Glimpses of the Second World War ​

It is now imperative for us to get a quick overview of the 2nd world war at this stage. The world war 2 was supposed to begin on the 1st of September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland, but its seed was sown with the humiliating treaty of Versailles in 1919. Germany had annexed Sudetenland, remilitarized Rhineland, occupied Saarland, and annexed Austria by 1938. Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935, and Japan invaded China in the same year. Munich agreement with Britain gave a free hand to Hitler to continue his aggression into Czechoslovakia. However, the real war began when Hitler invaded Poland after his demand for the annexation of Danzig and signed a non aggression pact with the Soviets, which effectively ensured a division of Poland between Germany and Russia. United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Britain, and South Africa declared war on the Axis forces. Germany, the Soviet Union, and Italy worked out their spheres of influence. Wehrmacht reached Warsaw by Sep 8. The Soviet Union annexed the Baltic countries by 1940. Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940 to protect the shipment of iron ore from Sweden. Germany then advanced to occupy France. Circumventing the invincible Maginot Line, the German Blitzkrieg proceeded through Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Wehrmacht proceeded to the channel and cut off the allied forces at the coastline. Britain had to get its soldiers out through Dunkirk by mobilizing all its Naval resources. In June 1940 Italy invaded France and Paris soon fell to the advancing Wehrmacht. France was divided between Germany and Italy and an independent portion remained with Vichy as an ally of the Axis powers. In July 1940, the battle of Britain began whereby the Luftwaffe of Goering invaded the skies of Britain. However, Royal Air Force was able to resist the Blitz, and by May 1941, the plan to invade Britain was dropped. Meanwhile, German U Boats secured a major victory in the waters, but Germany suffered a setback when its warship Bismarck was sunk in the Atlantic. After September 1940, Japan, Italy and Germany signed the Tripartite Pact which formally united them as the Axis power. Hungary, Slovakia and Romania joined the Axis by November. In October 1940 Italy invaded Greece and suffered reversals until Germany came to their aid in 1941 thus completing their conquest of the Balkans. By 1941 Italy was also on the verge of losing its holds in Egypt and East Africa to Britain. By March 1941, Erwin Rommel’s ‘Afrika Corps and Panzer divisions had advanced deep inside North Africa. A bitter war broke out in Yugoslavia with the partisans.