Part Three : The Spark of War
Poland and Beyond
<German soldiers try to dislodge snipers in Warsaw during the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939 in World War II. (AP Photo)>
Hitler’s ambitions didn’t stop. On August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression deal with a secret clause to split Poland. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, igniting World War II. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later, on September 3. Using Blitzkrieg—a lightning-fast strategy of tanks and airstrikes—Germany crushed Poland by September 27. The Soviets joined in on September 17, claiming eastern Poland per their pact.
Soviet Expansion and Early German Victories
The Soviet Union didn’t stop there. On November 30, 1939, it attacked Finland (Winter War, ending March 13, 1940), and by June 1940, annexed the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Meanwhile, Germany struck again. On April 9, 1940, it invaded Denmark and Norway, securing the North Sea. Then, on May 10, 1940, Germany hit the Netherlands and Belgium, bypassing France’s Maginot Line through the Ardennes Forest. By June 14, Paris fell; on June 22, France surrendered, splitting into the Vichy regime and Free France.
Germany next targeted Britain. From July 10, 1940, the Battle of Britain raged, with German air raids aiming to soften the island for invasion. But Britain’s radar and defenses held firm, forcing Hitler to abandon the plan by late 1940.