the idea of 'third party' intervention. The Greenland sheriffs (landsfogeder) invoked the emergency clause of the 1925 law specifying how Greenland was ruled, declared Greenland a self-ruling territory. The United States supported their action. Greenland is a huge, lighly populated island. The Germans were early in the War able to setup weather stations on Greenland. The only Axis foothold in North America proved to be the tiny islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off Labrador. The harsh Vichy regime was very unpopular with pro-Free French sailors and islanders. The Free French seized the islands (Decembr 1941), causing an international incident and the beginning of the rift between President Roosevelt and General DeGualle.

Asia

Europe

Virtually all of Europe including parts of the Soviet Union was occupied during World War II. This include Axis, Soviet, and allied occupation. Some countries were occupied twice and by two of the majpr beligerants. Some counries experienced partition and others annexation. The occuation policies differented greatly. The Axis (especially German) and Soviet occupation could be horific. The German policies had a strong racial component both between and within countries. The German occupation of Poland resulted in the murder of some 25 percent of the population during the 5 years of occupation. Other countries also suffered greatly, especially the oviet Union. . The Axis countries ironically were eventally most occupied by their Geramn ally. The Soviet occuoation policies were similar, but had more of a social-class orientation, although there was also am ethnic compnent. NKVD actions in several countries were similar to German SS actions, butte death tolls never reached the levels of the NAZI indidtrilized killing. The end result was hrific police state actions and loss of life. The occuption policies of the Western Allies were radically different, focused on saving life and restoring civil society with the ultimate goal of stablishing democractic governments.

Middle East and North Africa

Oceania

Created: 6:01 AM 3/31/2015
Last updated: 7:01 PM 3/31/2015