Spread and Causes of Ww2
Spread and Causes of Ww2- The war broke out in all of Europe. Germany, Italy, and Japan formed an alliance and came to be known as Axis powers, and Britain, France, and the USA came to be known as the Allied powers. Soviet Russia also attacked Eastern Poland and occupied territories that were part of Russia earlier. Almost all countries were engulfed in the war. Only Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey remained neutral.
- Germany conquered Norway, Denmark, Holland, and Belgium by May 1940.
- Germany launched rapid military strikes on enemy lines. This came to be known as blitzkrieg which means a ‘lightning war’.
- Fall of France: The German armies marched into France and by 14 June 1940, Paris fell into the hands of the German forces.
- The Battle of Britain: In the Battle of Britain, the German air force began bombing the British territories. In retaliation, the Royal Air Force of Britain conducted air raids on German territories.
- In June 1941, Hitler began the invasion of Soviet Russia against the peace agreement which was signed between Germany and Russia.
- Battle of Stalingrad: In August 1942, Hitler targeted Stalingrad, but the frigid temperature and counter-attack by the Soviet troops forced the Germans to surrender. Thus, Germany lost the Battle of Stalingrad.
- Battle of Berlin: In April 1945, the Germans were caught between the British and Americans on one side and Russians on the other. When the Allies marched to Berlin to capture it, Hitler committed suicide, and on 7 May 1945, the last of the German armies surrendered.
- 8 May was celebrated as the Day of Celebration in Europe.
The Entry of USA into the War
America remained neutral during the beginning of the war. It had a naval fleet at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. Japan was fearful of the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbour. On 7 December 1941, Japan carried a surprise aerial attack on the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbour. The battleships were sunk and important airfields were attacked. However, Japan did not destroy the ship repair facilities at the base and did not destroy the US carriers. About 3700 people were killed in the attack. This incident aroused the indignation of the Americans, and thus, the latter joined the Second World War
on 8 December 1941.
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