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World War II Begins
At 4:45 a.m, 1.5 million German troops invaded Poland along its border with German-controlled territory. Simultaneously, the German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, and German warships attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed this was a defensive action, but Britain and France were not convinced. On September 3, they declared war on Germany, initiating World War II. -
Poland surrenders
140,000 Polish troops are taken prisoner by the German invaders as Warsaw surrenders. The Poles fought bravely, but were able to hold on for only 26 days. Athe Germans began a systematic program of terror, murder, and cruelty, executing members of Poland’s middle and upper classes. -
Russia invades Finland
Russia invaded Finland at dawn on the 30th November 1939. In addition to territorial claims the Soviets sought to install their own puppet government in Finland. The prospects for Finland, a country of 3.6 million people, did not look good, she had a 1,200 km frontier with Russia to defend. Her army of 160,000 men faced an initial Russian force of 460,000 troops and over 2,000 tanks. -
Mussolini questions Hitler’s plans
Benito Mussolini is forwarded to Adolf Hitler. Mussolini had his own reasons for not wanting Germany to spread the war across the European continent. Hitler ignored him and moved forward with plans to conquer Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. -
Germany invades and takes control of Norway
Nazi Germany invades neutral Norway. Norwegian Fascists under Vidkun Quisling acted as a so-called fifth column for the German invaders, seizing Norway’s nerve centers, spreading false rumors, and occupying military bases and other locations. In June, Norway fell to the Nazis.
Quisling was made head of a puppet government but was vigorously opposed by the Norwegian resistance, the most effective resistance movement in all of Nazi-occupied Europe. -
Germany takes over most of Western Europe
Germany uses quick strike called blitzkrieg, meaning lighting war, to take over much of Western Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France. As British and French Allied forces attempted to meet the 136 German divisions breaking into Holland and Belgium on the ground, 2,500 German aircraft proceeded to bomb airfields in Belgium, Holland, France, and Luxembourg, and 16,000 German airborne troops parachuted into Rotterdam, Leiden, and The Hague. -
Winton Churchill becomes prime minister
Churchill is called to replace Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister following the latter’s resignation after losing a confidence vote. Churchill, who was known for his military leadership ability. Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, but Churchill promised his country and the world that the British people would “never surrender.” They never did. -
Axis Alliance created
Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact creating the Axis Alliance. The Pact provided for mutual assistance should any of the signatories suffer attack by any nation not already involved in the war. Japan acknowledged “the leadership of Germany and Italy in the establishment of a new order in Europe,” while Japan was granted lordship over “Greater East Asia.” There was a fourth signatory to the Pact, Hungary, which was dragged into the Axis alliance by Germany in November 1940.
