World War II: chronology, battles and protagonists

World War II: chronology of the conflict and in-depth analysis of the causes, consequences and alliances of the bloodiest conflict in history

Table of Contents

You have to know

First World War: causes, chronology, battles, protagonists
Hitler and Nazism: history, ideology and meaning
Weimar Republic: History, Government and Constitution

What you will learn

What were the different phases of the Second World War
How the two great sides that opposed each other during the conflict were composed
What happened in Italy during the conflict: from entering the war, to the armistice with the allies, passing through the Republic of Salò and the Resistance
How did the Second World War come to an end
Which elements led to the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and later on Nagasaki

INDEX

Introduction to the Second World War
A destroyed state: Poland
The defeat of France in the middle of the Second World War
Italy in the Second World War
England resists: the first obstacle to German victory in World War II
War on Russia and US intervention: the turning point of World War II
Pearl Harbor: the second phase of World War II
The great alliance (1942-1943)
Resistance in Italy: a civil war?
The landing in Normandy: towards the end of the Second World War
The decline of Nazism
Hiroshima: the last act of World War II
The dead of World War II
Watch the World War II video
Key concepts

Infobox

Thing

Second World War

When

1939 – 1945

Precedents

World War I , Hitler and Nazism

Consequences

The concentration camps , the Holocaust , the Cold War

Famous phrase

“At that time, in 1938, there were not many who in the imminent and foreseeable Second World War saw the horrible catastrophe into which they would fall” – Mario Rigoni Stern

1Introduction to the Second World War

If World War I had broken out after a single and sudden event, World War II , 25 years later, was in many ways more predictable . This dramatic and lethal conflict lasted from 1939 to 1945. The two main factions were the ” Axis ” ( Germany , Italy and Japan ) and the ” allies ” ( France , Great Britain, United States , Soviet Union , China ). In many respects it was a continuation , after a 20-year hiatus, of theWorld War I , although, as we shall see, with many innovations. With an overall number of deaths ranging between 40 and 50 million , the Second World War is the bloodiest conflict in history.

2A destroyed state: Poland

Photo by Adolf Hitler – Source: Ansa

European states are preparing for warDuring the Munich conference in September 1938, the democracies had practically ceded the Sudetenland to Germany. Only a month later, the Nazi plans were ready to occupy two other populous regions of Czechoslovakia: Moravia and Bohemia , which in March 1939 Hitler will annex to the Third Reich , while the various nations that made up Czechoslovakia fought, each for its independence , in particular Slovakia. This causes a change in the attitude of France and Great Britain, which are securing military assistanceof many nations, especially Poland. Poland would be Hitler’s next target , which aimed at the city of Gdansk .

The pact of steel between Italy and GermanyMeanwhile. Germany and Italy were making the pact of steel : if one of the two countries had found itself at war, even in the role of aggressor, the other country would have had to intervene at its side. Italy was not militarily prepared for war, and Mussolini knew it, but Hitler had said (verbally) that the war would not break out for two or three years: the Second World War was instead much closer than expected.

The indecision of the USSR and the non-aggression pact with GermanyIn all this, the USSR had not yet taken sides. The fear of the Russians was that German aggression would turn exclusively on them, while Westerners were concerned about Russian ambitions in Eastern Europe . Moreover, Poland would never have allowed Soviet troops to pass through its territories. At this point, unexpectedly, the Nazis and the USSR sign a non-aggression pact ( Molotov-Ribbentrop , August 1939). Hitler can at this point attack Poland ( 1 September 1939 ) without fearing Russian repercussions, starting the Second World War. While Italy, despite the pact of steel, declares non-belligerence , France and England formally declare war on Germany.

