455
edits
World War II: Difference between revisions
→History
Lt. Cronin (talk | contribs) |
Lt. Cronin (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
World War II was the second | World War II was the second military conflict in human history to be given the "World War" title, though it, and it's precurser, World War I, were by no means the first global war in Earth's history at that time . It was fought between the Axis powers and the Allies. | ||
The war started in 1939 (this date is somewhat disputed - the Japanese had been fighting the Chinese sporadically since 1931, and an all-out war began in 1937) when Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, invaded Poland. Britain and France had allying pacts with Poland, and so both nations declared war on Nazi Germany. However, in 1940, during a disastrous retreat of the French 9th army from the Ardennes forest region, Army Group A broke into France, and the resulting ''blitzkrieg'' offensive quickly overtook the rest of the defenders. The Allies immediately headed Northward to surround Allied forces. The BEF (British expeditionary force) as well as the French army, retreated to a small pocket around Calais and Dunkirk. The slowly shrinking pocket was evacuated by a Royal Navy force of 'Little ships', and around 338,000 men were evacuated. | The war started in 1939 (this date is somewhat disputed - the Japanese had been fighting the Chinese sporadically since 1931, and an all-out war began in 1937) when Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, invaded Poland. Britain and France had allying pacts with Poland, and so both nations declared war on Nazi Germany. However, in 1940, during a disastrous retreat of the French 9th army from the Ardennes forest region, Army Group A broke into France, and the resulting ''blitzkrieg'' offensive quickly overtook the rest of the defenders. The Allies immediately headed Northward to surround Allied forces. The BEF (British expeditionary force) as well as the French army, retreated to a small pocket around Calais and Dunkirk. The slowly shrinking pocket was evacuated by a Royal Navy force of 'Little ships', and around 338,000 men were evacuated. | ||