Up until 1939, Hitler’s territorial demands had concerned
only areas of German ethnic settlement. Britain and France
had acquiesced, hoping that German unity represented the
limit of his ambitions. After Hitler’s annexation of what
remained of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, it was all too
clear that this was not the case. When Germany invaded
Poland in September 1939, Britain, France, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa and Canada declared war, beginning
the Second World War.
To ensure Germany would not be faced with a two-front
war, Hitler agreed with Stalin to divide Poland between
them. Polish resistance was quickly crushed by the German
combination of fast-moving armoured divisions and close
air support, known as blitzkrieg (lightning war). In 1940
Germany conquered Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands,
Belgium and France in just three months. France was
partitioned, with German occupation of the north and a
collaborationist government in the south at Vichy. France’s
colonies were divided between those loyal to Vichy and
those loyal to the Free French government in exile.
Following France’s surrender and the expulsion of
British forces from the Continent, Hitler expected Britain
to seek peace. However, the British government, led by
Winston Churchill, resolved to continue the war. Hitler’s
hastily made plans to invade Britain were abandoned
after the German air force was defeated in the Battle of
Britain. The war widened to the Balkans and Africa after
Italy joined Germany in June, forming the Axis Powers.
However, the poorly equipped Italians needed to be rescued
by the Germans in 1941 after suffering defeats by the
Greeks and by the British in Libya and East Africa. Hitler’s
attempt to woo Spain’s new fascist dictator Francisco
Franco failed: Spain had not yet recovered from its
devastating civil war.
With Britain still undefeated, Hitler turned on his
former ally and invaded the USSR in June 1941, taking
Stalin completely by surprise. The Germans advanced
rapidly through the summer but were unprepared for the
onset of the bitter Russian winter and they were fought to a
halt outside Moscow in December. Despite the speed of the
German advance, the USSR successfully removed much of
its industrial capacity to safety beyond the Ural Mountains.
Officially neutral, the USA under President Franklin D.
Roosevelt gave Britain considerable material support
through the Lend-Lease scheme begun in March 1941.
