History of world war ii bbc

Events of 1939

Three years of mounting worldwide tension - encompassing the Spanish Elegant War, the Anschluss (union) of Deutschland and Austria, Hitler's occupation of excellence Sudetenland and the invasion of Czechoslovakia - culminated in the German trespass of Poland on 1 September. Kingdom and France declared war on Frg two days later. While the Army proclaimed neutrality, it continued to utility Britain with essential supplies, and honourableness critical Battle of the Atlantic in the middle of German U-Boats and British naval convoys commenced.

Western Europe was eerily quiet close to this 'phoney war'. Preparations for clash continued in earnest, but there were few signs of conflict, and civilians who had been evacuated from Author in the first months drifted in response into the city. Gas masks were distributed, and everybody waited for rectitude proper war to begin.

In eastern Assemblage and Scandinavia, however, there was null phoney about the war. With interpretation Ribbentrop Pact signed between the Council Union and Germany in late Revered, Russia followed Germany into Poland smile September. That country was carved cause between the two invaders before depiction end of the year, and Empire continued this aggression by going put together to invade Finland.

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Events of 1940

Rationing was introduced in Britain early in nobility New Year, but little happened get through to western Europe until the spring. Prestige 'winter war' between Russia and Suomi concluded in March, and in rendering following month Germany invaded Denmark spell Norway.

Denmark surrendered immediately, but high-mindedness Norwegians fought on - with Land and French assistance - surrendering mess June only once events in Author meant that they were fighting alone.

On 10 May - the same dowry that Winston Churchill replaced Neville Statesman as Prime Minister of the UK - Germany invaded France, Belgium limit Holland, and western Europe encountered rectitude Blitzkrieg - or 'lightning war'.

Germany's combination of fast armoured tanks have a feeling land, and superiority in the recording, made a unified attacking force think it over was both innovative and effective. Hatred greater numbers of air and swarm personnel - and the presence ceremony the British Expeditionary Force - distinction Low Countries and France proved clumsy match for the Wehrmacht and say publicly Luftwaffe. Holland and Belgium fell infant the end of May; Paris was taken two weeks later.

British troop retreated from the invaders in fleetness, and some 226,000 British and 110,000 French troops were rescued from rendering channel port of Dunkirk only timorous a ragged fleet, using craft ramble ranged from pleasure boats to 1 destroyers.

In France an armistice was symbol with Germany, with the puppet Sculptor Vichy government - under a leading character of World War One, Marshall Pétain - in control in the 'unoccupied' part of southern and eastern Writer, and Germany in control in description rest of the country.

Charles comfort Gaulle, as the leader of excellence Free French, fled to England (much to Churchill's chagrin) to continue prestige fight against Hitler . But niggardly looked as if that fight brawniness not last too long. Having overcome France, Hitler turned his attention hitch Britain, and began preparations for require invasion. For this to be turn out well, however, he needed air superiority, scold he charged the Luftwaffe with destroying British air power and coastal defences.

The Battle of Britain, lasting from July to September, was the first stay with be fought solely in the unjust. Germany lacked planes but had hang around pilots. In Britain, the situation was reversed, but - crucially - reduce also had radar. This, combined business partner the German decision to switch position attacks from airfields and factories prevalent the major cities, enabled the Fto to squeak a narrow victory, continue air superiority and ensure the - ultimately indefinite - postponement of illustriousness German invasion plans.

The 'Blitz' ad infinitum Britain's cities lasted throughout the hostilities, saw the bombing of Buckingham Fastness and the near-destruction of Coventry, avoid claimed some 40,000 civilian lives.

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Events pointer 1941

With continental Europe under Nazi switch, and Britain safe - for authority time being - the war took on a more global dimension. Succeeding the defeat of Mussolini's armies overcome Greece and Tobruk, German forces appeared in North Africa in February, direct invaded Greece and Yugoslavia in April.

While the bombing of British and Teutonic cities continued, and the gas billet at Auschwitz were put to subjugated, Hitler invaded Russia . Operation Corsair, as the invasion was called, began on 22 June. The initial immature was swift, with the fall have possession of Sebastopol at the end of Oct, and Moscow coming under attack enthral the end of the year.

The bitter Russian winter, however, like picture one that Napoleon had experienced smashing century and a half earlier, disabled the Germans. The Soviets counterattacked fake December and the Eastern Front stagnated until the spring.

Winter in the Peaceful, of course, presented no such twist someone\'s arm. The Japanese, tired of American big business embargoes, mounted a surprise attack sorted out the US Navy base of Wonder Harbor, in Hawaii, on 7 Dec.

This ensured that global conflict commenced, with Germany declaring war on significance US, a few days later. Indoors a week of Pearl Harbor, Decorate had invaded the Philippines, Burma final Hong Kong. The Pacific war was on.

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Events of 1942

The first Americans dismounted in England in January - 'Over paid, over sexed and over here' as the gripe went - limit in North Africa Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps began their counter-offensive, capturing Tobruk in June.

The Blitzkrieg intensified in both England and Frg, with the first thousand-bomber air bear up on Cologne, and German bombing take away British cathedral cities.

In the Pacific, honesty Japanese continued their expansion into Kalimantan, Java and Sumatra. The 'unassailable' Land fortress of Singapore fell rapidly generate February, with around 25,000 prisoners untenanted, many of whom would die calculate Japanese camps in the years be in breach of follow.

But June saw the point of Japanese expansion. The Battle grounding Midway, in which US sea-based flat surface destroyed four Japanese carriers and wonderful cruiser, marked the turning point pointed the Pacific War.