Ratification of the Russo-German Non-Aggression Pact to the Kremlin. From left: Soviet Minister Molotov, Joseph Stalin, German Ambassador Frederich Von Der Schulenburg, German Councilor Hencke, German Foreign Minister Joachim Von Ribbentrop with German Undersecretary Gus – Source: Ansa

A war that seems to have already ended: the rapid conquests of GermanyThe conquest of Poland takes place surprisingly quickly, especially thanks to the innovative German military technique, blitzkrieg ( Blitzkrieg ): the real novelty of the Second World War was the use of armored vehicles (tanks and armored cars), thanks to which war was no longer static. By the end of September Warsaw he surrendered to the Germans bombing , while the Russians occupied areas east ruthlessly: is notorious the ‘ cold execution of thousands of Polish officers massacred by the Soviets and hidden in eight mass graves that would have been found years after. For the moment, it was thereend of Poland : a state with just 20 years of life, which had practically received no aid from its formal allies, France and England. After these events, the war remains stalled for seven months, during which Russia attacks Finland to resolve some border issues, while Germany, already in the spring of 1940, manages to occupy Denmark (which surrenders without a fight) and Norway. The Nazis now controlled most of northern and central Europe: at this point it was France’s turn.

The beginning of any war is like opening the door to a dark room. You never know what may be hidden in the dark.

Adolf Hitler

3The defeat of France in the middle of the Second World War

The passage of the German army through Holland and the occupation of FranceIn a couple of months, from 10 May to June 1940, the German occupation of central and northern France is complete. The French army was an avant-garde and very numerous, but the antiquated conception of the French generals, still tied to the concept of war of position , relied on a line of defensive fortifications, the Maginot line , which left Holland uncovered, the Luxembourg and Belgium. In mid-May the Germans had invaded Holland, they had passed through the natural limit of the Ardennes forest thanks to the tanks, bypassing the French and Belgian armies, and the British contingent, forced to a quick re-embarkation in the French port city of Dunkirk. on the border with Belgium.

Photo by Philippe Pétain – Source: Ansa

The armistice with Germany and the new French governmentOn June 14, the Nazis are in Paris. The new prime minister is Philippe Pétain , an 84-year-old marshal, who immediately signs an armistice with Germany on June 22 , ironically in the same place where the Germans had signed an armistice with the French and British 22 years earlier. The new French government marks the end of the Third Republic . According to Pétain, the fault of the defeat in the Second World War was the Republican Franca and its advanced democratic system, too permissive. The new constitution promulgated by the marshal marked the return of France to the exaltation of authority , family andreligion , corporatism in work and the exaltation of agricultural work. The seat of government, Vichy, was a small spa town, and the effective sovereignty of the government was limited to the southern half of France and the colonies: the rest was occupied by the Germans. In fact, Vichy France was nothing more than a satellite state of the Germans , which on 3 July interrupted all relations with Great Britain.

4Italy in the Second World War

Mussolini, from the balcony of Piazza Venezia, proclaims Italy’s entry into the war – Source: Ansa

June 10, 1940: the announcement of Italy’s entry into the warWhile Hitler was occupying France, Mussolini , convinced of an imminent end of the Second World War , announced with considerable delay the Italian intervention alongside his Nazi ally. The reasons why Italy had not entered the war earlier (despite the pact of steel ) were the actual unpreparedness of the army and the lack of raw materials . The speed with which France had definitively collapsed, however, had made not only Mussolini change his mind, but also to the king, the industrialists, and the more moderate fascist hierarchs. It seemed that Italy would achieve a glorious victory with minimal effort. On 10 June 1940, from the balcony of Piazza Venezia , in Rome, from which he used to speak to the people, the Duce announced to the crowd the entry of Italy into the Second World War .

The first Italian failuresThe offensive against France starts on 21 June, only one day before Pétain would have signed the armistice with the Nazis , and it is not the desired success: the penetration into French territory is very limited, and the losses rather high. Despite this, exhausted France immediately asked for an armistice (signed on June 24), which envisages only a few small changes in the borders and limited demilitarization. At the same time Mussolini attacks the British in the Mediterranean . The Italian fleet is defeated in Calabria and in the Aegean, while an offensive against the British in Libya stops due to a lack of means . Mussolinihe was convinced that Italy could fight its own Second World War , parallel to and independent of the German one, and for this reason, for the moment, he is refusing German offers of help in North Africa .

