World War II

The history of world wars has witnessed many bloody wars, crimes against humanity, and interesting events, but there is nothing like World War II. Moreover, 25 years before this war, the whole world was saying the same thing about World War I. Up until that point, the bloodiest war the whole world had ever seen was neither the war between France and England that lasted for years nor the Ottoman-Russian wars. Now, that record was held by World War I, led by England and Germany. Only 27 years later, this record would be broken by World War II. So, how did Germany declare war on the whole world only 20 years after a war in which it had lost almost all of its defenses?

The answer to the question we asked earlier cannot be explained without Hitler. Adolf Hitler may be the most bloodthirsty person in world history, and he committed crimes that are beyond belief. However, it must be admitted that without Hitler, it would have been impossible for Germany to get out of such a difficult situation. Now let’s take a look at what Germany became after the Treaty of Versailles. Germany had undoubtedly become the most well-known country among European countries because it was the only country in the opposing bloc that could stand on its own two feet, in other words, the only country that could be seen as dangerous. Therefore, England and its allies would disarm Germany, make it pay a large war debt, and seriously restrict its ability to have soldiers even for defense purposes. Its neighbor, Austria-Hungary, had become four different autonomous countries, and all of them, except Austria, were protected by England and its allies. This also prevented Germany from establishing foreign relations. In short, it was left alone, defenseless, and economically collapsed.

Under these conditions, the German people were impoverished, but they certainly did not pursue a military dream. The only concern of the people, tired of war, was to make a living. In other words, we would like to state that the dreams of the names we will share in a moment were not common dreams shared with the German people.

After World War I, nationalist groups in Germany were frequently making speeches and calling on the people to fight again. The leader of these groups was German poet and writer Dietrich Eckart . Eckart was someone who was devoted to the pure race, called the Aryan race at the time. What we call the Aryan race is actually a race that the German people’s lineage is believed to be based on. In fact, the reason Eckart defended this race was that he believed that the “blood of the corrupt” Germans was responsible for the loss of World War I. In short, he thought that if the “real” Germans became active and separated from the other half-breeds, then Germany would rise and for this reason he talked about a savior in his poems and writings . His “savior” was sent by the German government itself: Adolf Hitler.

Hitler was a middle-ranking soldier during the war. Towards the end of the war, he was hospitalized due to a mustard bomb and learned the outcome of the war in the hospital. After this incident, Hitler, who was quite upset and angry, was sent by the German government to act as a spy for this nationalist group. As Hitler spent time with the group, he clung to his existing ideas even more and eventually came together with Eckart and broke away from the German government. As time went by, Eckart took Adolf, who could be considered ignorant, under his wing and trained him to the point where he could speak to the upper classes. Eventually, this group founded the Nazi Party. This group was quite fascist and aggressive. So much so that one day they tried to stage a coup and overthrow the German government, but they failed. As a result, Hitler and his group were imprisoned, and Eckart came to say of Hitler, whom he had already broken up with in the last period of their relationship, that he had ‘created a monster with his own hands’.

Hitler, who was released from the inside in just 6 months, wrote the book “Mein Kampf” and distanced himself from the Nazi Party. Hitler, who adopted a more peaceful policy during this period, also began to offer the economic promises that the German people wanted to hear the most. After a lot of intrigue, Hitler managed to come to power and, in a very short time, neutralized all his opponents. By 1935, as a result of this almost 10-year adventure, Hitler had begun to rule Germany with an iron fist. The SS and SA, the police forces, were destroying the anti-Nazi movement on the streets, and Hitler had also begun to engage in foreign policy.

During this period, Hitler was slowly making moves to break the Treaty of Versailles. His first critical move was to send troops into the Rhineland, where Germany was prohibited from having troops. This was then followed by the annexation of Austria. However, since Germany did not harm anyone during this process, or rather, did not harm foreign countries, England and France, who did not want war, stood by and watched.

The reason for this lack of reaction from England and France can be summarized as follows:

• They do not believe that Germany can become either economically or militarily stronger.
• After World War I, European countries did not want a new war.
• No blood was shed during the annexation of Austria
• Especially the failure of Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, to understand Hitler’s aims.

