Second World War Events

• The Second World War started because the Germans wanted to conquer Europe, Italy wanted control of the Mediterranean, and Japan wanted control of Asia.
• Several factors influenced the start of the Second World War, including the fact that peace was not always perfect, the Great Depression, and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in which Russia and Germany divided Europe into spheres of influence.
• By September 1939, without any declared war, Germany had invaded Poland.
• The German army quickly occupied most of Poland within three weeks.
• Soviet troops entered Poland from the east and occupied Warsaw by the end of October.
• By the end of 1940, the war in Europe was won by the Soviet Union, which had occupied 10% of Finland.
• In the same year, Germany launched military operations to invade Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, in order to gain access to their naval and air bases.
• Norway received help from the British, and German airpower won victories over France.
• King Haakon VII of Norway fled to Britain.
• By the end of 1940, the demands made by Hitler in his second dictat had been rejected by Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria, and negotiations had failed.
• As a result, by August 1940, Romania had ceded northern Transylvania to Hungary, and in September 1940, Bulgaria had ceded southern Dobrogea (the Cadrilater) to Germany.
• Throughout the entire period, Romanian troops were fighting on the German side.

Test your knowledge of key events and developments that led to the start and progression of the Second World War, including the invasions of Poland, Norway, and Denmark, as well as the actions of various nations involved in the conflict.