WorldWar-2.com
January 1933 – September 1945
‘I am speaking to you from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street. This morning the British ambassador in Berlin handed the German government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o’clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.’Neville Chamberlain - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - 3rd September 1939
Before the first shots were fired, the foundations of global conflict were laid during the Road to War (1933–1939). Following the rise of the Nazi Party and the collapse of international diplomacy, the world was set on an inevitable path toward War.
On 1st September 1939, World War II officially began with Germany’s invasion of Poland. France and the United Kingdom honoured their commitments to Poland, declaring war two days later, followed by Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. The Second World War became the most destructive conflict in human history, fought across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, drawing more than 50 nations into the conflict and causing some 60 million deaths.
During the first three years, Germany and Italy scored sweeping victories in Poland, France, Norway, the Balkans, Russia, and North Africa, while Japan won early successes at Pearl Harbor, Singapore, and the Philippines. By mid to late 1942, however, the Axis had suffered decisive defeats at Midway, El Alamein, and Stalingrad.
These setbacks, described by Churchill after El Alamein as ‘the End of the Beginning’, forced the Axis onto the defensive. Germany and Japan faced further defeats at Kursk, Sicily, and in the Solomons. With Italy’s surrender in September 1943, Germany and Japan were left to fight alone against a strengthening Allied coalition. By late 1944, they were pushed back to their pre-war borders and defeated in Normandy, Hungary, Burma, and Okinawa. Hitler’s suicide on 30 April 1945 preceded Germany’s surrender on the 7th May, while Japan capitulated on the 14th August after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war.
The war’s aftermath reshaped the world order, exposing the atrocities committed by the Axis powers and shifting global influence from Britain and France to the United States and the Soviet Union. The unity that bound the Allies soon gave way to the mistrust of the Cold War.
The above introduction can give only a very brief overview of World War 2, but you can find out much more by exploring the pages within WorldWar-2.com, which will help you uncover the detail and the complexity of the politics leading up to the war as well as link together the individual timelines of battles and operational campaigns to provide you with the bigger picture. Enjoy your journey!
10th May 2026
The Famous Quotations section has been expanded with multiple new quotations covering the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, the Italian invasion of Egypt in September 1940, and the subsequent British and Commonwealth counteroffensive during Operation Compass. These additions further broaden the range of Italian, British, and Commonwealth perspectives represented throughout the section.
1st May 2026
The Medals and Badges section has undergone a further round of refinement, with updated and polished descriptions added to entries covering Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Nationalist China, Poland, Republican Spain, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
15th April 2026
The Famous Quotations section has been fully reworked, introducing a new two-column layout to improve readability and presentation across the page. A dynamic view has also been added, allowing each year to be expanded or collapsed, making it easier to navigate and reducing page length when browsing. A large number of additional quotations have also been added to the 1944 and 1945 sections, further expanding coverage of the final years of the war and capturing more of the voices and perspectives from this decisive period.
Medium Tank
The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 was Italy’s principal medium tank during the early years of the Second World War. Introduced in 1940, it represented a significant step forward from earlier Italian tank designs and became the backbone of Italian armoured units in North Africa. The M13/40 was armed with a 47 mm Cannone da 47/32 main gun supported by multiple 8 mm Breda machine guns. Armour protection reached up to 42 mm on the front of the hull, and the vehicle was powered by a 125 hp diesel engine. It was operated by a four-man crew consisting of commander/gunner, loader, driver, and radio operator. Although reasonably well armed for its time, the M13/40 suffered from several design weaknesses, including thin side armour, limited mechanical reliability, and cramped internal conditions. These shortcomings became increasingly apparent during the North African campaign, where British forces equipped with more powerful anti-tank guns and cruiser tanks often held the advantage. Nevertheless, the M13/40 formed the core of Italian armoured divisions during the early desert fighting and remained in service until gradually replaced by improved variants such as the M14/41.
Mussolini and Hitler hold their first meeting in Venice, Italy, with Il Duce receiving Hitler dressed in full military uniform whilst Hitler was in a belted beige trench coat, striped trousers, a white shirt and tie. Mussolini later referred to him as "a silly little monkey".
Stalin orders Nikolai Yezhov, head of the NKVD (the Soviet secret police), to begin a brutal purge of the Soviet Union’s top military leadership. Known internally as Yezhovshchina ‘the time of Yezhov’, this campaign, later called the Great Purge, started with the arrest of Marshal of the Soviet Union Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Deputy Commissar of Defence, decorated civil war hero, and brilliant military strategist, alongside seven other senior officers who were accused of treason and conspiring with Nazi Germany.
Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky and the other high-ranking officers—Iona Yakir (Komandarm 1st rank); Ieronim Uborevich, Vitaly Primakov, Boris Feldman, and August Kork (all Komandarm 2nd rank); and Robert Eideman and Innokenty Khalepsky (both Komkor)—are all convicted in a secret trial by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court. The trial relied on coerced confessions and fabricated evidence orchestrated by the NKVD.
Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky and his fellow officers are executed by firing squad. This marks the beginning of a wider purge of the Soviet Military aimed at eliminating anyone capable of opposing Stalin, real or imagined. Over the next year, many thousands of officers including three of five marshals, 13 of 15 army commanders, and hundreds of divisional officers were arrested, imprisoned, or executed and would gravely weaken the Red Army’s effectiveness.
The Tientsin Incident unfolds when Japanese authorities impose a blockade on the British concession in Tientsin, North China, sealing off road and river access and demanding the handover of four Chinese suspects sheltered inside. The blockade sharply escalates tensions with Britain and highlights Japan’s tightening control over the foreign concessions in North China.
British and French units commence evacuations from the Narvik area. Successive lifts carry troops back to the United Kingdom, with remaining equipment destroyed to deny it to the Germans.
Polish contingents complete their embarkation for Britain as the Allied footprint shrinks to rearguards covering the last departures from northern Norway.
With the imminent threat of capture by German forces, King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav, Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold and the Norwegian government leave Tromsø aboard the British cruiserHMS Devonshire and arrive safely in Britain later the same day, landing at Greenock, where they are formally received by British authorities. The evacuation preserves Norway’s legitimate political leadership and enables the continuation of a government-in-exile based in London, immediately recognised by the British government as the sole legal authority of the Kingdom of Norway. Operating under the Elverum Authorization, the government retains full constitutional authority to govern from abroad, coordinate resistance inside occupied Norway, and cooperate militarily with the Allied powers. British and French forces begin their withdrawal from Narvik, initiating the final Allied evacuation from northern Norway. With the evacuation already under way, Norwegian Commander-in-Chief Otto Ruge is informed later that day that the Allies have decided to abandon Norway.
The evacuation of British, French, and Polish forces from Narvik and Harstad is completed, with approximately 24,000 troops withdrawn by sea. With Allied forces now gone, Norwegian forces are left to continue the fight alone, without prospect of further external support. The British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her two destroyer escorts, HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta, are intercepted in the Norwegian Sea, roughly 315 km west of Narvik, by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, operating under Operation Juno. The British vessels are returning independently to Scapa Flow, sailing without air patrols and at reduced readiness. At around 16:00 hours, Scharnhorst’s lookouts sight the carrier at long range, and both German ships close in to engage. Ardent is the first to be hit and sinks after a gallant torpedo attack. Glorious is struck several times soon after—shells tear through her hangar deck, setting aircraft and aviation fuel ablaze. Acasta presses home a desperate counterattack, launching torpedoes that strike Scharnhorst and cause heavy damage, but she too is destroyed by gunfire. HMS Glorious sinks around 18:10 hours, followed by Acasta and Ardent. Of the combined complement of approximately 1,519 men aboard the three British ships, only 43 survive. The Germans suffer minor casualties, though Scharnhorst is seriously damaged by Acasta’s torpedo.
Norway formally capitulates. The last organized force, the 6th Division, surrenders near Tromsø. Although the country is placed under full German occupation, King Haakon VII and the government-in-exile vow to continue the struggle from Britain.
Thailand and Japan sign a non-aggression pact, easing tensions along their shared frontier and giving Japan diplomatic leverage in Southeast Asia as it consolidates its position following early victories in China.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Speech to the House of Commons following Dunkirk - 4th June 1940
‘We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations.’
Marshal of the Soviet Union, Defence Commissar (1940–1941)
Service: 1914 – 1960
Semyon Timoshenko was one of the Soviet Union’s most senior commanders in the early years of World War II. In September 1939, as Komandarm 1st Rank, he led the Ukrainian Front in the Soviet invasion of eastern Poland. He then commanded the 7th Army in the Winter War against Finland, where his forces suffered heavy losses but broke through the Mannerheim Line in early 1940, compelling Finland to sue for peace. For this, he was promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in May 1940 and replaced Kliment Voroshilov as People’s Commissar for Defence, directing efforts to expand and modernize the Red Army before Operation Barbarossa. When Germany invaded in June 1941, Timoshenko took command of critical sectors, organizing the defence of Ukraine, counterattacks around Smolensk, and later the Southwestern Front. He launched offensives near Kharkov, but the Second Battle of Kharkov in May 1942 ended in disaster, costing him operational command. From 1943 to 1945 he served as a Stavka representative on the Leningrad, Baltic, and Belorussian Fronts, helping coordinate major offensives including Operation Bagration. Though sidelined from front-line leadership, he remained an important figure in Soviet wartime command until the end of the conflict.
