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- Invasion of Poland and Declaration of War. Six years prior to the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, the Nazis came to power in Germany and Hitler began retaking land that had once been part of Germany including parts of Czechoslovakia.
- Winston Churchill Becomes Prime Minister. While Chamberlain has been roundly criticized for the Munich Agreement, he also worked to prepare England for the war ahead.
- Battle of Dunkirk. After the Phone War ended, Hitler invaded France on May 10, 1940. Germany’s lightning-fast offensive strategy (known as the “blitzkrieg”) quickly drove back Allied forces until the British were driven back to Dunkirk, France by which time the UK forces planned to evacuate back to the British Isles.
- Battle of Britain. With Britain having retreated home, Germany began its plan to invade the United Kingdom, leading to the beginning of the Battle of Britain on July 10, 1940.
The Second World War started after Germany attacked Poland in 1939, and refused to withdraw its troops from the country after a final warning from Britain. The British Prime Minister,...
As an island nation, Britain just did not have the manpower to be able to fight across so many global fronts. The Indian army provided a huge 2.5 million soldiers across the world. They were fighting in Burma, in North Africa and in Italy.
- Other Leaders of WWII
- Military Figures
- Leading Nazi Figures
- Individual Soldiers
- Non-Combatants
- People Who Resisted Hitler and The Holocaust
- Spies of The Second World War
Harry Truman(1884 – 1972) American President from January 1945. Truman oversaw the end of the war in Europe. Truman also approved the atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan, at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the aftermath of the Second World War, he helped find the United Nations. Benito Mussolini(1883-1945) Fascist dictator of Italy. Mussolini was head of...
Dwight Eisenhower(1890 – 1969) A five star General in US Army, Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander for the D-Day invasion of occupied Europe. (1944-45) General Patton(1885 – 1945) US Commander during Second World War, Patton distinguished himself in Africa, Sicily and the liberation of France – especially during the Battle of the Bulge. Erwin R...
Joseph Goebbels(1897 – 1 May 1945) Nazi Minister of Propaganda. Goebbels radio broadcasts throughout the war were influential in shaping German public opinion. He called for ‘total war’ and was put in charge of closing down businesses not essential to the war effort. Goebbels also preached a virulent ‘anti-Semitism’ and encouraged the persecution o...
Vasily Zaytsev (1915 – 1991) Russian sniper who fought during the desperate Battle of Stalingrad. Zaytsev killed 225 enemy soldiers during the battle Douglas Bader (1910 – 1982) One of Britain’s top flying aces, who shot down at least 22 aircraft during the Battle of Britain and after. Even more remarkable since he lost both legs in an accident pre...
J. Robert Oppenheimer(1904–1967), American physicist who worked on the development of the Atomic bomb. Oppenheimer was in charge of the Manhattan project which led to the creation of the first atomic bomb, later dropped in Japan. He later campaigned against his own invention. Frank Capra(1897 – 1991) – Italian-American film producer. During World...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945 ) was a Lutheran Pastor who was an influential critic of Hitler and Nazism, executed in 1945. He publically spoke against the Nazi policy of euthanasia and the murder of Jews. He was executed in a Nazi concentration camp, shortly before the end of the war. Sophie and Hans Scholl (1921/ 1918 -1943) – The Scholls oppo...
Odette Sansom(1912—1995) – British spy for SOE. Parachuted into France and worked for the French underground. Caught by the Gestapo, she was tortured and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp. Awarded George Cross and Legion d’honneur. Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Famous People of the Second World War”, Oxford, www.biographyonline.net– 17th Febru...
There were three main powers on the Allied side, and very much pulling its weight throughout the war and contributing invaluably was Great Britain and its vast empire. To celebrate this, here are six ways the British helped to win the Second World War.
Jul 28, 2015 · World War I was supposed to be the “war to end all wars”, but left a legacy that ensured a future conflict. In 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded - 10 British Facts, British History, Featured.
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Bernar d Montgomery (1887–1976) British General during World War Two. Led Allied troops to the first major victory of the war (El Alamein) when it was desperately needed. He also led British divisions during Operation Overlord and the liberation of occupied Europe.