These reasons prevented German armament and the annexation of Austria from having repercussions in regions that should not have been armed at that time, but Hitler was not satisfied with this. They soon signed a non-aggression pact with Russia. According to this agreement, they were not allies but would not attack each other. The real purpose of this agreement was to share the weak Poland that had already been separated from Austria-Hungary. It would be divided right down the middle, with Russia taking the eastern part and Germany the western part. Of course, European countries understood this possibility, and the French-English duo had stated that they would declare war on Germany if Poland was invaded in any way. Hitler did not take this ultimatum seriously because he thought that the British Prime Minister, Chamberlain, was not keen on this issue, so he happily began to invade Poland. Thus, World War II began with Germany invading Poland on September 1, 1939.

Parties in the War

This war, unlike World War I, started much more unprepared. Even Germany, the attacking party, did not foresee a major war coming. Therefore, the blocs were not previously formed hard blocs like in World War I. Only Germany and Italy, countries with similar world views, were in a close relationship. Both sides embraced fascism. Fascist Japan would later join these two countries. On the other hand, there were all the other countries that had decided to enter the war and wanted to resist. Finally, there was another aggressive communist Russia, or the Soviet Union as it was called at the time. The Soviet Union had withdrawn from World War I under the influence of the communist movement, and Lenin had come to power. Lenin was a ruler with hard principles. Russia had tasted the soft form of dictatorship under his leadership and had become accustomed to communism. Stalin, who came after him, would keep this communist state active in World War II. During this process, Russia was neither a country that stood against fascism like England and America, nor did it try to take over the world with fascist aims like Germany and Japan. Russia tried to take the regions it had its eyes on during this war, but in general, it was careful to stand against fascism, which it saw as the opposite of communism. In short, even if Russia was not directly involved in a bloc, it would be the country that determined the end of the war and changed the course of it.

The war is beginning

With Hitler’s invasion of Poland, England and France quickly declared war on Germany. Then, other countries in the vicinity began to take action. How much stronger could Germany, which had already been stripped of everything in 1918, have become in 20 years? Italy, which could be called an ally, had focused its attention on much other regions and did not want to clash with the France-England duo. While the situation was like this and no one believed Germany, very interesting events took place. Germany developed a new military method, the Blitzkrieg tactic, by penetrating armies from a single line, collapsing all of its opponent’s defenses, and forcing the opposing country to retreat rapidly. With just this simple tactic, it destroyed France, one of the strongest in Europe. The French lands that had been on the stage of history for so long now belonged entirely to Germany. France was not the only victim, either. Germany was rapidly invading Europe. After Poland, it invaded Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Of course, these invasions had repercussions all over the world. In the meantime, the Soviets attacked the Baltic countries. In other words, while Germany occupied France and the surrounding countries, the Soviets took control of Northern Europe. In Europe at that time, apart from Spain and Portugal, which did not take sides in the war, the only powerful country that was actively fighting and was not occupied was England. After the resignation of the unsuccessful Prime Minister Chamberlain in England, Churchill, the most well-known Prime Minister of England, took office. Churchill was a much more stubborn and intelligent man. He would not bow to Hitler’s surprising speed and interesting tactics.

Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, had become a major military power with the support of Italian leader Benito Mussolini. Of course, it was not a success from scratch, but it had become very strong with the support it received.

Of course, World War II didn’t just take place in Europe. It also had a Pacific side.

What’s Happening in the Pacific?

The Pacific part of World War II began with Japan’s aggressive policies and expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. Japan’s goal was to have economic resources, trade routes, and politically influential lands. Japan in the Pacific region wanted to invade Asian countries and establish a large empire. The biggest country standing in the way of this was the United States, which also had commercial and political control purposes in the Pacific.

Japan’s expansion policies began in the 1930s with the occupation of Manchuria in Chinese territory. Later, Japan began to occupy the remaining parts of China. This situation attracted the attention of other countries, and countries such as the US, England, and the Netherlands began to impose embargoes against Japan. These embargoes further emboldened Japan. Japan no longer expected friendship from European countries or the US. They gradually came to believe that the only power that understood them was Hitler. All of this was preparing the Pacific front.

America was looking for an excuse to enter the war in those days, but its people were very reluctant. Japan, on the other hand, had to eliminate the USA for all its ambitions. Therefore, in 1941, Japan attacked the USA Navy, which was stationed at Pearl Harbor, and brought the USA into the war. American President Roosevelt found the reason he was looking for. No American citizen could ignore this attack on their soldiers.

