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CHAPTER 50 Europe Historical Geography I Geography of World War II ma , il 23 li by from Noun World War II was an enormous and complex conflict . To read all of the books that have been written about the history of the war would require a lifetime . Here , we focus on the geography of the war . In many ways , World War II was a sequel to World War I , with Britain and France once again squaring off against Germany . This time around , the two warring sides became known as the Allies and the Axis . The Axis consisted of most of Europe fascist powers Germany , Italy , Hungary , and . Japan was another Axis member , but that a story for the Geography of the Eastern World ) The Soviet Union was not formally part of the Axis , but did partner with Germany early in the war . The Axis also included Austria and , which had been annexed by Germany in 1938 , and , which had been annexed by Italy in the spring of 1939 . 244
EUROPE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY I Europe Alliances in World War I , Cartography by Steve , 245 The Allies initially consisted of those countries resisting fascist expansion , primarily Britain , France , and Poland . Many other countries would later be drawn to the Allied side , notably the United States and Soviet few European countries managed to remain neutral throughout the war Portugal , Spain , Ireland , Sweden , and Switzerland . World War II was caused by multiple factors , but the primary one was the ambition of leader , Hitler , to extend fascist control over all of Europe , and perhaps the world . Hitler primary geographic strategy was to avoid a war . The map above shows the European countries that were members of the Allies and Central Powers of World War I . The geography of these alliances meant that the Central Powers were essentially fighting two wars at the same time , one in the east , and one in the west . This war had doomed Germany and its allies . At the dawn of World War II , Hitler firmly believed , with good reason , that no single country could defeat Germany on its own . Germany first task was to secure the eastern front . In September , Germany invaded Poland . Hitler had made a secret pact with Joseph Stalin , the leader of the Soviet Union . It was an unusual partnership , considering that communism and fascism fall about as far apart on the political spectrum as possible , but Hitler was interested in defeating Poland , and Stalin assured him that he would not check German ambitions . The Soviet Union was only interested in retaking the territory it had lost in the wake of World War I . So , Germany seized western Poland , while the Soviets invaded eastern Poland , along with , and Finland . With Hungary , and the Soviet Union as allies , defeating Poland would secure the eastern front . With little help from Britain and France , Poland was in no position to resist the invasion by both the Germans and Soviets , and fell within a month .
246 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL by from Noun Britain and France declared war on Germany in the fall of 1939 , but very little happened over the winter . Many began to speak of the conflict as a phony war . That illusion was shattered in the spring of 1940 , when Germany turned its attention to the western front . Germany crashed into France through the neutral countries of Belgium , the Netherlands , and . France and Britain were unprepared for both the direction and the lightning speed of the German advance . France fell in just days . For much of the rest of the war , France was divided into three entities . The first was Occupied France , which was governed directly from Berlin . A second became known as France . This was territory in southern France that remained unoccupied when France surrendered . Governed out of the town of , this part of France was nominally independent , but was run by French generals who had agreed to partner with the Nazis , effectively making France a satellite state of Germany . A third element of France were the Free French . This force was led by Charles de , a French general who had escaped , along with many other French officers and soldiers , to Britain . The Free French claimed to be the legitimate government of their country and , partnering with resistance fighters in France , would continue to battle the fascists throughout the war . by Anand from Noun Germany also invaded and conquered Norway and Denmark . This left Britain as the lone allied country on the western Front . Hitler considered invading Britain , but deemed it too risky . Instead , German bombers began hammering British cities in massive night raids , while German ( submarines ) in the Atlantic began to cut Britain vital supply lines from the rest of the world . Hitler fully expected to bomb and starve Britain into
EUROPE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY I 247 surrender within a matter of months . Over the next year , the Axis moved to secure the southern front , invading British colonies in North Africa in 1940 , and invading and defeating Yugoslavia and Greece in the spring of 1941 . This left Britain as the only remaining Allied country . An Axis victory looked almost certain . It was a very grim year for the Allies , but it also saw two significant turning points , both of which would ultimately doom Hitler ambitions . By the end of 1941 , Germany found itself at war with the two countries that would later emerge as global superpowers the United States and the Soviet Union . Three weeks after Greece surrender , the Axis launched surprise attack on the Soviet Union . Looking back , we now know that this was a disastrous decision . At the time , however , it was not an outlandish idea . In 1941 , few reasonable people believed that the Soviet Union could survive such an invasion . Even though it had a substantially larger population than any other European country , it did not have the industrial or military firepower equal to that of the Axis . Also , Germany had the element of surprise ( legend has it that when initial reports ofthe invasion reached Stalin , he did believe them ) And , ofcourse , Russia had an enormous geographic liability an border made up of lowlands that offered little obstacle to the Axis invaders . A defeat of the Soviet Union would eliminate any remaining threat on the eastern front , and its vast territory could serve as a warehouse of raw materials to further the German war effort . It also offered access to the Pacific Ocean , which was key to Hitler goal of world domination . Another major turning point of 1941 was Japan surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , drawing the United States into the war . This would later spell doom for the Axis , but at the time , it seemed like an early Christmas present for Hitler . The President , Franklin Roosevelt , had been trying to drum up support for Britain since 1939 . But a large number of Americans were hesitant to get involved in the war in Europe . Now had attacked the United States , Hitler believed that Americans would forget about Europe entirely , and turn all of their attention to the war in the Pacific . Again , Hitler primary goal was to avoid a war . In that regard , 1943 proved to be a disastrous year . On the western front , Germany was unable to bomb and starve Britain into surrender . Also , much to chagrin , the United States did indeed get involved in the European war . American air crews were deployed to Britain . British bombers had been targeting Germany and its occupied territories during night raids for some time . Now , American bombers were arriving during the daytime . This bombing began to take its toll on German transportation and industry , inhibiting its ability to wage war . More troubling for Hitler , advances on the eastern front had stalled . Germany had dramatically underestimated the resolve of the Soviets , who paid an enormous price for their resistance . The Soviet Union suffered 23 million deaths during the war , about million more than every other country in Europe combined . That fact , coupled with German military blunders , a pair of brutal Russian winters , and the fact that German fighter planes on the eastern front had been recalled to defend against British and American bombers , would eventually doom the Axis on the eastern front . Finally , another front the southern front opened in 1943 . British , American , Canadian , and Free French forces
248 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL seized control of North Africa , and invaded Italy . Germany was forced to send a significant force to northern Italy to stall the Allied advance . 1944 would bring a string of Allied advances . On the western front , Allied forces invaded France , beginning with the famous landings in Normandy . On the eastern front , Soviet troops pushed the Axis out of the Soviet Union , and began advancing into eastern Europe . On the southern front , Allied troops continued to advance north through Italy . The war ended in 1945 . Mussolini , the fascist leader of Italy , was captured and executed on April 28 , 1945 . Hitler committed suicide two days later . Germany formally surrendered on May . The end of the war also marked the end of the European era of global dominance . Europe industrial infrastructure was in ruins , and its empires in Asia and Africa began to crumble . Europe found itself divided between governments loyal to the Soviet Union , and those affiliated with the United States . The Cold War had begun . Did You Know ?
The single deadliest battle of World War II was the Battle of Stalingrad in the Soviet Union . It lasted for five months and killed nearly people . Germany lost the battle , a decisive turning point in the war . CITED AND ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY , Steven . Europe Alliance in World War College of GIS class . Europe Alliance in World War College of GIS class . Reeder , Adam . 2019 . Pearl Harbor Memorial . Generic (