WWII Military History of the United Kingdom
and her Commonwealth Allies
1939
The United Kingdom, her Commonwealth Allies and France declare war on Hitler's Germany on the 3rd of September 1939, in response to the German Invasion of Poland which took place on the 1st September. Germany maintains her pact with Stalin's Soviet Union, and both powers divide Poland between each other while Stalin goes on to attack Finland.1940
In April the 'Phoney War,' a period of stand-offs between the European armies ends. Germany invades Denmark and Norway. Denmark capitulates straight away, but Norway fights on with some help from the UK. In May Germany invades France, Belgium and Holland, sweeping past the defensive lines built by the French (the Maginot Line) and sweeping those Allied forces not cut off into the English Channel. They reach Paris within two weeks and the Allies rename their tactics 'Blitzkrieg.' About 226,000 British and 110,000 French troops escape to the UK where Charles de Gaulle sets up the French government in exile as opposed to the puppet Vichy regime set up in France by Hitler. In June, Norway, now left as the last opposing independent country in mainland Europe surrenders to Germany. Hitler now turns his attention to the UK. He tasks Hermann Göring with the job of destroying the UK's air support. The UK's Royal Air Force is almost decimated by constant attacks from the German Luftwaffe, but, crucially, without realising that the RAF is only days from collapse, Göring changes his tactics and begins attacking populated areas, leaving the RAF sufficient time to recover and regroup. Göring's failure to destroy the RAF indefinitely postpones Hitler's plans to invade the UK.1941
Now that most of Europe is firmly under Hitler's control, the war extends to North Africa. Mussolini's Italian troops are defeated in Greece and Tobruk, so the Germans send troops into North Africa in February and Greece, and Yugoslavia in April. These forces succeed in pushing the British troops out of Greece and fighting continues in North Africa. The war widens yet further when Hitler breaks his pact with Stalin and invades Russia in Operation Barbarossa on the 22nd of June. Soon his armies are embroiled in fighting in the bitter Russian winter. After the attack on Pearl Harbour, on the 7th December 1941,in the Pacific and subsequent attacks on British colonies in that region, the UK join the USA and declare war on Japan in December 1941.1942
American troops start to be stationed in large numbers in the UK. The bombing campaigns raging over Europe continue. The second half of the war finally sees a turning point for the Allies when the US wins the Battle of Midway against the Japanese and the British forces, under Montgomery, begin to gain the upper hand over Rommel's Afrika Korps in North Africa.1943
Stalingrad is recaptured by the Russians in February and they retake Kiev and Kharkov before the end of the year. In the Atlantic, the Allies are finally winning the battle against the German U-boats due to the increasing range of aircraft and the efforts of the codebreakers stationed at Bletchley Park. In May the German and Italian forces in North Africa surrender to the Allies who go on to invade Sicily in July. Soon Mussolini falls and Italy capitulates, forcing the Germans to send troops into Italy to oppose the advancing Allied forces. In the Pacific, British and Indian troops begin fighting through Burma and the Americans begin fighting for the Pacific islands.1944
The year begins with Allied forces making slow progress across Burma, New Guinea and Guam. They also work their way up Italy, despite a delaying counterattack by Germany at Monte Cassino in February. The Allies finally liberate Rome the day before the largest amphibious landing in history takes place in Normandy. On June the 6th an invasion fleet of some 6,500 vessels transport over 130,000 troops from the UK to the coast of France. By this stage in the war, air superiority has been won by the Allies and the Luftwaffe cannot adequately protect the German vehicles and troops on the ground. Despite this, the advances are slowed down by densely hedged countryside and fierce fighting from the German units. In August the Allies liberate Paris. By December they are on the border of Germany, when the Germans launch a desperate counter offensive. This is finally ground down after the Germans suffer fuel and supply problems, but not before they kill 19,000 Americans and delay the advance across Europe. Russia is also advancing from the East and by the end of the year they are besieging Budapest.1945
The Allied armies capture the bridge at Remagen in March, ensuring a route across the Rhine. Meanwhile, in desperation, the Germans launch V2 rocket attacks against London. The RAF reduce Dresden to rubble after a firestorm raid with apparently little military value. By this stage the Allies are racing to reach each others forces in the centre of Germany. The Russians reach Berlin on the 21st of April. Hitler commits suicide on the 30th and Germany surrenders on the 7th May. While the war in Europe is finally over, the Japanese fight on. Fearing huge casualties at having to fight for Japan, America drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on the 6th August. A lack of Japanese response to this attack convinces the Americans to drop a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki three days later. After these devastating attacks, Japan finally surrenders on the 14th August.
photos by Stuart Gould
© 2007 by bee • mailto: webmaster(at)ww2reenactment.info