During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft either sank or damaged 8 US warships. These ships included important warships such as the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and USS Utah. A total of 2,403 American soldiers and civilians lost their lives as a result of the attack. Similarly, the aircraft, hangars, and other infrastructure of the Pearl Harbor Naval Base were severely damaged in the attack. 188 American aircraft were destroyed or rendered unusable. Nevertheless, the ambition of the US and the fact that it had a solid production potential allowed it to recover quickly from this naval damage. Of course, during this recovery, Japan was expanding its territory without idleness.

Developments of the War by Year

1939:

• September 1: World War II officially begins with Germany’s attack on Poland.
• September 3: Britain and France declare war on Germany.
• September 17: The Soviet Union invades Poland.
• September 28: Germany and the Soviet Union sign the Non-Aggression Pact.

1940:

• April 9: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
• May 10: Germany uses the Blitzkrieg (Rapid Attack) strategy by attacking France.
• June 14: Germans occupy Paris.
• July 10: Germans begin air strikes against Britain

1941:

• June 22: Germany attacks the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa).
• December 7: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, United States enters the war.
• December 11: Germany declares war on the United States.
• December 7: Japan attacks the US Pacific fleet.
• December 8: The United States declares war on Japan.

1942:

• June 4–7: Battle of Midway (in which the Japanese Navy suffered a major defeat).
• August 23 – February 2, 1943: Battle of Stalingrad (a turning point in which Germany suffered a major defeat).
• November 8: Britain and the United States invade North Africa (Operation Torch).

1943:

• 5 July – 23 August: Battle of Kursk (largest tank battle in history).
• July 10 – August 17: Battle of Sicily (Allied landings in Sicily).

1944:

• June 6: Allies land in Normandy (Operation D-Day).
• July 20: Assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler (Failed).
• August 15: Allies land in Southern France (Operation Dragoon).
• August 25: Liberation of Paris.
• 16 December – 25 January 1945: Ardennes Offensive (German counter-attack).

1945:

• April 30: Adolf Hitler committed suicide.
• May 7: Germany surrenders (VE Day).
• August 6-9: Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• August 15: Japan surrenders (VJ Day).
• September 2: World War II officially ends.

So far, we have covered the events up to the end of 1940. After Germany took Paris, it turned its attention directly to England. The USA was not at war yet, and there was a non-aggression agreement with Russia. Hitler did not want to continue the war with England. He thought that they had taken the important lands they could and that any further conflict with England was pointless because Hitler’s real goal was the Soviets, with whom he had signed a Non-Aggression Pact. Since he could not fight both east and west, he wanted to make an agreement with England, but the stubborn Churchill would never agree to this. Due to this stubbornness, Hitler eventually exposed England to air attacks. Although England suffered great damage, Churchill never gave up and did not agree. Nevertheless, the damage England suffered was enough to stall them for a while. This caused Hitler to turn his attention to the Soviets.

Giants Clash: Soviets vs. Nazis

On June 22, 1941, Germany launched a major invasion of the Soviet Union with Operation Barbarossa. In this operation, which opened the Eastern Front of World War II, Hitler aimed to quickly seize Soviet territory and advance towards Moscow. In the first phase, the Germans again achieved great success with the Blitzkrieg tactic and raided the Soviet central lands. Of course, the Soviets’ initial failure was closely related to their distancing from German tactics, but Stalin was just as stubborn as Hitler. There was also something else Hitler forgot: the Soviets’ greatest weapon in defense, winter conditions.

Winter conditions made it difficult for the German armies to advance. The Soviets successfully defended themselves against the German forces in the Battle of Moscow and stopped the German advance. Then the Red Army of the Soviet Union launched a massive counter-offensive, pushing back the German forces and liberating Moscow. During this period, the large German forces were trapped within the Soviet circle. They either surrendered or froze to death from hunger or cold. In these conditions, we can say that the German advance actually stopped in 1942.

