1940

__ April 1940 __
 * Invasion of Norway and Denmark:**


 * Germany invaded Norwegian ports April 9th 1940. French and British troops arrived a few days later, however were not able to remove the Germans. The Germans were successful because Norway was not yet mobilised. The British had no air support whereas the German air force was strong against the allies. German General Falkenhorst wanted the airfields at the northern end of Denmark, so Denmark was also occupied. Denmark’s position was also important for the control of naval and shipping access to major German and Soviet harbours.

When the British were interfering with Swedish-German iron ore trade by laying mines in Norwegian waters,Germanyfeared that they would try to take overNorway’s ports. Control of Norway’s coastline was very important in the battle for control of the North Sea and for a passage for German warships and submarines into the Atlantic. The control of Norwegian port Narvik would also helpGermany to import iron ore fromSweden, which was vital for the German weaponry industry. This invasion marked the beginning of war in Western Europeand the end of the ‘phoney war’. The Germans believed the invasion was an effective way to attack the allies by avoiding getting stuck in trench warfare like in WW1. Norwegian air fields allowed the Germans to use reconnaissance aircrafts all over the North Atlantic while German U-boats and battle ships on Norwegian naval bases could break the British blockade line and attack convoys heading to Britain. This shows the advancements the Germans had made since WW1 and why they were so successful earlier in the war as they had learnt from their mistakes in WW1 while the allies were still predicting trench warfare and based along the Maginot line.

__ May 1940 __ - Simultaneous German attacks upon Holland, Belgium and France are launched 10th May 1940. Due to the huge success of the innovative German military tactic //Blitzkrieg// Holland surrenders 14th May. Prompted by the imminent defeat of Belgium (28th May) against the rapidly advancing German forces, allied troops are evacuated from Dunkirk via successful operations of the British Navy despite persistent bombing by the German //Luftwaffe//. - Though the evacuation of approximately 340,000 allied soldiers from Dunkirk was a major military defeat for the allied powers, the British media surrounding the event was extensively influential as a means of domestic propaganda. Indeed, throughout the Second World War, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was able to successfully secure Britain through effective propaganda.

__ Significant Developments __ - The German Blitzkrieg – warfare of rapid movement – was principally employed during the early Second World War due to the failure of outdated tactics and weaponry during its predecessor. It was particularly an endeavour to avoid the situation of attrition which had beset the combatants of the First World War. Though the Blitzkrieg was considerably successful during the early months of combat, there existed limitations. Unsuitable environmental and geographical conditions and insufficient reinforcements to consolidate advance and resupply could limit the offensive. For prime example the success of the evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk can be partially accredited to the temporary halting of the German column because of the unsuitable terrain, particularly for the German tanks. And the failures of the Ludendorff Campaign – an early attempt at Blitzkrieg during the First World War – due to insufficient resupply and no apparent objective. - The events of 1940 were significant in relation to the development of military during the inter-war period. German Aeroplanes which had primarily been used for reconnaissance and mild air combat within the First World War had evolved to become effective long ranged targeted bombers of both land and oceanic targets. A powerful British navy persisted as a major military asset to the island power, as it had been prior to the conclusion of the First Word War. Consequently, Germany – which did not initially possess significant naval power – pursued a policy of submarine warfare similar to that of the First World War which admittedly was periodically successful in economically hindering rival nations.

__ June 1940 __ - Paris is captured on 14th June by German Forces and France surrenders on 22nd June; the French military is demobilised an armistice between the two powers is signed. Though France is unoccupied Germany acquires valuable submarine bases upon the coasts of northern France, and she has no independence from the greater German state. - The rapid defeat of France by fast moving German forces – whose strategy was not dissimilar to her predecessor during the First World War, the von Schlieffen Plan – discouraged the introduction of attrition oriented warfare. This rapid defeat can be primarily accredited to both military and political issues and circumstances within France and Europe prior to the events.

__ Significant Developments __ - In order to correctly understand the rapid defeat of France the circumstances and events immediately preceding the offensive must be compared to the unsuccessful German invasion of France during the First World War. Furthermore French tactics during the early Second World War can be easily compared to tactics of the previous major conflict. - The military weaknesses of France primarily related to the pressure which they did not bring to bear upon German forces. During the early phases of the First World War the French in accordance to Plan XVII brought huge pressure against the bordering German force. The Western pressure was supplemented by the Russian offensive within Eastern Europe. The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939) ensured that there existed no Eastern pressure to hinder advances within Western Europe. Furthermore, the French military strategists confident that the warfare would primarily be static and attrition oriented, had constructed a heavily fortified line of defences (Maginot Line) spanning the majority of the French-German border except for the Ardennes a dense and treacherous forest area which was incorrectly assumed to be impenetrable. Consequently, French soldiers remained inactive upon this line throughout the entire period of the ‘phoney war’. Indeed, even after the German breakthrough on the River Meuse (13 May 1940), no soldiers were relocated from the Maginot Line to support the allied defensive. Furthermore similar to the First World War and the unsuccessful Creeping Barrage the French (who possessed a similar number of tanks to Germany) separated tanks into unsupported infantry divisions (due to poor communication between air force and infantry) sacrificing both mobility and effectiveness. German tanks were concentrated into complete mechanized armoured divisions and divisions were supported by aircraft. - Major division in relation to French political preference compromised psychological preparation for a major war. Particularly the fascist right oriented population advocated support of Hitler’s ambitions and opposed war with the fascist dictatorship, while the communist left wing admired the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact and shared similar sentiments in relation to war with Germany. Subsequent French failure against Germany inspired further growth of peaceful sentiments. This can be compared to the First World War where extreme nationalism and militarist competition with rival nations created the illusion that defeat within a major war was unlikely.


 * //The Battle of Britain//** //(12 August to 30 September 1940)//

The battle of Britain was the WWII air campaign waged by the German Air Force //(Luftwaffe)// against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The German campaign was aimed at acquiring air superiority over the Royal Air Force of Britain //(RAF)// and their //Fighter Command//, and seen as a preliminary to the invasion of Britain. It was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces and too the largest and most sustained aerial bombing to date. The campaign focused on bombing of harbours, radar stations, aerodromes, and munitions factories, and Bombed London in September.

//“…the Battle of France is over. I expect the battle of Britain is about to begin.”// – Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain, following the fall of France to Germany.

Advances in air strategy in Britain allowed for their victory. Their chain of new radar stations gave plenty of warning to incoming attackers, and this was a crucial advancement in air technology in the period that enabled the British to win. The poor arming of German bomber planes, which could only carry enough fuel to hold them in the air for 90 minutes, further enabled their victory. The British //Spitfires// and //Hurricanes// were not significantly better but just had a longer range. Too the decision for Germany to bomb London relieved pressure in the airfields of battle at the crucial moment, allowing British victory.

The Battle of Britain was significant in the scheme of the war as a whole as it was the first time the Germans had truly been halted, showing that they weren’t invincible.

//“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”// – Winston Churchill praising the RAF fighter pilots.


 * //Mussolini invades Egypt//** //(September 1940)//

Mussolini sent an army into Egypt from the Italian colony of Libya whilst soon after his Italian forces invaded Greece from Albania (October). However British forces pushed the Italians out of Egypt and far back into Libya, defeating them at Bedafomm and capturing 130000 prisoner and 400 tanks. The Greeks did the same, pushing the Italians out of Greece and back into Albania. This made Mussolini appear an unskilled fool and humiliating him. He became an embarrassment to Hitler.

The British attack force that pushed back the Italians was strongly supported by naval aircraft that sank the Italian fleet harbour at Taranto and occupied Crete.