How World War Two European Theater

Is this the start of the war? Some argue that World War II began with Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, and Britain's ultimatum that a State of War would ensue unless Germany withdrew. Needless to say, the Germans did not withdraw, and WWII began on September 3rd, 1939, with Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand declaring war on each other. Others say that World War II was merely a continuation of World War One. The continuation of the conflict between the Axis and the Allies would culminate in the end of European supremacy of the world and the loss of their colonial empires, despite the fact that the main countries were unaware of it. They simply secured their own demise by resuming the struggle, regardless of who won. Some have contended that the Treaty of Versailles was "harsh and unjust," and so planted the germ for World War II. Germany would make an effort to right this error. In reality, the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles were no worse than those imposed on the Russians by the Germans in 1917/18, when Russia was forced to secede large swaths of land and pay significant indemnities under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. As a result, many people believe that Germany only lost the war because of a domestic stab in the back. This disintegration, on the other hand, was the product of a state under enormous duress yielding to economic and political pressure. In order to win a modern war, victory in the field is no longer enough; victory over the opposing nation's entire system is required. (i.e. suffocate its desire to fight). Germany had lost the strategic struggle, its system had disintegrated, and as a result, the war had been lost. Even if the Navy hadn't shown itself in open action, the British Navy had succeeded in blockingading Germany's economy, resulting in its collapse and defeat. Germany had lost its allies, Turkey and Austria, and had struggled to keep up with production, with fewer planes, tanks, and personnel. Germany had not only lost the battle, but also the war.Nonetheless, the illusion that they had not been truly defeated engendered bitterness at being labelled losers. Almost all of Germany's problems were soon traced back to prior wrongdoings. The Great Depression was the final nail in the coffin. A suitable climate for an extremist political party to acquire enough support to take centre stage was created by mass unemployment and hyperinflation. In this example, the Nazis obtained enough political power through a combination of nationalism, racism, authoritarianism, and the promise of better times to begin the takeover and turn a democracy into a dictatorship. Complete dictatorship was achieved by carefully manufactured events such as the burning of the Reichstag and outright bully boy methods. In order to keep his promises, Hitler, as the embodiment of the state, had to continue to do so.The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, struck on August 23, 1939, gave Hitler carte blanche to split up Poland with the support of the Soviet Union.The German army soon overtook Poland thanks to Bitzkrieg tactics and greater ordanance. With France and the United Kingdom disgraced by their inaction on the Western Front.Following the defeat of Poland, Germany solidified its position by invading Denmark and Norway on April 9, 1940, ensuring access to Swedish iron ore and opening up the North Atlantic. The invasion of France began on May 10, 1940, and involved a coordinated assault of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Despite meticulous German preparation yielding magnificent results, the invasion of France failed before it ever began. A lack of determination merely hastens the defeat. The failure to kill the British at Dunkirk (which began evacuating on the 26th May 1940) and the failure to seize the French Navy had already planted the seeds of Germany's final loss. This, paired with oppressive occupations, resulted in a hardening of the will. Victory had won Italy as a partner, but it was to be a doomed union, with Italy proving to be a hindrance rather than an aid. For the time being, however, the Third Reich delighted in France's defeat, and the French signed an armistice on June 22, 1940. Germany had vanquished all of its foes except the British Empire in less than two months after launching its war. Towards the East: From historical records, it is evident that Germany lacked the capability to invade Britain, and that Hitler lacked the patience to wait for his current advantageous position to pay off, allowing him to solidify the situation and build up the requisite naval supremacy and landing craft to attack Britain. Nor will they be able to manufacture the big bombers needed to effectively bomb Britain into oblivion. This lack of patience, combined with overconfidence in what had previously been accomplished, resulted in the catastrophic decision to attack Russia.Towards the East: Towards the East: From historical records, it is evident that Germany lacked the capability to invade Britain, and that Hitler lacked the patience to wait for his current advantageous position to pay off, allowing him to solidify the situation and build up the requisite naval supremacy and landing craft to attack Britain. Nor will they be able to manufacture the big bombers needed to effectively bomb Britain into oblivion. This lack of patience, combined with overconfidence in what had previously been accomplished, resulted in the catastrophic decision to attack Russia. This plan was further jeopardised by the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece on April 6, 1941, which was precipitated by Italy's failure and Germany's rescue, a scenario that would later be repeated in North Africa. The cost of delaying Operation Babarossa would be high.On June 22, 1941, Operation Babarossa commenced. Three German army groups laid in wait to invade Russia, with an Axis force of almost four million troops, and Comrade Stalin was 'asleep at the wheel,' having ignored British intelligence regarding Hitler's invasion intentions.With the onset of winter and confirmation to Stalin that Japan had no intention of invading, the Germans' success was doomed within sight of the Kremlin, freeing up the Siberian Army to be transferred to the defence of Moscow and the winter offensive, in which the Russians began a counterattack on the 5th of December 1941. The unprepared German soldiers died of frostbite.