BATTLE OF BULGE

Battle of Bulge

Battle of Bulge

Introduction

Following the end of the First World War in 1918, defeated Germany was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Versailles. This involved ceding much of its territory, limiting the size of the German army, and paying massive reparations to the victorious Allied powers. Taking advantage of German resentment, Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and began remilitarization. In the east, an aggressive Japan sought influence in Asia. In anticipation of an invasion of China, Japanese troops occupied Manchuria in 1933. On July 7th, 1937, Japan launched a full invasion of China, beginning with the Marco Polo Bridge incident. The Japanese swept through China, taking Shanghai in November and the capital, Nanjing, (Cole, 1965) by December.

Five Army Information Task

The Second World War is generally held to have begun on the 1st of September, 1939, with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. Britain and France, allies of Poland, declared war on Germany two days later. However, they lent little support to the Polish aside from a minor French incursion into the German Saarland. As Polish resistance crumbled, the Soviet Union launched its own invasion of Poland. For fear of inciting war with Russia, neither Britain nor France reacted to this second attack and by early October the last pockets of Polish resistance had been crushed. Poland was carved up between Germany and the Soviet Union in accordance with a secret agreement signed in August. The invasion of Poland split Europe into two main camps: the Allies, led by Britain and France; and the Axis, led by Germany and Italy.

Flush with their victory in Poland, the Soviet Union and Germany turned their attention to northern Europe. Soviet troops moved into the Baltic states, encountering little resistance except for in Finland. The Finns, outnumbered at a ratio of around 4 to 1, inflicted disproportionate casualties on the Russian invaders. Despite their original intent to conquer Finland, the Soviet Union had to settle for a small slice of Finnish territory. (Cole, 1965)

The Germans were more successful than the Soviets in their northern campaigns. Germany, reliant on Swedish iron, needed control of Norwegian ports to secure its supply. German troops swept through Denmark, and after a two-month campaign, Norway capitulated. The Allied failure in the north led to discontent within the British government, and on May 10th, 1940, Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister.

On the same day ...