by Vern, Steven
World War Two:
How the World Changed Forever
(I Want to Know Now!)
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Copyright © 2016
Table of Contents
Introduction
CHAPTER 1: Roots
CHAPTER 2: Phase One
CHAPTER 3: “Phony War”
CHAPTER 4: Germany Shocks The World
CHAPTER 5: Southeast Europe And Africa
CHAPTER 6: Men Become Animals
CHAPTER 7: Holocaust
CHAPTER 8: The End In Europe
CHAPTER 9: The Pacific
Conclusion and Consequences
Further Reading
“I Want to Know Now”:
About the Series
Knowledge is power. But time is precious.
We all want to know more about the world we live in. But usually to learn something interesting we have to wade through a lot we don’t care about.
What if we could get our knowledge and have our time too, learning about the world while not spending too many hours doing so?
Now, with a new series, I Want to Know Now, we can. Each volume covers a specific topic. Author Steven Vern has invested his time in finding the most important information on every topic so we don’t have to.
In clear, straightforward terms, the book translates the complexity of any topic into the essential facts we need to know. All volumes are fast to read, but all of them are comprehensive, easy to understand guides that anyone can learn from.
From the same series:
World War Two, How the World Changed Forever by Steven Vern
World War Two, How the World Changed Forever by Steven Vern
Hitler, How the World Changed Forever by Steven Vern
The Nazi Party, How the World Changed Forever by Steven Vern
The Atomic Bomb, How the World Changed Forever by Steven Vern
We Need You!
Do you wish to be part of our restricted club and receive free advanced reading copies (ARC) of any future book in the series?
Full details at the end of this book!
Thank you to Matthew Gaskill for his cooperation. You can find Matthew's kindle book “The German Army and Stormtroops of World War One: Tactics of Terror” on Amazon now.
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for downloading this book, World War Two: I Want to Know Now!.
In the last few years in Russia and the Ukraine, Father Patrick Desbois has been working with a team of archaeologists and historians to uncover the sites of previously unknown mass shootings of Jews in the former Soviet Union. He has discovered hundreds of previously unknown or forgotten sites with untold thousands of victims buried in mass graves throughout the region.
In the vicinity of Volgograd (previously and more famously known as Stalingrad), a team of young volunteers made up of students and off-duty military men have searched the area for the bodies of both German and Soviet soldiers and civilians killed as a result of the battles in the area or atrocities committed by both sides. They have found many completely unknown mass graves, some of them tens of meters long and deep, containing hundreds of bodies – POWs killed by both sides during and after the battle.
The best estimates of those killed during the war, both civilian and military, is near 60 million. 60 million people of all ages, all of their experiences, memories, hopes, and dreams coming to a horrible end. Today, the generation of men and women who either fought in WWII, or remember it, is passing on.
In the last few years, men and women have served their countries and died to combat the scourge of terrorism. Their sacrifice is not, and should not, be forgotten, but although we rightly are upset by the loss of even one soldier on the battlefield today, we should remember that there was a time when thousands of soldiers and civilians were being killed every minute of every day for 5 ½ years. That is what the WWII generation endured.
German bodies 2015. The bones were interred at a nearby German military cemetery
CHAPTER 1:
ROOTS
Ask an American, and they will tell you that WWII began on December 7th, 1941. Ask a Pole, and the answer will be September 1st, 1939. Ask a German, Brit, or Frenchman, and they will say September 3rd, 1939. For those in the Soviet Union, WWII began on June 22nd, 1941. Those in China will tell you that for them, WWII lasted longer than for any other nation; depending on who you ask, the war began in Asia in 1931 or 1936. And although many in Japan will mention those dates, Japan became involved in the global conflict on (according to Tokyo time) December 8th, 1941.
But World War II truly began almost as soon as World War I ended on November 11th, 1918. Historians sometimes glibly refer to World War II as “World War 1.2”, for it was in the end of WWI that the roots of the Second World War are firmly established. Almost more important than the war itself is how it began, and it didn't begin with an invasion. It began long before.
When WWI ended in 1918, the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire were defeated kingdoms. As a matter of fact, the war and the agreements signed at the end of it dissolved both the Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman Empires completely.
Out of a vast empire encompassing many peoples, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided into the many nations of central and southeast Europe today, and its core, Austria, left as a small mountainous and remote nation stripped of its hereditary monarch.
The Ottoman Empire, whose ruling classes comprised mostly Turks (along with various Arab tribal chieftains under their control), was divided among the victorious British and French, who either directly governed or oversaw the various Arab territories of the former empire. Turkey itself became a secular republic with much smaller borders.
