On the 1st of September 1939, the world watched as the German army, under the orders of its chancellor Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland from its western border, prompting the United Kingdom and the French Republic to declare war on Germany. This event sparked one of the most violent and brutal events in History: The Second World War (WWII).

In 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of the German Republic. Hitler was known for his ideological extremism. He believed that the Jews and communists were responsible for Germany’s defeat in the First World War (WWI). Moreover, his hatred for the Allies, and especially France, grew considerably since the end of WWI. From a certain perspective, this declaration of war was a chance for Hitler to take revenge on the Western powers. However, Germany was far from ready to face the combined French and British armies. On one hand, the war against the poles was not the crushing victory that Germany expected. On the contrary, it was a rude awakening. And on the other hand, France was considered the world’s most powerful army at the time. It had a formidable defense system known as the “Maginot line” on the Franco-German border to prevent the mistakes of the First World War. With the support of the United Kingdom and an unprepared Germany, France was sure to win. Despite the weakened position Germany was in, the Allies decided to wait and not attack.

In Germany, the reaction of the population was a mix of fear, anxiety and confidence. From early September 1939 till April 1940, no direct conflict took place. This provided the Germans with enough time to prepare themselves for the coming war. On the 9th of April 1940, Germany invaded Norway and Denmark to amass iron ore. The allies responded by deploying troops in Norway. However, the Germans took control of the airfields and deployed their new air force, forcing the Allies to retreat from Norway. In the light of such an event, on the 10th of May 1940, Germany launched an invasion of Belgium and the Netherlands. The Allies responded by pushing their best forces there. However, this was exactly what the Germans planned. Before the attack started, the Germans exploited a weak spot in the Maginot line: the Ardennes forest in the north-east of France. This area was poorly defended because the French thought there was no possible way an armed force could cross the rough terrain. With the Allies’ best forces in Belgium, the Germans sent their elites forces through the Ardennes, encircling the Allies in northern France and Belgium, an event that defeated the French and British armies in two weeks. 

In conclusion, this major attack shocked the world due to the speed, precision and execution of the operation. By the end of the attack, the French were forced to sign the armistice in June 1940 that stipulated their withdrawal from the war, leaving Britain alone. This event was known as Blitzkrieg “Lightning war”.