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By 1937, the Soviet Union had become the world's second-largest industrial power, surpassed in overall production only by the United States.
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Hitler secretly met with top military leaders in the Reich Chancellery with plans to expand the Third Reich. During this conference he revealed his plans for the acquisition of Lebensraum, or living space, for the German people at the expense of other nations in Europe.
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After making a series of intimidating moves and threats against the Austrian government, Hitler’s Germany annexed his native Austria and incorporated it into the Reich as the Eastern March [Ostmark].
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Hitler moved on to the next phase of his plan: the liquidation of Czechoslovakia. First, he demanded the incorporation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland – a region inhabited by ethnic Germans – into the German Reich. After prolonged negotiations with the Western Allies (above all Great Britain), who feared another European war, the Sudetenland was ceded to Germany in the Munich Agreement. However, Czech didn't agree of this plan.
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Germany and Austria's union (that Hitler demanded) was complete. It was called Anschluss. Hitler befriended Mussolini and to get his way promised not to touch Italy and in return Mussolini, the one who was protecting Austria, let it fall from being independent right into Germany's hands. Germans marched into Austria unopposed. One day later, the union of the two countries was complete.
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Daladier and Chamberlain sign the Munich Agreement with Hitler, turning the Sudetenland over to Germany without a single shot being fired. Hitler assures that he would not invade any other European lands if they give Germany full control over Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The countries who signed this agreement were Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Italy.
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Reichskristallnacht = "night of broken glass"
Thousands of Jewish homes, shops, towns, and building were attacked and destroyed. There were over one thousand Jewish synagogues that were destroyed. Around 400 jews were killed. Out of 490,000 Jewish people, 30,000 were taken to a concentration camp. -
German troops occupied the Lithuanian Memel region, which Germany had lost under the Versailles treaty. Lithuania, which governed the region, was forced to sign a treaty that returned the Memel region to Germany.
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March 1939, German troops went on to occupy the rest of Czechoslovakia, where they established the “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.” Slovakia was declared a German satellite state, and a “protective zone” for the stationing of German troops was established on its western border.
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German troops pour into what remained of Czechoslovakia. The dictator of Germany then set his sights on Poland; expansion of the Third Reich was not over. After this, there was officially no more Czechoslovakia.
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Stalin, communist of Russia, signed the Nonagression Pact with Hitler. This said that neither leader would attack each other. Therefore a two-front war was eliminated. In addition, the Soviet Union signed a second, secret pact. This said that Poland would be divided between them.
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British-Polish Join the military.
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Germany attacks Poland full on. The German Air Force flew over Poland, dropping bombs on military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities. Tanks were used across the countryside. The Soviet Union also attacks Poland from the east, they took a part of their land as their own. Just weeks after the invasion, Poland surrendered. This can be determined as the start of World War II the beginning of Blitzkrieg. By the end of that same month, Poland ceased to exist by Blitzkrieg tactics.
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The Germans annexed the former free city of Danzig and all of western Poland, including the provinces of West Prussia, Poznan, Upper Silesia, and Lodz (renamed Litzmannstadt). Central and southern Poland were organized into the Generalgouvernement (General Government) of Poland in October 1939.
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Britain and France declare war on Germany following the terror in Poland.
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Hitler launched a surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway in order to "protect" freedom and independence from those countries, but actually built up bases against Britain. Next he would turn to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. These places were overrun by the end of May.
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Germany conquered Denmark and Norway between April and June of 1940. The Germans permitted the Danish government to remain in place and govern, though elections were banned.
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This was fought by air forces only. This was Germany’s major defeat and was a turning point in WWII because they failed to destroy Britain's air defenses.
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At Compiegne, Hitler handed French officers his terms of surrender. Germans would occupy Northern France and a Nazi-controlled puppet government would be set up in Southern France at Vicny. This was the fall of France. Compiègne Forest was where the Armistice of the 1918 Great War was decided. Hitler used it as a type of allusion because that is where Germany during the cold war was embarrassed.
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France signed an armistice with the Nazis. By the terms of the armistice, northern France and the Atlantic coastline of France came under German military occupation, while southern France, including the Mediterranean coast, fell under the jurisdiction of a collaborationist French government led by former World War I hero Henri Petain.
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The Royal Air Force shot down 185 German planes, but lost only 26 aircrafts, themselves. Six weeks later, Hitler called off the invasion of Britain. Although, civilians in both countries unrelentingly carried on.