Notes

Italy in the Second World War

The defeat in Greece and the help of the GermansThe Italians will attack Greece on October 28, 1940, once again colliding with a resistance above expectations and having to fall back to Albania. In December, the British conquer Cyrenaica , and it is at this point that Mussolini must accept German aid to recapture the region. In 1941 the British managed to conquer the Italian colonies in East Africa: Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea. By now it was clear that Italy could not make it in the Second World War without the help of the Germans, who in April 1941 will also intervene in the Balkans and Greece.

5England resists: the first obstacle to German victory in World War II

England: the only power capable of stopping the German advanceAt the end of the 1940s, the only power capable of facing the advance of Nazi Germany with any success during the Second World War was England. The prime minister, the conservative Winston Churchill , in power since May 1940, had a simple program: total war against Nazi Germany, which for its part, in order to see the recent conquests recognized, would even be willing to negotiate, for the moment. In the fall of 1940, Hitler had nothing to do but try to invade England . Britain’s strong point was its own fleet, and for this reason the Nazis chose the air route, continuously bombing both military and industrial targets for three months (including the city of London itself).

Photo by Winston Churchill – Source: Ansa

The bombing of ConventryThe bombing of Coventry (November 14, 1940), an industrial town in the heart of the country, with a delightful medieval center , is one of the most emblematic cases: the 150,000 bombs not only destroy military targets, but also thousands of houses , much of the center of the country. town, and a stunning 14th century cathedral, killing more than 500 civilians and leaving thousands homeless. The horrors of bombing, heralded by the sounds of sirens and carried out mostly at night, would become a terrible constant of World War II .

The British resistance: the stop of the German operation “Leone Marino”Despite cases like this, the raids of the German air force (Luftwaffe) are however countered with some effectiveness by the British anti-aircraft, the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the operation, which Hitler had called “Sea Lion” is stopped and postponed. . For the first time, the Nazi war machine was forced to stop , at least for a while.

6War on Russia and US intervention: the turning point of World War II

Photos of German soldiers during Operation Barbarossa – Source: Ansa

The German invasion of the USSROn June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany, now devoid of open fronts in the West (except for North Africa), began to invade the USSR , which had been the main target of Nazi imperialism for years . The code name of the military operation, opened on a front that went from the Black Sea to the Baltic (1600 kilometers) was Operation Barbarossa . At the beginning it was a surprising success, in which an expeditionary force wanted by Mussolini , which could not escape this anti-Bolshevik crusade, also took part .

The failed attack on Moscow causes bad weatherIn October the final attack on Moscow is launched: but bad weather favors Soviet resistance. The Russian front is now a problem for Hitler , who had failed to put the Soviets under combat. A large part of the Nazi army was stuck in the plains, struggling with a cold winter , with effective resistance, and above all with an almost infinite availability of men: the USSR was able to compensate for the monstrous losses suffered (3 million men and 20,000 armored vehicles), and at the same time the Second World War was also turning into an exhausting conflict , which was usurying the powers involved.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill – Source: Loop

The Atlantic Charter between Roosevelt and ChurchillAt the end of 1941, the Second World War becomes truly global. Until then, the United States had limited itself to financially supporting the intense British war effort. President Franklin D. Roosevelt , the only US president to be elected for the third time, had only broken off relations with Italy and Germany in May. In August he signed the Atlantic Charter with Churchill : an eight-point document that condemned fascismand established some guidelines for a new democratic order to come, based on the self-determination of peoples, on free trade, on international cooperation and on the renunciation of the use of force between states. In many ways it was reminiscent of Wilson’s fourteen points .