The real turning point of the war for Germany was the Stalingrad struggle. Hitler had shown a special interest in taking the city because of its name, Stalingrad. He wanted it very clearly and uncompromisingly. However, both winter had come and it was unrealistic to believe that they could enter the Soviets’ central territory and finish them off. Despite this, the Nazi commanders tried very hard to fulfill Hitler’s wishes. Finally, Stalin gave a harsh order to hold the line. This allowed the Russians to implement a “guerrilla tactic” against the Germans around the city. (Guerrilla warfare is when forces try to disperse the regular army in small groups instead of engaging in full-scale combat in the field.) This war tactic also caused many deaths due to a lack of supplies and the cold. In this way, the Soviets began to attack a weakened Germany.

These past few months have provided ample time for the UK and the US to take action.

The Situation of Italy in World War II

By 1942, the war had begun to change direction. Until then, Japan, Italy, and Germany had won every war they had fought, but Germany had suffered a heavy defeat in the Battle of Stalingrad. Japan had suffered great losses in the Battle of Midway, a naval battle with the United States. Despite the heavy defeats of these two countries, Italy during the Mussolini era undoubtedly suffered the heaviest blows.

Italy actually started the war with the fuel of Germany. While Italy played a big role in Hitler coming to power, the reason they started the war so aggressively was because of the fuel they received from Hitler. So what did Italy do during this period? Italy attacked France on June 10, 1940, and soon broke the French resistance by cooperating with Germany. Then, Italian forces attacked the Balkans and North Africa.

However, the Italians were unsuccessful in North Africa and suffered heavy losses against British forces. Additionally, Italy’s attack on Greece also failed, with Greece repelling the Italian forces. These failures led to increasing discontent with the government among the Italian people.

In 1943, the Allies invaded Sicily, and Mussolini’s regime began to weaken. As popular discontent in Italy grew, Mussolini’s political power diminished. Finally, in 1943, Mussolini was deposed and Italy surrendered to the Allies.

However, after Mussolini was removed from office, Germany invaded Italy and established a puppet government in Northern Italy. Mussolini was rescued by the Germans and appointed president of a puppet state in Northern Italy called the ‘Italian Social Republic’. Mussolini’s regime remained under German control until the end of the war. In this way, Germany and Japan, which were already damaged, were further damaged by the fall of Italy. However, Germany’s difficult days were just beginning.

D-Day

After the Soviets defeated Germany in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Germans were on the defensive and the Soviets were on the offensive. Since the US and Japan were also fighting at sea, the US Land Forces were freer. Therefore, the US and England were considering an attack to help the Soviets advance on the Germans. However, England had no connection to Germany’s land border. The only way to attack Germany, which had almost all of Europe under its control, was to land. It was under these conditions that D-Day, or the Normandy Siege, was launched.

The plan called for a massive naval and land invasion of the French coast. Normandy was chosen for the invasion because it was the point where the Germans had the fewest defensive measures.

Secrecy was also of great importance for the operation to be successful. The Allies created fake landing plans to distract the Germans and hide the real target.

Finally, D-Day took place on June 6, 1944. Allied forces landed on the Normandy coast with thousands of soldiers and equipment. In the first hours, the Allies encountered heavy resistance at the landing points, but managed to break through the German defenses and continued to advance.

After D-Day, Allied forces continued to advance deep into France and launched an offensive into Germany. The Normandy landings were a turning point that shook Nazi Germany’s dominance in Europe and changed the course of the war.

D-Day was a major step in the Allied effort to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. The operation played a major role in the eventual defeat of Germany and the end of World War II.

Germany is Collapsing

Of course, neither D-Day nor the Soviet advance alone could destroy Germany, which was a considerable force. What would really destroy Germany was the unrest that was taking place inside. It was already losing supporters inside due to Hitler’s anti-Semitism and the fascist policies he adopted. The country was exhausted from fighting on many fronts and almost all of its resources had been exhausted. Factories had come to a standstill. This weakened Germany both in the war arena and in its internal affairs. By the end of 1943, even high-level German officials had begun negotiations with European states. Because, as the days passed, both the forces of the US-UK duo and the Soviets had advanced. Finally, the Soviets arrived at the gates of Berlin. By this time, Hitler had already accepted defeat and committed suicide along with Eva Braun, whom he had married that day, and his loyal follower, Joseph Goebbels. This meant the fall of Germany. In this way, Nazi Germany had fallen within a few days, but the war did not end there.

