THE 9 MOST IMPORTANT STAGES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR - HISTORY - 2025

The stages / phases of World War II can be divided into 9, from the invasion of Poland and other countries by the Germans in 1939, to the fall of the atomic bombs in 1945.

Although each historian thinks differently, these stages are representative and explain the most important events that defined the course of the war, as well as some consequences of its end.

Normandy landing, June 6, 1944

World War II is considered to have started with the German invasion of Poland on September 3, 1939. During the early stages, the conflict was confined mainly to Europe, but later spread to the rest of the world after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. which led the United States to enter the war.

The war mobilized the economic and industrial resources of all the belligerents and caused the deaths of some 50 million people, most of whom were civilians.

The war ended with the fall of Berlin by the Red Army in May 1945 and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August 1945.

The main phases of the Second World War

The fake war or blitzkrieg - September 1939 to May 1940

Churchill called it blitzkrieg. This was the phase of the war after the collapse of Poland and its surrender on September 27. With limited exceptions, there were no military operations in continental Europe.

The only military confrontations for many months were along the French border and at sea, especially in terms of the toll exacted by German ships, and the Soviet invasion of Finland in November 1939 that led to the Finnish surrender in March of 1940.

Although the Germans invaded Denmark and Norway on April 9, the sham war is considered over with the German invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France on May 10.

The Fall of France and the Battle of Britain - May 1940 to October 1940

During this phase, the Allied military situation rapidly deteriorated in continental Europe with the surrender of the Netherlands and Belgium before the end of May and the British evacuation of France at Dunkirk between May 27 and June 4.

The German army entered Paris on June 14 and France signed an armistice on June 22, while Italy declared war on the Allies on June 10. Between July 10, 1940 and mid-October 1940, the German army carried out a series of bombings in Great Britain during what became known as the Battle of Britain.

Hitler declared a blockade of Great Britain and in early September had made plans for the invasion of Great Britain, but these plans were suspended in mid-October.

However, the German air raids continued after October as the Allies had also started bombing raids in Germany including Berlin (first bombed in August 1940).

The war on various fronts and the attack on the Soviet Union - November 1940 to August 1941

The Germans invaded Yugoslavia and Greece, then occupied Crete after the largest parachute invasion in the entire war.

In May, the British ship Hood was sunk by the Bismarck, which was in turn sunk by the British navy.

On June 22 Hitler launched the invasion of the Soviet Union and in mid-August the German army was in Leningrad.

The war in the Soviet Union and the war in the Pacific - August to December 1941

In early October, the Germans had started their raid on Moscow, while the British Aircraft carrier was sunk off Gibraltar. In late November, the Russians launched a major counter offensive and the Germans began to retreat.

In November, in the Pacific, the Australian cruise ship Sydney was sunk by the Germans. On December 7, the Japanese launched their attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor: the United States and Great Britain declared war on Japan the next day and Germany declared war on the United States on December 11.

The Japanese March South and the Battles of the Coral Sea - December 1941 to June 1942

On December 8, the Japanese invaded Malaya, Thailand, and the Philippines, and on December 11, they invaded Burma. Shortly after, the Dutch East Indies were invaded.

On February 19, the Japanese had also launched their first bomb attack on Darwin and US forces under MacArthur left the Philippines on February 22.

In Burma first Rangoon and Mandalay were captured, the last in early May before the Battle of the Coral Sea. This battle, and more significantly the Battle of Midway in June, intensified Japanese participation in the war.

In Europe, German air raids against Great Britain intensified, but were accompanied by British and American bombardments against Germany.

German defeats in the Soviet Union and North Africa - July 1942 to February 1943

During the second half of 1942 the war continued with the German advance both in North Africa and in the Soviet Union until the Battle of Stalingrad.

In November, the Russians launched a counter offensive at Stalingrad, and in early February 1943 there was a German pushback.

Meanwhile, in October 1942 Montgomery launched his counterattack at El Alamein and on November 4 the Germans were defeated and other North African cities were retaken over the following weeks and months.

At the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, the Allies announced that the European war could only end with the unconditional surrender of the Germans.

The opening of a second front in Europe - February 1943 to June 1944

By mid-1943 the Germans had been driven out of North Africa and in July the Allies invaded Sicily.

After a long campaign the Allies entered Rome in June 1944. A month earlier, in May 1944 the Germans finally surrendered to the Russians in the Crimea.

The Normandy Landings and the End of Nazi Germany - June 1944 to May 1945

Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference in 1945.

The allies landed on the beaches of Normandy, opening a second front in the West. It took eleven months for Allied forces to advance from the west and Soviet troops from the east to force German surrender, the liberation of France and the Netherlands.

The Russians reached Berlin and Hitler committed suicide in late April, a week before the final surrender. During their advance, the Russians expelled the Germans from a number of Eastern European countries that subsequently formed part of the communist bloc for several decades.

The Fall of the Atomic Bombs and the Japanese Surrender - July to August 1945

The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6 and the second on Nagasaki on August 9. The Japanese surrendered on August 15 and the delivery documents were signed on September 2.

Passive phase and active phase of World War II

Other historians divide the war into two phases: the passive phase (1939-1940) or ideological warfare, and the active phase (late 1941 and 1945). In this case, the decisive moment that divides the stages is the German offensive against the Soviet Union and the Japanese offensive at Pearl Harbor.

