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Hitler believed that to grow and better Germany it needed the neighboring lands surrounding it. He wanted to join Austria and Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich.
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Germany's first target was Austria and on March 12, 1938, the troops from Germany marched into Austria. Most of Austria's population of 6 million people consisted of Germans who favored the unification of Germany.
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Hitler then went for Czechoslovakia to absorb them into the Third Reich. He charged them with the abuse of the Sudeten Germans and then began sending troops on the Czech border. On September 30, 1938, they signed a Munich Agreement and this turned the Sudetenland over to Germany without fighting.
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Stalin surprised the public by signing the nonaggression pact with Hitler. The Soviet Union and Germany signed a second secret pact agreeing to divide Poland between them.
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The German Luftwaffe (German Air Force) entered Poland and began dropping bombs on military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities. This was the first test of the newest military strategy called blitzkrieg, or the lightening war. Blitzkrieg made advances in the military technology.
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The tactics for the blitzkrieg was successful and the major fighting was over in three weeks before France, Britain, and their allies could gain more defense. The Soviets attacked Poland from the east, taking some of its land. By the end of September, Poland did not exist causing WWII to begin.
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Hitler began invading Denmark and Norway as a way to protect their freedom and independence. But in reality, he planned to build bases on the coast to strike against Britain. He then turned against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. They were overrun by late May.
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On this day, William Shirer and the world watched Hitler hand the French officers his terms of surrender. The Germans would occupy the northern portion of France. Marshal Philippe Pétain headed the Nazi-controlled government that would be set up in South France.
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Approximately 2,000 German planes ranged over Britain and for two solid months, London was being bombed. The Battle of Britain continued and at night the German planes pounded British targets.
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The RAF fought back against Germany with a new technological device called the radar. With the radar, British pilots were able to plot the flight paths even in the dark. They shot down over 185 German planes and only lost 26 of their own aircraft.