Germany
Of the Central Powers, the only nation to survive the war intact was Germany, the richest nation in central Europe and the key to European stability. Germany's emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941), went into exile in Holland and a republic based in the city of Weimar came into power, at least in name.
Because it was the only one of the Central Powers to survive intact and also because it was by far the richest, most powerful, and had done the most damage during the war, Germany was held responsible for both starting the war and for most of the damage incurred during the conflict. As you can read in more detail in my book on WWI (World War One, How the World Changed Forever (I Want to Know Now!) at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013VPCZUI?*Version*=1&*entries*=0), historians now point the finger clearly at the Habsburg rulers of Austria-Hungary and a cabal inside the Serbian military for starting World War I.
However, Austria's more powerful ally, Germany, was accused of encouraging the Austrians to attack Serbia by assuring them of Germany's whole-hearted support. At the peace table in 1919, this was enough reason to pin the blame for the war on the Germans – that, and revenge.
When the war ended, Germany itself had not been invaded. As a matter of fact, the German Empire spanned from northern France and Belgium to the Ukraine (which had been ceded to Germany by the new government of the Soviet Union as the price for ending the war in the east). If you were a German (especially a young male German who was not yet quite old enough to fight in combat but was dying to do his “bit” in the fight) looking at a map in the fall of 1918, and read only state-censored newspapers, you might believe that Germany was winning the war.
But if you were a German with any kind of sense, you knew the war had been lost in the spring/summer 1918, with the failure
of the great German offensives and the arrival of millions of fresh and well-equipped American troops. Even if that was not enough to convince you that the war was lost, the widespread hunger in the nation brought on by the British naval blockade might have done so.
The two military commanders who were effectively running Germany in 1918 (Field Marshals Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg) realized that if terms were not reached with the Allies, Germany itself would soon be invaded and their nation would be forced to accept whatever terms the Allies imposed on them. On November 11th, 1918 (today's “Veterans Day” in the U.S., but known for many years as Armistice Day), the German offer of a cease-fire went into effect.
This is key in understanding the roots of World War II. The Germans hoped that they could negotiate favorable terms to the end of the war, but when the peace conference at Versailles in France met in 1919, it was eminently clear that Germany was going to have abide by whatever terms the Allies decided upon.
The German negotiating team at Versailles was made up of men from the Social Democratic Party who had filled the void left by the departure of the Kaiser. Though the political situation in Germany in 1919 was extremely volatile, the Social Democrats controlled most of the nation. What's more, the leading military men were happy to let these socialist politicians take the lead at the peace conference, for by spring of 1919, they knew that nothing positive for Germany was going to come out of Versailles, and they were more than happy to let the politicians take the blame.
The haggling at the Versailles Conference did not take place between the Allies and the Germans. No, the Germans, though they attempted at times to resist, had no choice in what was coming to them. The main arguments at Versailles were between the victorious nations.
Thousands upon thousands of books have been written about the peace conference and the Versailles Treaty that came out of it, and the intrigue and politics of the treaty conference alone can fill hundreds of pages. For our purposed here, let's see if we can summarize...
Both France and Britain wanted Germany to pay for what had happened during the war – compensation for the dead and for the economic damage caused. The smaller powers of Europe, such as Belgium (which had been conquered by Germany), Italy (which had also fought against the Central Powers), and others, also wanted compensation.
Britain and France wanted to ensure Germany did not have the power to start another war (France had gone to war with Germany a number of times since 1800, and Germany not always being the aggressor). They were therefore committed to limiting the size of Germany's military.
The British and the French (along with the Italians) were also determined to take control of much of the former Ottoman Empire – this would give them control of both the oil fields of the Middle East (which were just being developed) and the land and sea routes to Asia.
The one nation that could possibly prevent the British, French, and Italians from getting everything they wanted was the United States, which had not entered the war until 1917, and had not experienced anything like the losses of its allies.
American president Woodrow Wilson was an idealist whose nation had not been long at war and was spared the ravages of battle and occupation. American casualties were heavy for the short time in which U.S. troops were involved, but in comparison with the losses of its allies, were minor. Therefore, Wilson believed that he would be able to see through the problems of post-war Europe with a relatively unprejudiced eye and come up with a solution that might satisfy the Allies and yet not be too harsh on their enemies – he believed that he might make “the world safe for democracy” and that WWI might just be “The War to end all Wars”, if only the Europeans would follow his lead.
They had no intention of doing this, at least completely. Though they agreed with many of Wilson's stipulations about “self-determination of peoples”, which would allow former minorities within the Austro-Hungarian Empire to govern themselves (along with Poland, which had been ruled by Russia, Germany, and Austria), the Great Powers of France, Britain, and Italy were determined not only to make Germany pay (both economically and morally) for the war, but to also collect as much territory from the old Ottoman Empire for themselves as they could.