These events motivated the United States and the Soviet Union to join the United Kingdom in the fight against the Axis.

Passive warfare or "strange warfare" is the period between September 1939 and May 10, 1940, when Anglo-French and German troops did not attack each other despite having declared war.

Germany used this period to improve the combat capabilities of its armed forces. The use of different methods of "psychological warfare" in Germany was one of the most used tactics at this stage.

Public opinion in many European countries was disoriented, which intensified the activities of pro-German forces within the Allied countries.

The large-scale use of demagoguery and propaganda with lies about Germany's peaceful intentions made ordinary citizens in the allied countries doubt their leaders.

Meanwhile the Nazi aggressors were preparing their military campaign in Western Europe. In the spring of 1941, the German offensive began, that is, the active phase of the war began.

Facts that marked the course of World War II

Another of the problems most discussed by historians is the crucial fact that changed the course of World War II and that could be considered as the end of the first phase and the beginning of the second.

Western historians consider D-Day crucial: the landing of the Allied troops in Normandy, while Russian historians consider the battle at Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk or Operation Citadel important.

Some historians highlight the Conference in Tehran between Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt held in 1943, since in this the Allies agreed on Operation Overlord.

Operation Overlord

The campaigns in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Battle of Midway in 1942 and 1943 halted the Japanese forces and marked the start of the Allied counterattack.

The Solomon Islands Campaign played a very important role, which were occupied by the Japanese in the first months of 1942. These islands had strategic importance, since they were the power supply lines of the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

In order to defend their supply lines, the Allies landed on various islands: Solomon Islands, New Georgia Islands, Bougainville, and Guadalcanal. These campaigns were carried out by land, air and sea. The loss of these islands demoralized the Japanese.

Also, the Battle of Midway is considered one of the most important moments, which changed the course of the war in the Pacific. The attempt by the Japanese to invade Midway Atoll was stopped by the Americans.

This point was strategic for the Japanese expansion plans and its defeat was a severe blow to the commanders of the Japanese army. By analyzing these events, it can be concluded that the events of 1942 and 1943 were decisive in changing the course of the war.

The war in Africa

It is also important to highlight the stages of the War in Africa, where the Allied forces and the Axis forces also fought.

North Africa

In this area, World War II began on June 10, 1940 and ended on May 13, 1943 with the victory of the allied forces. From September 1940 to October 1942, Axis forces, primarily Italians, fought successfully in North Africa.

As early as 1942, the British 8th Army, commanded by General Montgomery, managed to defeat the Axis forces and went on to an offensive tactic to drive the Axis out of Africa completely.

The battle in El Alamein stands out, where the allies managed to take the initiative. At the same time, in Casablanca (Morocco) and Algiers (Algeria) the United States troops under the command of General Eisenhower landed.

Italian-German troops were cornered in Tunisia and finally surrendered on the Bon Peninsula on May 13, 1943.

Sub-saharan africa

World War II began in August 1940 and ended in November 1942. On August 3, 1940, Italian troops launched their offensive in Ethiopia and Somalia.

In Somalia, the British managed to drive them out, but Ethiopia was occupied. In Sudan, the Italians managed to occupy the city of Kassala, Gallabat, Kurmuk, but were soon arrested.

In the French colonies the battles between the forces of the Vichy Government and Free France were intense. In September 1940 the Free French Army, along with British, Dutch and Australian units were defeated in Senegal.

In January 1941, British forces in East Africa fought back and drove the Italians out of Kenya and Sudan. By March, the British liberated the part of Somalia, which was occupied by the Italians, and invaded Ethiopia.

On April 6, 1941, the British, South African, and Ethiopian armies entered Addis Ababa. The Italians were completely defeated.

On May 5, 1942, Free French troops and British troops invaded Madagascar, which was the power base for Japanese submarines in the Indian Ocean. In November 1942 the island was completely liberated.

Other facts about World War II

The American continent was not the scene of battles in World War II, although German submarines and spies operated to destroy the merchant fleets of countries that sent resources to the Allies and also to steal information on operations.

Some historians, such as José Luis Comellas, study World War II as part of an era that begins in 1914 and ends in 1945.

The inevitability of World War II was predetermined by the nature of the Washington-Versailles system, which determined international relations and world order, the foundations of which were laid at the end of the First World War.

The Versailles Treaty and those of the Washington Conference took into account only the interests of the victors in the First World War, without taking into account the interests of the newly formed defeated countries (Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) and Germany.

The execution of a new world order in Europe was complicated by the Russian Revolution and chaos in Eastern Europe.

References

1. Comellas, José Luis The European Civil War (1914-1945). Madrid: Rialp, 2010.
2. Davis, Norman Europe at War 1939-1945: Who Really Won World War II ?. Barcelona: Planet, 2014.
3. Dear, Ian CB Foot, Michael; Daniell, Richard, eds. The Oxford Companion to World War II. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
4. Fusi, Juan Pablo The Hitler effect: a brief history of the Second World War. Barcelona: Espasa, 2015.
5. History of the Second World War 1939-1945 in 12 volumes. Moscow: Boenizdat, 1973-1976. (Russian language).