The tripartite pact between Japan, Germany and Italy and the Japanese ambitionsMeanwhile, Japan , the main Asian power, had joined a pact (the tripartite pact ) with Germany and Italy since September 1940 . The country was at the time dominated by a militarist and expansionist policy, and since 1936 it had signed an anti-communist pact with the Nazis . The Japanese objective, strongly desired by the country’s military leaders, was to expand throughout Southeast Asia , and in this sense the country was already engaged in attempts to conquer China since 1937. In July 1941 the Japanese had invaded French Indochina , causing Great Britain and the United States to block exportsto Japan, a highly industrialized state but devoid of raw materials. In order not to give up its expansionist plans in China and Indochina, bowing to the demands of Western powers, Japan openly attacks the United States.

More than an end to the war, we want an end to the principles of all wars.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

7Pearl Harbor: the second phase of World War II

The attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry into the war of the United StatesShortly before eight in the morning on December 7, 1941, the Japanese Air Force launches a devastating attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It was a surprise attack , with no formal declaration of war. Hundreds of Japanese planes had taken off from an aircraft carrier, and attacked major American warships with two waves. The Americans did not expect such an attack, and they lose more than 2,000 soldiers, 55 civilians, hundreds of aircraft . Japanese losses are minimal. The next day, the United States approves the declaration of war on Japan, and on 11 December Germany and Italy, according to the tripartite pact, in turn declare war on the United States. The Second World War begins to take on new colors.

Auschwitz extermination camp – Source: Loop

The projects of the three countries of the Tripartite PactThe attack on Pearl Harbor had been a severe blow to the United States, but at the same time it is what definitively convinces them to enter the Second World War , abandoning isolationism . For the moment, however, things seemed to be going in favor of the three countries of the tripartite pact. Specifically, the intent of Japan and Germany was to build a new world order based on a decisive supremacy over the subjugated countries. For Germany this meant literally enslaving the subjugated peoples, who planned to make Eastern Europe an agricultural colony of the Reich , exterminating the local elites and reducing the Slavic peoples to a position of semi- slavery.. Meanwhile, between 5 and 6 million Jews who lived in the countries under German rule, previously discriminated against and confined to ghettos, were now beginning to be exterminated in prison camps ( concentration camps ).

8The great alliance (1942-1943)

The resistance of England, the United States and RussiaIn May 1942 the Americans began to stop the Japanese advance in the Pacific, which in February 1943 would stop definitively, while in the Atlantic Americans and British began to defend themselves more effectively from the fearsome German submarines.
In Stalingrad (now Volgograd), on the Volga River, the Soviets managed to resist the Nazis , who besieged the city between August and November 1942: it was the worst defeat so far suffered by the Germans during the Second World War , a symbol of how the situation was reversing. Losing Stalingrad would have been fatal for Russia, because the city was not only a supply base on Russia’s largest waterway, but also a point that would allow the Germans to surround Moscow. The battle had been devastating for both the Germans and the Soviets, especially the inhabitants of Stalingrad, who had not been evacuated.

Roosevelt and Churchill during the Casablanca conference – Source: Ansa

The defeat of Italy and Germany in North AfricaAt the same time, the British were facing Italians and Germans in North Africa : General Rommel (‘the fox of the desert’) had managed to arrive in El Alamein in June 1942, but the British counter-offensive forced the Germans to retreat in October. In May 1943, Italians and Germans will be definitively expelled from Africa .

The Casablanca conferenceIn the meantime, in January 43 there had been a conference in Casablanca, Morocco, where the allies, who had by now signed the United Nations pact pledging to abide by the Atlantic Charter , decided that the next step would start from Sicily, and that the Second World War would continue until the unconditional surrender of Germany, or the defeat without any kind of plea bargain.

9Resistance in Italy: a civil war?

Photo by Pietro Badoglio – Source: Ansa

The landing in Sicily of the allies and the first mass protests against fascismThe landing in Sicily of the Anglo-American contingents, which in a few weeks will take over the island, takes place in July 1943 . The Fascist government had by now lost credibility due to a series of sensational failures . These were the first mass protests under fascism, a sign of profound popular discontent caused by the rising costs of living, hunger and Allied bombing.

