Early World War II Events: 1939-1941 Timeline
Nazi Germany Invades Poland
In 1939, the German Reich annexed the Polish Corridor to Danzig. Following Hitler’s orders, Germany invaded Poland on September 1 after devastating air strikes. England and France declared war on Germany. British planes attacked the German fleet three days later. Winston Churchill was appointed Marine Minister in Neville Chamberlain’s cabinet. Canada joined the conflict in support of Great Britain. The USSR, under Stalin, made territorial gains after signing a non-aggression pact with Germany in August and agreed on boundaries for Russian claims on Poland. The USSR occupied parts of Poland two weeks later without opposition from Britain or France and prepared to attack Finland. The Baltic republics (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia) were pressured into allowing Soviet troops on their territory. The U.S. proclaimed its neutrality. Denmark, having signed a non-aggression pact with Germany in May, was soon subjected to Nazi expansionism. Warsaw fell in less than four weeks, sealing Poland’s fate. A conspiracy against Hitler in late September was thwarted. Hitler surprised the German High Command by ordering preparations to invade Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, dismissing warnings about inadequate arms and troops. An attempt by Wehrmacht officers to get rid of Hitler failed. On November 11 in Munich, Hitler survived the first bomb attack on his life.
Italy Enters the War
On June 10, Mussolini joined the war in support of Germany, despite President Roosevelt’s efforts to dissuade him. Italian divisions invaded southern France, intending to annex Nice, Savoy, and Corsica, and claim the French fleet and colonies in Africa, which Hitler did not validate. On June 28, Italo Balbo, a Fascist leader and critic of Mussolini’s decision to join the war, died in a mysterious incident in North Africa. General de Gaulle left France for London. The Tripartite Pact, forming the Axis, was signed on September 27, 1940, by Germany, Italy, and Japan, a mutual assistance pact anticipating attacks by other powers. The U.S. showed support for Britain, fearing future U.S. involvement.
Italian Expansion in the Balkans
In October, Mussolini’s ambitions, blocked in southern France, turned towards Greece. The Italian 28th division crossed the border, opening a new front. Germany later came to their aid. In November, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia joined the Axis. The British fleet attacked the Italian port of Taranto. In occupied Poland, 2.5 million Jews were relocated to the Lublin reservation, a sinister aspect of the conflict. Mass killings occurred in the Warsaw and Krakow ghettos. Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected for a third term as U.S. president.
Germany Attacks the Soviet Union
On June 22, Hitler ordered the start of “Operation Barbarossa.” Mutual distrust led to a preemptive German strike, despite warnings from the German high command. The conflict escalated, involving 7 million troops on both sides. Britain’s situation improved as German forces were diverted to a new front. Stalin’s initial misgivings about Roosevelt turned into a strong alliance. Three German army groups advanced deep into Russia on a broad front from Riga to Odessa, capturing Minsk within days. A Romanian army group joined the invasion in the south. Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers were taken prisoner. Stalin ordered a scorched-earth retreat. Earlier, tens of thousands of Russians and opponents of the regime were executed or deported to Siberia. On the southern front, Russia secured a supply line from Persia, leading to British intervention in Iran. Syria was occupied by the British.
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
The Spanish Civil War was a social, political, and military conflict in Spain from July 17-18, 1936, until April 1, 1939, when Francisco Franco declared victory.
It is also known as the War in Spain. The contending factions were the Nationalist side (the victors, organized around military rebels) and the Republican side (the losers, formed around the government of the Second Spanish Republic). The Nationalists were often labeled as fascists, and the Republicans as reds. These factions generally represented the political right and left, the upper classes and the workers’ movement (which experienced internal strife and a failed revolution), the Catholic Church and anticlericalism (with exceptions like Basque nationalism), and differing ideas about Spain’s territorial organization and state form.
The international context was critical, preceding World War II. While liberal democracies (Britain and France) maintained non-intervention, each side was supported by powers identified with fascism (Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy) and communism (Stalin’s Soviet Union).