There were two components to WWII: Japan’s aggression in the South Pacific and Germany’s in Europe and North Africa. Germany and Japan became allies, and together with countries like Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, were called the Axis. Japan’s attack on China (July 7, 1937) could be considered the beginning of the war but being Eurocentric, we say it started two days after Germany invaded Poland (when Britain and France declared war).
The war in Europe had four phases: German advances prior to Poland, the German invasion of Europe (starting with Poland), the German offensive against Russia, and American involvement.
Early advances
Germany made four moves before the official start of the war.
- March 1936 – Sending military troops into the Rhineland
- March 1938 – Annexing Austria
- October 1938 – Annexing the Sudetenland
- March 1939 – Annexing the rest of Czechoslovakia
The Rhineland was an area of Germany designated as a demilitarized zone after WWI (part of reparations). When Hitler’s troops marched in, Britain declared it a violation of the Treaty of Versailles but said it wasn’t to be met with resistance (map of Europe, 1936).
Austria and the Sudetenland (the north-west part of Czechoslovakia that borders Germany) were both taken without firing a shot. Austria by way of ultimatum and the Sudetenland by means of negotiation by French and British officials, without any Czechs at the table. Both had a long association with Germany. Bavaria initially included much of these areas, the Sudetenland was formerly part of Austria, and the Austrian language is essentially German. So when all this happened, there was no great uproar (e.g., regarding Austria, many locals welcomed the move and the US recognized it in less than a month).
The negotiation of the Sudetenland is called, The Munich Agreement. It highlights Britain’s policy of appeasement (attributed to Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain). Taking the rest of Czechoslovakia was not greeted as warmly. Germany wanted its manufacturing capability and due to Hitler’s pre-negotiations, little resistance was met. (P.S. it should be noted that Hungary and Poland helped.)
Europe
The war officially started after Germany invaded Poland. One month prior, Germany signed a non-aggression pact with Russia. Among others, this included the sharing of Poland.
- August 1939 – Germany and Russia sign pact
- September 1, 1939 – Germany invades Poland
- Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada declare war against Germany
- September 17, 1939 – Russian troops enter Poland
- September 27, 1939 – Poland surrenders, Nazis and Soviets divide up the spoils
In April 1940, Germany started invading its neighbours. In May, Italy aligned itself with the Axis and Winston Churchill was appointed Britain’s PM. The Battle of Britain and the Blitz began in July that same year. (Knowing the difficulties of a seaborne attack, the Germans tried to get Britain to agree to a negotiated settlement by bombing British cities and towns for over a year.)
By June 1941, Germany had successfully invaded 11 countries (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Yugoslavia, and Greece); most of them falling within weeks. They were basically kicking ass.
Russia
Germany invaded Russia in June 1941. The code name was Operation Barbarossa. For more than a year Germany had its way, recording numerous victories, but in August of ‘42 they invaded Stalingrad and The Battle of Stalingrad became known as one of the bloodiest in the history of warfare. Between them, nearly 2 million people were wounded, killed, or captured, in a ratio of 1:1. (Amazing since, up to that point, Russia had been losing 3 to 1.) Many regard this as the turning point of the war.
The Germans got off to the early lead but the Russians launched a massive counter-offensive and after a few months, the Germans were forced to surrender. This marked a major defeat for Hitler’s forces and the Russians continued their gains until marching into Germany, two years later, and leading the fall of Berlin.
Sure, Russia picked up a few countries along the way and went on to terrorize the world with communism, but don’t kid yourself—when it came to Europe, Russia did the heavy lifting.
Americans
Before entering the war, America instituted a lend-lease policy to deliver equipment and arms to the allies. Once the party started, they helped Britain’s Montgomery against Rommel in North Africa, assisted with the bombing of Germany, and led the liberation of Italy. (Once the Italians saw their beloved country invaded, they quickly disposed of Mussolini and surrendered within two months, but the Germans fought on in Italy until the end of the war.)
They also led the allied invasion to open the much promised western front (starting with D-Day on June 6, 1944) and did most of the heavy lifting against Japan.
Summary
The Japanese and German aggressions were completely different wars. They just happened at the same time. The war in Europe ended on May 7, 1945. War against the Japanese waged on another three months and, of course, included the dropping of two atomic bombs.
Military deaths, civilian deaths due to military activity, plus civilian deaths due to war related famine and disease, total over 70 million. Among them, 20-25 million Russian, 15-20 million Chinese, 7 million German, 6 million Poles, and almost 3 million from Japan. The British and Americans lost over 400 thousand each, and Canada lost 45,000.
They say it was a war of technology. The motor and electricity were now well established so factories could really pump it out. And it was the unveiling of new mechanisms like military airplanes and panzer tanks. It was also the first time radio was used to speak to the public. WWII will be remembered for Britain’s determination to “never surrender,” the Luftwaffe’s inability to crush the RAF, and the tremendous civilian war effort that included daily sacrifice, rationing, and the buying of war bonds. It will also be remembered for the thousands of concentration camps.
Before America entered the war, FDR and Churchill met to draw up the Atlantic Charter. In it was the formation of an international body to ensure that nothing of this nature could happen again. It was called the United Nations and its primary mission is to bring about an end to imperialism. So far it works.
Note: For further reading you might enjoy the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Stalingrad, the Italian Campaign, and the French and British policy of Appeasement. You may also like this video.