Additionally, Britain and France (along with most of the rest of the nations of the world) agreed on the foundation of a new world body, the League of Nations, which, in theory, would prevent war with the threat of collective punishment to any nation that began one. Ironically, the United States Senate never ratified the Treaty of Versailles, and the U.S. never became a member of the League – the conception of an American.
As far as Germany was concerned, strict penalties were applied, despite Wilson's pleas for leniency. Germany would have to agree that it was they who began WWI. The Germans would have to pay an exorbitant amount of reparations (money used to “repair” the damage wrought by the war), which they did not have. Germany would also be forced to give up the territory of Alsace-Lorraine (a small but rich territory on the French border that had been fought over for centuries), a chunk of East Prussia to Poland, allow France to occupy another part of Germany (the Saar) for 20 years as insurance that the Germans would pay the money owed, and keep the militarily important Rhineland free of all German troops.
But that wasn't all. Germany would not be allowed to keep an armed force larger than 100,000 men. Many historians place the exorbitant reparations placed on Germany as the primary cause of German resentment toward the Versailles Treaty, and this may be so, but many overlook the emotional importance that limiting the German armed forces had on the nation.
Though the states of Germany had a long history, it was not until 1871 that these states united to become a nation. This was done under the leadership of the largest and most powerful German state, Prussia, and Prussian society was based squarely on a military tradition. When Germany became a united nation, it immediately became the strongest nation in mainland Europe, with the strongest economy and the strongest and most effective military.
All German boys were subject to conscription, and many of them aspired to a military career, whether it be a non-commissioned officer (a sergeant, etc.), or as an officer. The greatest dream was to secure a position on the German General Staff. It is no exaggeration to say that many young German men looked to the military as a career.
The military provided security for both individual and the nation; and in Germany, a career military man (especially an officer) was considered much like a star athlete or musician today. This is not an exaggeration – the military was at the pinnacle of German society.
And in 1919, the hopes and dreams of hundreds of thousands of German men was taken away by the Allies. No air force, a small coastal navy, and an army just large enough to keep the peace inside the country, but not large enough to mount an offensive war.
To say that the terms of the Versailles Treaty caused resentment in Germany is to put it very mildly. Still, before you start feeling completely sorry for the Germans, you should know that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which German forced upon the Soviet Union in 1917, was more draconian than the Versailles Treaty by far.
All the Treaty of Versailles did was cause more resentment and hatred between nations than there had been and made the outbreak of a second world war in Europe all the more likely.
For the United States, which had come out of WWI as a global power, the Treaty of Versailles, the resentment it caused, and the power/territory grabbing of Great Britain, France, and Italy in the early 1920s completely soured most Americans on getting involved in European affairs ever again. By 1922 or even earlier, most Americans believed that U.S. involvement in WWI had been a ghastly mistake never to be repeated.
As you may know, it was in the 1920s that Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party began their slow rise to power, but before I tell you of the important developments in Germany and Europe that led to the outbreak of war there, let me tell you a little bit about Japan.
Japan
Japan entered World
War I on the side of the Allies. This was not done because the Japanese agreed with cause of the British and French (and later the Italians and Americans) nor because they had a problem with Germany. Japan entered WWI on the side of the Allies because it was to its advantage to do so.
Japan, like Germany, only became a united nation after a prolonged period of civil war in the mid to late 1800s. Aware that the neighboring empire of China had been weakened and divided by the European powers, the Japanese skillfully played the Europeans against each other. Japan's navy? Advised by Britain, but equipped with French and British (and some German) ships. The army? Trained by various Western powers including the United States. Its weapons? Sold to them by competing European and American governments and companies. Japan presented itself as a lucrative market for Western goods and skillfully maneuvered the Western powers against each other.
By 1896, Japan had engineered the most miraculous modernization program history has ever seen. From a backward feudal culture and economy in 1868 (when the Emperor Meiji took power from the warlords) to 1896, the Japanese military and economy had become the most modern in Asia and would soon rival the great powers of Europe.
The year 1896 marks the year in which Japan went to war with China over influence in Korea and in parts of coastal China. Though China had been weakened by the European nations in the 1800s, it was expected that it would soundly defeat a much smaller Japan in any war. Exactly the opposite happened – China was soundly defeated and was forced to relinquish control of much of Korea to Japan and allow the Japanese to establish self-governing Japanese trading posts in China.
Though many in Europe were surprised, or even shocked, that Japan had defeated China, the racism and Euro-centrism of the time attributed the victory of Japan over China to a battle of second rate Asian powers. Everyone knew that Japan would not be a threat to any European army or navy. The problem was, the Europeans could not convince the Japanese of this.