The resignation of Mussolini and the new government of Pietro BadoglioOn 25 July 1943 Mussolini falls , and he does so due to a singular conspiracy wanted, among others, by the king and the more moderate exponents of the regime. The previous night, a meeting of the Grand Council of Fascism had invited the king to regain formal control of the army. On the 25th Mussolini was invited to resign and arrested by the carabinieri, while Pietro Badoglio was appointed head of the government. At this point the Italians abandon themselves to public manifestations of joy, while after twenty years of absolute protagonism on the political scene there was practically no trace of the Fascist Party. The Italians hoped that the Second World War would soon be over, without knowing that it would end dramatically .

The armistice of 8 September with the alliesThe Germans, now expecting an imminent defection, had increased their troop contingents, while Badoglio was sending ambiguous messages, negotiating in secret with the allies while proclaiming to the nation that the war effort would continue alongside the Germans.
Shortly after, on 3 September Italy and the allies stipulate an armistice , announced on 8 September . Badoglio and the king flee to Brindisi, while central Italy and northern Italy are occupied by the Germans, the south is occupied by the allies, and the Italian army is in disarray.

A CLN manifesto on the occasion of the armistice between Italy and the allies – Source: Istock

The Republic of Salò and the beginning of a real civil warAfter the anti-fascist parties were officially reconstituted , which in September 1943 gave life to the National Liberation Committee , on 12 September the Germans liberated Mussolini from the Gran Sasso. The plan was to create a new fascist state in the north: the Italian Social Republic (RSI), with its own army, had Salò, a city on Lake Garda, as its capital. The policy of the Republic of Salò recalled the first fascism , the most ‘revolutionary’ one, but it remained a state controlled by the Germans , who continued to occupy the territory by exploiting its resources and the inhabitants, often deported (as happens in theghetto of Rome , where more than a thousand Jews will be deported to Auschwitz). The republic of Salò also dealt with fighting the partisans in what we remember today as a real civil war .

The different partisan bandsAt the end of 1943 the first partisan bands were formed , bringing together both anti-fascists and deserters from the Republic of Salò. Patriotic Action Groups are formed in the cities . Partisans tended to assemble based on political orientation:

The largest group were the Garibaldibrigades , mostly made up of Communists
Giustizia e Libertàpaid homage to the liberal-socialist group of Carlo Rosselli right from the name
The socialists met in the Matteotti Brigades
The autonomous bandswere composed of military, often monarchists

Notes

The Italy of the Resistance and of Salò

The parties of post-fascismAs for the parties, in addition to the Liberal-Socialist Action Party, the Christian Democracy (DC) was being born from the ashes of the People’s Party . In July, the Liberal Party (Pli) and the Republican Party also took shape (or rather re-took shape ) , while the Socialists had gathered in the Socialist Party of Proletarian Unity (PSIUP), and the Communist Party , which had never dissolved, he regained his strength.

The birth of the National Liberation Committee and the initial agreement with the KingIt is the representatives of these and other anti-fascist parties who give life to the National Liberation Committee (CLN), which had the aim of giving life to a democratic, anti-fascist Italy, but also contrary to the king (also considered a responsible for fascism and of the war) and Badoglio (whose government, from October 1943, had become a ‘co-belligerent’ for the allies). The CLN represented the partisan movement (both left and center-right), but it had neither a mass base nor the confidence of the allies. To unblock the situation is Palmiro Togliatti , leader of the PCI who has just returned from Russia, who proposes to the Cln to form a government of national unity concentrated on the war and the fight against fascism, collaborating for the moment with the king and Badoglio.