Japan in 1944-1945

In 1944, Japan was under great military and economic pressure. The United States and other Allied Powers continued their occupation of Japan in the Pacific region. Resource shortages and air attacks on the Japanese Empire’s expanded territories suggested the end was near for Japan, but the fiercely nationalistic and die-hard Japanese soldiers had no intention of giving up.

In 1944, the United States began airstrikes on Japan’s main islands. These attacks targeted Japan’s industrial infrastructure and largely destroyed cities. Tokyo in particular was severely damaged in the “Great Tokyo Bombing” of 1945, which became known as the deadliest airstrike in history. Thousands of civilians lost their lives in this attack. Nevertheless, Japanese soldiers still did not want to give up. Emperor Hirohito had no intention of stopping either. They were right that if the US targeted Japanese territory directly, it would enter a bloody war that it had a very high probability of losing. This did not undermine Japan’s self-confident stance.

At the same time, Japan’s military position was weakening. Japan’s naval and air forces had lost the superiority they had gained earlier in the war. The American Navy advanced towards the Japanese islands and targeted Japanese naval and air bases. During this period, significant naval battles took place, such as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which is considered one of the largest naval battles in history and influenced the outcome of World War II.

Despite all this, Japan was still confident. After all, in order to destroy them, the enemy armies had to land on the rugged Japanese islands, and that wasn’t easy. In that case, Japan had no intention of attacking anyway. All it had to do was gain control of the Pacific. Japan wasn’t incredibly successful in that regard either, but they still didn’t see any reason to give up in a war situation.

America was also aware that it would not be able to defeat Japan easily during this period, and experts stated that both sides would lose at least 50,000 soldiers and an incalculable amount of money. For this reason, American President Roosevelt gathered the scientists and engineers in his country and started the Manhattan Project. The aim of this project was actually to develop the atomic bomb that everyone knows today. Roosevelt was not sure if he would use this bomb directly, but he thought he should have this weapon in his possession before the others, just in case. If you wish, you can reach the details of the Manhattan Project and how the atomic bomb was developed in our article, Oppenheimer: The Father of the Atomic Bomb.

The atomic bomb was completed and Japan was refusing to withdraw from the war. At this time, Roosevelt, who was already ill, passed away and Truman took his place. With his decision, the atomic bombs developed by the United States were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These atomic bombs caused great loss of life and destruction of cities. Due to the effects of the atomic bombs, Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.

Japan’s surrender signaled the end of World War II. Japan withdrew from the war by accepting the “Declaration of Surrender of Japan”, which was officially signed with the Allied Powers on September 2 , 1945. After this date, Japan entered a period of trial of war criminals, establishment of a democratic regime under occupation, and post-war reconstruction.

By the end of the summer of 1945, World War II had come to an end. The 10-year-long Hitler dictatorship had ended, the naval wars that had piled up dozens of ships under the sea in the Pacific had finally ended, and a weary Europe had entered a period of reconstruction. The states that Nazi Germany had puppeted had become free again. Of course, at this point, the enemies were not over for the European states or the US, because on the horizon was an aggressive and communist Russia led by Stalin. The capitalist US, which was afraid of communism, and an already aggressive Russia were enough to make other countries nervous. The anxiety of both sides towards each other gradually gave way to aggression and hostility. Thus began the Cold War period.

Japan, one of the losing states, continued to industrialize without giving up after this defeat and the atomic bombs and has become one of the most powerful countries in terms of production capacity and technology today. Germany, on the other hand, entered a period of division that would last for about 40 years. After the war, the West of Germany was rebuilt under the leadership of the USA and England, while the East was rebuilt under the communist perspective of the Soviets. Thus, Germany was divided into East and West Germany. This division also lasted until 1989. In short, the world was changed forever with new views and accelerating globalization.

References and Further Reading

World War II: Summary, Combatants & Facts. (2009, October 29). HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history

Imperial War Museums. (n.d.-b). How Europe Went To War In 1939. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-europe-went-to-war-in-1939

Taylor, A. (2023, May 10). World War II: After the war. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/10/world-war-ii-after-the-war/100180/

Michal. (2017). How did Adolf Hitler happen? The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/how-did-adolf-hitler-happen

World War II | Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress. (n.d.). The Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/world-war-ii/

Germany | Facts, Geography, Maps, & History. (2023, October 14). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany/World-War-II