Germany started the invasion westward not with a tank but with a treaty. In the Anschluesse (sp?) they annexed Austria to the south and west, as (so they claimed) part of their rightful Germanic ethnic homeland (Austria was ethnically German, speaking German and having a predominatly German culture, despite being their own empire [Austro-Hungarian, Hapsburg dynasty] for many years. The expansion continued when in 1936 Hitler saught to annex the Sudatenland, then part of Czechoslovakia. This too was mostly German in ethnicity and culture, it was given to Czechoslovakia (wrongly so Germany thought) in the Treaty of Versailles to brake up Germany's industrial base, as it was the site of oil fields, and rich mineral diposits, as well as manufacturing plants. The world had no objection to this (or little, as France still saught the reparations owed to it by the Treaty of Versailles) but Hitler went further and wanted to annex the entirety of Czechoslovakia, to the great objection of the Czechs. To avoid war, England, France and the now pretty much defunct League of Nations capitualted, crowing that they had acheived "Peace in our time," as said by Englands Prime Minister at the time (this phrase became a rallying cry for Churchill and the pro-war front, as well as the title of numerous books). This is the famous "appeasement," as long touted in history of how appeasment does not stop an aggressor. Hitlers real aggenda was to start a war over the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, long having touted the virtues of a society at war. When he didn't get it, he looked further west to Poland. At the time, Germany was divided into Germany and East Prussia, a German terratory on the coast surrounded by Poland, imagine a German coastal island on Poland's coast. Germany, with claims to some land given to Poland after WWI, formed a pact with Stalin's Soviet government (despite Hitlers vocal opposition to Comintern, the Communist's pact to spread socialism [Hitlers leadership on this won him the support of the Bulgarian, Czech and other Baltic states because they were too small to resist the Soviets, whom they viewed as a looming threat]) which had lost alot of territory after they pulled out of WWI. The country of Poland was carved out of the former German and Russian Empires as a buffer state between the two after WWI, so both wanted their terratory back. This was further part of Hitlers grander plan of Lebensauram, or Living Space. Hitler wanted all this territory as well as a large part of the Russian bread basket to forment German Culture and German power (though that last part he left out of his agreement with Stalin). On September 29th, 1939 Hitler attacked Poland. Utilizing his Blitzekreig, or Lightning War, he rushed in and utterly dominated them with air power, followed by a devastating attack by the German Armoured division. The Polish military put up a valiant if short lived fight. Within a week they Polish airforce, a strong and valiant group, was defeated and dispersed. The survivors fled to France and England, and fought Hitler throughout the rest or the war with the English RAF. Two weeks after Hitler invaded from the East, Stalin, caught with his pants down so to speak, quickly invaded to the west. They rolled right over Polish defenses. Within 4 weeks after the German invasion, 2 weeks after the Russian, Poland surrendered, and was divided up between the two aggressors. Russia got a larger chunk, something Hitler was willing to allow because he still secretly planned on attacking Russia later. During this time, France and England declared war on Germany, as they were ally's of Poland. The great German dragon reared it's head back west, and they attacked France, taking Luxembourgh and the Netherlands along the way. France, comfortable behind their line of fortresses spawned after WWI as a line of defense against German attack, waited to destroy the German forces. The Germans faced an almost impenetrable line, callled the Magenot line, of fortresses, walls, and gun turretts. On one side the thick and impassible Ardens forest also protected France. Thick and impassible in WWI, Hitlers tanks rolled right over and through it. Able to pass behind the lines, The German Army bypassed the French defenses, and engaged the weak French and English forces (strong in number, Low in armor and tanks). They routed the French, destroying their tanks to the last, defeating their air forces easily. The English tanks were still from WWI, and most were destroyed or abandoned. The RAF, the English Air Force was the only thing that saved them from total defeat, making cover for the retreating French and English armies to escape at Dunkirk, off to England. Facing little else, Hitler turned south towards Paris. Defeated utterly, the French surrendered rather than have historic Paris destroyed, as Hitler had done to the Polish capital of Warsaw. The north was annexed by Germany, the south was let to stay free with a government that was sympathetic to the Nazi's, centered in Vichey. Germany then began the last phase of Hitlers expansion West, the bombing of England. Hitler knew that if he couldn't get total air superiority, his troops would be destroyed crossing the English Channel. So he bombed indiscrimitatly London and every major city, this known as the London Blitz. This lasted a year, but because of English superior planes, valiant pilots, and advanced radar technology, Hitlers Leuftwaffa failed to destroy Englands airforce, and Hitler was forced to accept that England was to be contained not conquered. Hitler did not want to leave England at his back when he turned west again against the Soviets, but he was forced to do so. During this time, Hitler had takend Denmark and Sweden, and had hoped to use them as ports against England. But no matter where he attacked from, the RAF was everywhere. They were able do to this because they had radar, making them instantly available whereever needed. They gave the illusion, because they showed up at every battle, that their numbers were much greater than they actually were, and Hitler gave up. He then turned West, to attack the Soviets. In this time the Soviets had been attacking Finland, trying to reclaim lost Empirical terratory. When Hitler attacked, it was immensely devistating. The Soviet policy of "no retreat, no surrender" resulted in massive unprecidented casualties. The Soviet's tanks had no armor on the rear, because they were always to be attacking. When they tried to retreat, the infantry faced the guns of their own officers, and their armor was unprotected against German tanks. Germans were ruthless, burning and destroying towns and whole sections of civilians. They pushed hard, and almost got to Moscow before they were stalled. They reached within 40 miles of Moscow before they were forced to stop by Russia's brutal winter. They took Leningrad, and were set to take Stalingrad. This was one of the bloodiest seiges ever recorded. Everyone fought, there were reports of Russian civilians throwing pots of boiling water on the German army. This seige and attack lasted a year an a half, and still the Soviets would not break. Eventually, with the help of new tanks and new weapons, as well as massive amounts of new troops (because of the Red Armies extremely heavy losses) the Germans were turned back and forced to withdraw from Stalingrad. In fierce fighting that lasted years the Soviet army beat back the Germans, sustaining heavy losses on both sides. It is estimated that ther Russians lost over 22 million people, civilians and Army, more than all other nations combined. Out of forces, and out of gas, facing the Russian juggernaut Hitlers forces retreated. By this time, the English, Americans, Canadians, and Free French (the detatchment of the French army that fled to England) had invaded at Normandy. The American's had also invaded Italy from America, and Hitler faced foes on 3 sides. Thus his eventual fall.
Hope that helps.
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04-09-2007, 08:08 PM
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