Ivanoe Bonomi and Prince Umberto – Source: Ansa

The first government of national unityOn April 24, the first national unity government was formed , which includes representatives of the CLN and is headed by Badoglio. Vittorio Emanuele III will appoint his son Umberto as ‘lieutenant of the kingdom’ in June 1944, and Badoglio too will resign. The next government will be entirely decided by the CLN, chaired by Ivanoe Bonomi , and will have concrete links with the partisan movement, now also gathered in a reinforced and very active CLN Alta Italia ( CLNAI ) throughout northern Italy, despite the reprisals. German. There was an Italy determined to turn the pageand to contribute to the cause of the allies, which however did not particularly involve the bulk of the population, traumatized and essentially worried about their own survival. After a standstill along the Gothic line, in November 1944 the partisans were invited to suspend operations, but Bonomi recognized the CLNAI as the representative of the government in occupied Italy. Only in 1945, in the spring, did the Resistance lead to a general and popular uprising .

10The landing in Normandy: towards the end of the Second World War

Photos of the Normandy landings – Source: Ansa

The conquest of Berlin and the Normandy landingsBetween 1943 and ’44 the Soviets, at the cost of enormous sacrifices, repel the Germans and begin to advance towards the West: in the spring of ’45 they will conquer Berlin . At the end of 1943 there was the Tehran conference, where the leaders of the three main allied states, Roosevelt , Stalin and Churchill had met, and the Anglo-Americans had pledged to land on the coast of France, in Normandy.

The reconquest of FranceThe operation takes place on June 6, 1944 at dawn, the code name is Operation Overlord : This operation was documented by photographer Robert Capa , in some dramatic photos that portray the assault on Omaha Beach in all the heat of the action . Over a million and a half men will be in France within a month. At the end of July, the German defenses are definitively crushed, and by August Paris is now free, while the Nazis reorganized for the last time around the old borders of 1939.

11The decline of Nazism

Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin during the Yalta conference – Source: Ansa

The new fronts of the Second World WarBy the autumn of 1944 the fronts of World War II had completely changed, and Germany was one step away from defeat . The countries under German influence (Romania, Bulgaria, Finland and Hungary) changed sides or surrendered, while Yugoslavia was liberated by the partisans and the Russians, Greece by the British. Germany suffered constant bombing, aimed at destroying its phenomenal industrial production and demoralizing the Germans, often hitting non-military targets, and destroying entire cities. Adolf Hitler, however, would never have surrendered, never would have declared his defeat in the Second World War: he hoped for a break in the alliance between the Soviets and the West, who, however, still remained faithful to the agreements.

The division of each other’s spheres of influenceIt is in this period that Churchill and Stalin , in a conference in Moscow, begin to establish the reciprocal spheres of influence (which took very little account of the will of the peoples) for the post World War II . In another conference in Yalta , a spa town in Crimea , the future division of Germany into areas of influence was decided in February 1945 .

The advance towards BerlinIn January, after a final German offensive in the Ardennes , the Soviets cross Poland and are almost in Berlin, while at the same time chasing the Nazis from Hungary, and in April they reached Vienna and then Prague. The allies simultaneously attacked from the French front, crossing the Rhine on 22 March. The German soldiers concentrated their efforts on the Eastern front , trying to stop the advance of the Red Army, and by April 25 Berlin was now surrounded.

Learn more

Hitler and Nazism

The two deaths of Mussolini and HitlerOn April 25, in Italy, the CLN proclaims a general insurrection while the Germans leave Milan. Mussolini tries to take refuge in Switzerland disguised as a German soldier, but is captured, shot by the partisans and exposed in piazzale Loreto in Milan. As for Hitler , on April 30 he fired a revolver shot in the temples in his underground bunker (now the seat of government). At this point, the Reich can only ask the allies to surrender. On 7 May 1945 the capitulation of the German army was signed in Reims and the hostilities formally ceased in the following two days. The two dictators who most wanted it were deadWorld War II , which ended after almost six years. The only Axis country to remain standing was Japan .

