He was replaced by Winston Churchill, who (since 1932) had been warning people about the danger Hitler posed. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was forced to resign following the Norway debacle. British troops had tried to assist Norway, but were forced to retreat due to a lack of air support. The Danes, taken completely by surprise, surrendered in two hours the Norwegians held out until June, when they, too, capitulated. Their holds were filled with German troops. Then in April 1940, German freighters sailed secretly into Norway's major ports, as well as the port of Copenhagen, Denmark's capital. No fighting took place in late 19, leading people to call this a "phony war." France moved its troops to its famous Maginot Line, a supposedly invincible line of defensive fortification built to protect France's eastern border. But the two countries did little while Poland fell. Blitzkrieg stressed speed, force, and surprise Germany ripped through its adversary's defenses by closely coordinating air power and mechanized ground forces.īritain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, two days after the German invasion began. The key to Germany's success was a new military strategy known as blitzkrieg (lightning war). On September 17, Russia attacked Poland from the east. Digital History Printable Version War BeginsĪt daybreak on September 1, 1939, mechanized German forces broke across the Polish border, while German bombers and fighters attacked Polish railroads from the air.
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