Lecture Notes: Successes and Beginning of WWII

1939 Germany

• Chancellor: Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP
• Situation:
  • Recovery from Versailles Treaty humiliation
  • Rise to one of the world's leaders
  • Dictatorship: Political freedoms canceled
  • Economy improvement: Jobs and stable income

War Against Poland

• Start: End of 1939
• Outcome: Warsaw fell in weeks, France and Great Britain declared war but took no immediate action
• USSR Nonaggression Pact: Signed with Germany

1940: Expansion to the West

Incursion into Scandinavia: "Weserübung"

• Countries involved: Denmark, Norway
• Timeline:
  • February 1940: Plan developed
  • April 9, 1940: Intrusion started
• Events:
  • Denmark: Minimal resistance; Capitulation ordered by King Christian X
  • Norway: More resistance; Oslo captured, King fled
  • Pro-Nazi government in Oslo headed by Vidkun Quisling

British Involvement

• Operation Planning: Churchill pushed for sending British troops
• Outcome: British successful at sea, but had to retreat by June due to France’s condition

Strategic Importance of Scandinavia

• German Goals:
  • Use Norwegian ports for North Sea domination
  • Secure iron ore supplies from Sweden
• Result: Occupation strained resources better used elsewhere (e.g., Stalingrad)

The Maginot Line

• Division: 25 sections, with notable parts being the Alpes Line and the Maginot Line proper
• Forts:
  • Small forts: Independent for weeks or months
  • Big forts: Underground towns
• Features: Defensive capabilities, underground connections, self-sustenance

1940 Battles in France

Initial Strategies and Intrusion

• Plan "Gelb"
• Intrusion Date: May 10
• Belgium: Distracting move; main offensive through Ardennes
• Rotterdam Bombing: Severe civilian impact, led to Dutch capitulation

Breakthrough at Ardennes

• Meuse River: Critical barrier; Temporary bridge built quickly
• Encircling Maneuver: German forces moved toward English Channel

The Fall of French Defense

• Localized Defeats: Example of La Ferté fort
• Overall Situation: Refugee crises inhibit reinforcement
• Dunkirk Evacuation: "Miracle of Dunkirk," saving 300,000 soldiers
• Paris Falls: June 14
• French Government: Capitulation supporters gain power
• Philippe Pètain: Becomes Prime Minister, seeks armistice

Vichy France

• Armistice: Second Compiegne Armistice signed June 22, 1940
• Vichy Government:
  • Established in Vichy
  • Petain given dictatorial power
  • National Revolution: Anti-liberal, religious orthodoxy, family values
  • Policy and Impact:
    • Collaboration with Nazis
    • Anti-Jewish laws and deportations
    • Occupation life: Resource deficits, forced labor mobilization
• Fall of Vichy:
  • Entire France occupied by November 1942
  • Degraded to puppet regime; Petain sentenced to death post-liberation (later commuted)

Resistance and Collaboration

• French Resistance: Challenges despite initial support for Vichy
• Jewish Deportations and the Holocaust: French government complicit
• Paris under Occupation: Entertainment hub for Germans, severe civilian hardship

Italian and Balkan Campaigns

• Italian Campaign Against Greece: Failed; Hitler intervenes
• Yugoslavia and Greece: Quick German success, but distractions costly for Eastern Front
• Operation Mercury: German invasion of Crete
• Strategic Consequences: Delay in USSR campaign

1941 Overview

• Hitler's Dominance:
  • France, Poland, Scandinavia, Balkans under control
  • Allies: Italy, Hungary, Spain (neutral but cooperative)
  • Main Opposition: Only Great Britain still actively fighting