12Hiroshima: the last act of World War II

Hiroshima after the explosion of the atomic bomb – Source: Loop

The new president Harry Truman and the choice to use the atomic bomb to end the warThe Americans began systematically bombing Japan at the end of ’44 with the help of large aircraft carriers and gigantic ‘strategic bombers’ (real flying fortresses). The attack by land and sea in Japanese territory was planned for the summer of ’45, but Japan did not seem at all about to surrender. On the contrary, suicide bombers continued inexorably to blow themselves up on American ships. Meanwhile, President Roosevelt was dead (April 12, 1945), and it was his successor Harry Truman who decided to use the atomic bomb (or nuclear fission bomb, developed from the studies carried out by Enrico Fermi ), a devastating device developed for a very short time, against Japan.

The devastation of Hiroshima and NagasakiThe goal was to make a long and complex war shorter, but America also wanted to demonstrate its power to the allies (and in particular the Soviets). So on August 6, 1945 the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and after three days another one was dropped on Nagasaki. In addition to the immense number of immediate deaths (100,000 and 60,000) and the devastation of both cities, there was the long-term effect of radiation . With the surrender of Emperor Hirohito (2 September 1945) the Second World War ends once and for all .

13The dead of World War II

The death toll in World War II is higher than any other war in history. It is estimated that the victims of this conflict are a total of 70 million and that the Soviet Union paid the highest price with 23 million deaths.
Numbers close to these figures caused them only another great catastrophe, the black plague of 1347-1353 which in a few years killed a third of the world population . The figures are not accurate but it is estimated that the deaths caused by the pandemic have been between 25 and 50 million.

A few numbers on the dead of the Second World War:

Soviet Union: 23 million
Germany: 7.4 million
Japan: 2.6 million
England: 430,000
Italy: 450,000
France: 620,000
USA: 220,000
Belgium: 100,000
Netherlands: 200,000
Norway: 12,000
Czechoslovakia: 350,000
Hungary: 400,000
Greece: 160,000

What I will not forget is the general cheerfulness, created by the newspapers and bounced on all faces, after the Hiroshima bomb: “This ends the war: all wars, forever” – “We have entered an age of wonders never seen before “. Cortés had landed and the poor Indians welcomed their slaughterer like a God.

Guido Ceronetti, Italian writer and journalist

14Watch the World War II video

Key concepts

· The outbreak of the Second World War and the early stages

In September 1938 there is the MunichGermany is authorized to occupy the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia
In March 1939 Hitlerannexed Bohemia and Moravia to the Reich
In May 1939, Italy and Germany signed the pact of steel
In August 39, Russia and Germany sign a non-aggression pact (Molotov-Ribbentrop)
Following the pact, Germany attacks Poland on September 1, 1939, without fearing Soviet repercussions: it is the beginning of the Second World War.
At the end of September, thanks to the innovative blitzkrieg, Poland gives way
Seven months of stalemate followed. In 1940, Russia attacks Finland while Hitler occupies Denmark and Norway
From 10 May to the end of June 1940, Germany ended the occupation of north-central France, passing through Holland
On June 14, the Nazis in Paris
The new French president, Philippe Pétain, signs an armistice with Germany on 22 June
Pétain establishes an authoritarian regime which is in fact a satellite state of the Nazis

· The entry of Italy into the Second World War

On 10 June 1940, the Duce proclaimed the entry of Italy into the Second World Warin Rome
The offensive in France starts on 21 June
The armistice with France is signed on 24 June, the Italian success is limited
In the meantime, Italy is defeated by the British in the Mediterranean and in Libya
Italy attacks Greece on October 28, 1940 with little success, having to fall back to Albania
From December 1940 the British began to conquer Italian territories in North Africa. Mussolini accepts German aid

· The moves of the allies

England

In May 1940 Winston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister, his program is absolutely hostile to Nazi Germany
In the autumn of 1940, Hitler invaded England. The bombings lasted 3 months
Britain withstands the ordeal, also thanks to the efforts of the Royal Air Force

