*** war and social upheaval: World War II -- Japan and the Axis








World War II: The Axis--Strategic Cooperation


Figure 1.--Thius is a scene from a Hitler Youth visit to Japan in 1938. They are participating in a Shinto purification rire at the Meiji Shrine. .

Hitler appears to have conceived an alliance with the Japanese as a way of dividing the world in what he called Operation Orient. While the Japanese ageeed to the Anti-Comitern Pact (1936) and the Axis (1940), Hitler never suceeded in convincing the Japanese in commiting to his campaihn against the Siviet Union, even after he declared war on the United States when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (1941). Germany launched World War II when it invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 causing Britain and France declared war on September 3. Britain and France had pledged to defend Poland in case of German invasion. Germany defeated the Polish Army in October 1939, the Polish Government never agreed to an armistace. The Germans then defeated the French Army and forced the country to sign an armistace in June 1940. Italy on June 10, just before the armistace, entred the war. Japan after signing the Axis agreement did not join the war with Britain in Europe. Japan did seize the French colony of Indo-China (Vietnam) which brought about American sanctions. Japan had been at war with China since 1937. Japanese planners in 1941 pondered their course of action, especially after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Some expected them to attack north at Soviet Siberia. Had they done so, almost surely the Soviet Union reeling under German attack, would have been defeated. Instead they attacked south at the American Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. There was vitually no coordintion among Axis partners in military strategy, in contrast to the closely coordinate Allied operations. There was especially close cooperation between Ameica and Britain, but there was also some coordination with the Soviets.

Conferences

There was vitually no coordintion among Axis partners in military strategy, in contrast to the closely coordinate Allied operations. There was especially close cooperation between Ameica and Britain, but there was also some coordination with the Soviets. Beginning with the meeting on the Prince of Wales in Placencia Bay and the issuance of the Atlantic Charter (August 1941), the Allies had numerous meetings: Casblanca (January 1943), Teheran (November 1943), Yalta (February 1945), and Potsdam (July 1945) as well as many smaller conferences. There were over 200 Allied conferences including working-level groups that planned joint operations in great detail. [Fest, p. 656.] Nothing like this took place within the Axis. President Roosevelt began the extensive correspondence with Churchill after he was recalled to the Admiralty (1939). Prime-Minister Churchill spent more tha a 100 days in the White House. None of this intense coordination occured among the Axis in their war effort. Hitler made the decession to launch World war II and the decession to invade the Soviet Union on his own. Mussollini responded with his invasion of Albania and later Greece without informing Hitler in advance. There were many Hitler-Mussolini meetings. These were not, however, planning conferences. Hitler made all the important decesions without consulting either the Italians or the Japanese. Much of these meetings were taken up with Hitler lecturing the Italians or by dicussions on tactical matters or German aid to bolsrtering Italy's faltering srmy.

German-Italian Cooperation

Germany launched World War II when it invaded Poland (September 1, 1939) causing Britain and France to declare war (September 3). There was non planning with Italy in advance, although Italians diplomats through their conntacts realized that Hitler was about to launch the War. Britain and France had pledged to defend Poland in case of German invasion. Germany defeated the Polish Army in October 1939, the Polish Government never agreed to an armistace. The Germans then defeated the French Army and forced the country to sign an armistace in June 1940. Italy just before the armistace, entred the war (June 10). There were discussions between German and Italian officials, including Hitler and Mussolini. Mussolini did not finally make the decesion util the French were essentially defeated. Even once the Italy entered the War, Mussolini was not given a seat in the war planning table. We have noted comments to the affect that Hitler pushed Mussolini to take more aggressive steps against the British in the Mediterranean. We do not yet have details on this. Hitler's refusal to plannthe War jointly irritated Mussolini to the extent that he did not inform Hitler before invading Greece (October 1940) and disrupting Germany's Balkan policy. This did not change. Italy was not included in the planning for Barbarossa.

German-Japanese Coordination

Hitler appears to have conceived an alliance with the Japanese as a way of dividing the world in what he called Operation Orient. While the Japanese ageeed to the Anti-Comitern Pact (1936) and the Axis (1940). Japan after signing the Axis agreement did not join the war with Britain in Europe. Hitler never suceeded in convincing the Japanese in commiting to his campaihn against the Soviet Union, even after he declared war on the United States when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (1941). Japan did seize the French colony of Indo-China (Vietnam) which brought about American sanctions. Japan had been at war with China since 1937. Japanese planners in 1941 pondered their course of action, especially after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Some expected them to attack north at Soviet Siberia. Had they done so, almost surely the Soviet Union reeling under German attack, would have been defeated. Instead they attacked south at American Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Italian-Japanese Coordination

We know of no significant efforts by Italy and Japan to coordinate strategywith one exception. And thst was the policy toward the Soviet Union. Stalin wanted to join the Axis. This was raised by Molotov at the meeting with the Germans in Berlin (November 1940). Italy and Japan fasvired this. Hitlerr vetoed the idea and put off the Soviets with delasying tactics. He then launched Barbarossa (June 1941) without conferring with his Axis allies. He dragged Itaky into the Ostkrieg. The Japanese decided to strike south at the Americans, British, and Dutch. A decision they made when it looked like the Soviet Union was defeated. After it was clear that the Soviets had not been defeated, both Italy and Japan saw that Hitler needed to arrange a truce with Stalin and pressed the idea. Ambassador Horikiri was replaced by Shinrokuro Hidaka, a more sophisticated diplomat ton push the idea of armistice in the East. Hitler probably saw the need for an arnistuice as well as well, but was unwilling to offer any concessiions that might interest Stalin, especially once the Red Army was winning victories. Another matter of uterest to thr Italians and Japanese was the policy toward the Arabs of and Indians whixh aimed to exploit resentment toward British imperialm policy. They had the idea of issuing a kind of Axis Atlantic charter stating an Axis anti-imperiaslist policy. This was in accirdance with Japab's Greater East asua Co-Prosperity Spherer an Axis offers to drive the British oit if aerab lands. Of course in relaklity the Jaopanese and Italians had no intention to libersted the Arabs and Indians, but instead to add then to their own empire. Some Arabs abnd Indians did buy the idea. The idea of dismantling the British Empire was very appealing. Hitler with his core racist ideology was not particularlyb attracted to this idea either. There were some minor efforts at joint action. Some Japanese cargo vessels reached Italian East Africa which was isolated by ghe British control of the Suez Canal. The British captured Italian East Africa and liberated Ertiopia (1941). After the Ameruican naval victory at Midway (June 1942) there was no poissibility of sigbifucabnt exchanges between Japan and the European Axis. Count Ciano. the Italian Fireignn Minister, reported that Mussolini's relations with the Japanese ambassador were very businesslike and tense. And that Japanese Embassy by 1942 was passing on rumors of an posdible Italian capitulation to the Germans. 【Deakin】 .

Sources

Deaken, Frederick William Dampier. The Brutal Friendship: Mussolini, Hitler and the Fall of Italian Fascism.

Feis, Joachim C. Hitler (Vintage, 1974), 844p.







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Created: May 3, 2004
Last updated: 5:52 AM 1/21/2023