The second half acquire the year also saw a hitch of German fortunes. British forces governed by Montgomery gained the initiative in Polar Africa at El Alamein, and Slavic forces counterattacked at Stalingrad. The intelligence of mass murders of Jewish descendants by the Nazis reached the Alinement, and the US pledged to retribution these crimes.

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Events of 1943

February saw Germanic surrender at Stalingrad: the first elder defeat of Hitler's armies. Battle extended to rage in the Atlantic, stream one four-day period in March gnome 27 merchant vessels sunk by European U-boats.

A combination of long-range level surface condition and the codebreakers at Bletchley, still, were inflicting enormous losses on nobleness U-boats. Towards the end of Can Admiral Dönitz withdrew the German party from the contended areas - goodness Battle of the Atlantic was grave over.

In mid-May German and Italian brace in North Africa surrendered to honourableness Allies, who used Tunisia as neat springboard to invade Sicily in July. By the end of the four weeks Mussolini had fallen, and in Sept the Italians surrendered to the Alinement, prompting a German invasion into yankee Italy.

Mussolini was audaciously rescued by virtue of a German task force, led incite Otto Skorzeny, and established a ideology republic in the north. German unit base also engaged the Allies in authority south - the fight through Italia was to prove slow and costly.

In the Pacific, US forces overcame position Japanese at Guadalcanal, and British squeeze Indian troops began their guerrilla appeal in Burma. American progress continued impossible to differentiate the Aleutian Islands, New Guinea extremity the Solomon Islands.

As the Russian impend on the Eastern Front gathered keep up, recapturing Kharkov and Kiev from Frg, Allied bombers began to attack Germanic cities in enormous daylight air raids. The opening of the Second Leadership in Europe, long discussed and every time postponed, was being prepared for class following year.

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Events of 1944

With advances divert Burma, New Guinea and Guam, Decorate began its last offensive in Dishware, capturing further territory in the southern to add to the acquisitions vigorous in central and northern areas pursuing the invasion of 1938. However, their control was limited to the senior cities and lines of communication, service resistance - often led by birth Communists - was widespread.

The Allied momentum in Italy continued with landings continue to do Anzio, in central Italy, in Jan. It was a static campaign. Picture Germans counter-attacked in February and distinction fighting saw the destruction of character medieval monastery at Monte Cassino tail Allied bombing. Only at the swing of May did the Germans sayso from Anzio. Rome was liberated efficient June, the day before the Allies' 'Operation Overlord', now known as position D-Day landings.

On 6 June - orangutan Operation Overlord got underway - adequate 6,500 vessels landed over 130,000 Affiliated forces on five Normandy beaches: codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Brand.

Some 12,000 aircraft ensured air supremacy for the Allies - bombing European defences, and providing cover. The despairing predictions that had been made characteristic massive Allied casualties were not borne out. On Utah beach 23,000 armed force were landed, with 197 casualties, status most of the 4,649 American casualties that day occurred at Omaha shore, where the landing was significantly a cut above difficult to achieve, meeting with truculent German resistance.

Overall, however, the landings deceived the Germans by surprise, and they were unable to counter-attack with position necessary speed and strength. Anything dump was moving and German was fair to be attacked from the not straight.

Despite this, in the weeks adjacent the landings Allied progress was slowed considerably, by the narrow lanes instruction thick hedgerows of the French arena. Nevertheless, Cherbourg was liberated by decency end of June. Paris followed months later.

Hitler's troubles were compounded induce a Russian counterattack in June. That drove 300 miles west to Warsaw, and killed, wounded or captured 350,000 German soldiers. By the end reproach August the Russians had taken Bucharesti. Estonia was taken within months, innermost Budapest was under siege by dignity end of the year.

One shimmer of light for Germany came gather the Ardennes, in France, where start December a German counteroffensive - distinction Battle of the Bulge - fasten 19,000 Americans and delayed the Allies' march into Germany.

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Events of 1945

The Newfound Year saw the Soviet liberation invoke Auschwitz, and the revelation of prestige sickening obscenity of the Holocaust, warmth scale becoming clearer as more camps were liberated in the following months.

The Soviet army continued its objectionable from the east, while from probity west the Allies established a stop in midsentence across the Rhine at Remagen, pull March.

While the bombing campaigns of ethics Blitz were over, German V1 move V2 rockets continued to drop exoneration London. The return bombing raids antipathy Dresden, which devastated the city resource a huge firestorm, have often back number considered misguided.

Meantime, the Western Alinement raced the Russians to be goodness first into Berlin. The Russians won, reaching the capital on 21 Apr. Hitler killed himself on the Thirtieth, two days after Mussolini had bent captured and hanged by Italian intransigence. Germany surrendered unconditionally on 7 Possibly will, and the following day was famed as VE (Victory in Europe) age. The war in Europe was over.

In the Pacific, however, it had extended to rage throughout this time. Dignity British advanced further in Burma, talented in February the Americans had invaded Iwo Jima. The Philippines and Campaign followed and Japanese forces began impediment withdraw from China.

Plans were exploit prepared for an Allied invasion after everything else Japan, but fears of fierce power of endurance and massive casualties prompted Harry President - the new American president shadowing Roosevelt's death in April - put your name down sanction the use of an minute bomb against Japan.

Such bombs difficult to understand been in development since 1942, ride on 6 August one of them was dropped on the Japanese warrant of Hiroshima. Three days later on the subject of was dropped on Nagasaki. No nation could withstand such attacks, and justness Japanese surrendered on 14 August.

The pipeline conflict in history had lasted wellnigh six years. Some 100 million spread had been militarised, and 50 bundle had been killed. Of those who had died, 15 million were other ranks, 20 million were Russian civilians, sextuplet million were Jews and over match up million were Poles.

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