Russia

On 22 June 1941, Germany invaded the USSR, its main target (Operation Barbarossa)
After a series of successes, the Germans (with an Italian delegation) are in Moscow in October 1941. The city resists
Frosty weather and strenuous Russian resistance block the Russian front, usurping German power
Meanwhile, the United States ruled by Franklin D. Roosevelt had remained neutral, while condemning fascism and signing the Atlantic Charter with Churchill (August 1941)
Japan, an ally of Germany and Italy since September 1940 (Tripartite Pact) attacks French Indochina in July ’41
Great Britain and the United States react by blocking exports to Japan

United States

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacks America at the Pearl Harbor base (Hawaii)
On 8 December the United States declares war on Japan, on 11 December on Germany and Italy

The great alliance

Between May 1942 and February 1943 the United States managed to stop the Japanese advance in the Pacific Ocean
Stalingrad resisted the German siege between August and November 1942
Between October 1942 and May 1943 Germans and Italians are expelled from Africa
In January 1943 Casablanca Conference: the allies decide to enter Sicily and fight until Germany’s unconditional surrender

· The Italy of the Resistance and the Republic of Salò

The Anglo-Americans landed in Sicily in July 1943
On 25 July Mussolini falls due to a conspiracy wanted by the king and the more moderate fascists
Badoglio, the new head of state, proclaims to the nation that the war alongside the Germans would continue, but negotiations with the Allies have already begun
The armistice was stipulated on 3 September and made public on 8 September
The Germans occupy central Italy and northern Italy, the south is occupied by the allies
The reconstituted anti-fascist parties set up the National Liberation Committee (CNL) in September 1943
On 12 September Mussolini is freed by the Germans
With German support, Mussolini was placed at the head of the Italian Social Republic, or the Republic of Salò
The first GAPs (Patriotic Action Groups) are formed – partisans of various anti-fascist political orientations
On April 24, the first national unity government was formed with representatives of the CLN
In November 1944 the partisans were recognized as representatives of the government of national unity in Italy occupied by the Nazis
The first real popular uprising of the Italians will take place in the first real of ’45

· The end of the Second World War

At the end of 1943 the Soviet advance began. The Red Army will be in Berlin in the spring of ’45
The Normandy landings had been established in the Tehran Conference at the end of ’43
The landing takes place on 6 June 1944
In August the allies liberate Paris
In the autumn of 1944, Germany was one step away from defeat
Despite the devastating bombings, Hitler does not give up, and waits for the alliance between the Soviets and the Anglo-Americans to break
In Moscow and Yalta, on the other hand, Russians and Anglo-Americans begin to divide each other’s areas of influence, both in Europe and in Germany.
In January 1945 the Germans attempt a last offensive in the Ardennes while the Soviets cross Poland
On 22 March the Allies cross the Rhine from the French front
In April the Soviets are in Vienna and then in Prague
The Germans concentrate on the eastern front, but on 25 April Berlin is surrounded
At the same time the CLN proclaims a general insurrection in Italy and the Germans leave Milan
Mussolini was captured and executed by the partisans in Milan on 28 April 1945
Two days later, Hitler commits suicide in his bunker in Berlin
On 7 May the German army signs the surrender in Reims
The systematic bombing of Japan began at the end of ’44
Japan has no intention of surrender
On 6 and 9 August 1945 two atomic bombs are dropped, respectively on Hiroshima and Nagasaki: the effects are devastating
The atomic bomb had two purposes: to shorten a long and complicated war, to demonstrate the power of the United States to the allies
Emperor Hirohito signs the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945

Questions answers

What are the causes of the Second World War?

The grave peace imposed on Germany at the end of the First World War , the indecisions and conflicts between France, England and Russia for domination in Europe, the German aggressions (the immediate causes of the unleashing of the conflict).

When did Italy enter the war in the Second World War?

On 10 June 1940 Mussolini announced Italy’s entry into the war alongside the Nazi ally.

Who started the Second World War?

Hitler’s Germany , with the invasion of Poland.

When and how does World War II start?

On 1 September 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.