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The First "Saturday Surprise"
The first of Adolf Hitler's "Saturday Surprises", this day marked Germany's official renewal of the airforce, of the draft, and of the nation's arms. Under the disguise of "defensive" tactics, these actions were not protested by any world leaders or powers. Hitler's actions also went uninterrupted for the most part due to the fact that no world leader or country wanted to interfene with his rule and begin another war, the previous one having left many world powers crippled. -
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Hitler's Actions are Excused
During this period of time, most all of Hitler's actions went unopposed by the allied powers, mostly because they are afraid that any opposition could start another war. This was called appeasement, and many of the allied forces appeased some of Hitler's first actions, but as Winston Churchill estutely predicted, they chose dishounor(in appeasing Hitler), and they would have war. -
The Second "Saturday Surprise"
On this day, Hitler escalated his respectful ignorance for what Germany was not allowed to do, breaking the agreement that Germany had in the Treaty of Versailles that they would not occupy Rhineland with German troops. Hitler ushered in soldiers and planes to the forbidden land, and remained unopposed. France did not react to this intrustion because they feared the coming of another war, and without British support, they did not like their chances against the Germans. -
Hitler Meets With Schluschnigg
On this day, Hitler called a meeting with Kurt von Schuschnigg, the Austrian Prime Minister of the time, and launched a barrage of insults at him. This first display of Hitler's passionate approach to the problem of merging Germany with Austria ended with Hitler giving von Schuschnigg three days to change his mind. Kurt initially disagreed with Hitler's idea and "reasoning"(lies), but it would soon prove to be a futile disagreement. -
Germany Takes Austria
Hitler's army entered Austria on the eleventh, effectively taking over Austria and claiming it as Germany's. Prior to this event, von Schluschnigg claimed that all of Hitler's reasoning for the merge of Germany and Austria were false, a claim which was correct. The Germans took Austria, and no one came to aid Austria, and mere weeks after said invasion, there was a 99.7% approval in Austrians of Hitler's incursion. -
War is Declared on Poland
After disguising concentration camp inmates as dead Polish soldiers who were claimed by Nazis to have been killed while trying to attack Gleiwitz, Hitler declares war on Poland. -
The Gleiwitz Incident
This date marks a horrendous act committed by the Nazis, in which they chose those who they had plan to kill with thousands of their brothers and sisters, and used their inevitable deaths instead for dishonest, dishonorable, political reasons. Once taken from Gleiwitz, the concentration camp inmates were put into Polish army uniforms and killed. This disguised killing allowed the Nazis to claim that these "Polish soldiers" had attacked Gleiwitz. -
The Bombing of Piotrkow
As a part of the German invasion of Poland, the Nazis bombed the town of Piotrkow. Piotrkow was a small Polish town which was an example of the devastation that Hitler would bring to Poland, as described by Germany's own Quartermaster General: Colonel Eduard Wagner. -
War Declared On Germany
As a result of Germany's declaration of war of Poland, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. Germany had been given much lee-way in prior to this, but its declaration of war on Poland showed that it was too dangerous to allow to grow any further, and the allied forces had to work together and take Germany down. -
Nazis Enter Piotrkow
As a part of the recollections of Pole Jacob Birnbaum, the foot-soldiers of the Nazi Weirmacht enter the small town of Piotrkow in Poland, dominating the city after two hours of fighting in the streets. On the same day, these soldiers searched for and murdered 20 Jews. -
The Nazis Ravage Piotrkow
After dominating the whole town of Piotrkow by street-fighting, the Nazis continued to ravage the town. They were burning whole streets with Jewish residences and shooting the survivors. The Nazis even went to loot the homes and stores of Jews for clothes and money and other goods, inviting Poles from the town to do the same, and then shooting into the air, signaling that they wanted the Polish "Theives" to disperse. -
Germany Defeats Poland
After having declared war on Poland as a result of the Gleiwitz Incident, Germany has defeated Poland only 18 days since their war had initiated. -
Warsaw Surrenders to Germany
Germany takes Warsaw, continuing on through their war against Poland which has brought upon them the wrath of France and Britain. Germany has started WWII and although they are devastating their first target, Poland, they have brought war to themselves and others as another result. -
Germany Grows and France Falls
By this point in history, the Nazi armies have conquered Denmark, Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxemburg, and France had fallen. As a result, Germany now controlled all of Western Europe, save Britain. -
Hiler Invades Russia
This day marks the Nazi attack on Russia, an attempt that Hitler made to "Destroy the Jewish-Bolshevik menace once and for all.". The groups that invaded Russia were the SS, an organization that was known for murdering, but when they reached Russia, these men escalated their number of murders and frequency of murders drastically. Hitler had told them to kill anyone who was an enemy-of-the-state, and they followed orders -
The Final Solution Begins
On July 31, 1941, Hermann Goerning gave the order to Reinhard Heydrich to find a specific plan for executing the "Solution to Jewish question" in all countries under the influence of Germany. This meant that Reinhard Heydrich was responsible with coming up with a plan to kill every single solitary Jew in all of Eastern Europe save Britain. -
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US, Japan, and Germany Intertwine
On December 8, 1941, the United States delcared war on Japan for their bombing Pearl Harbor, the American Naval Base in Hawaii. This affected Germany because at the time, Germany was an ally of Japan, which is why on Decmeber 9, 1941, the Japanese Ambassador to Germany asked for Hitelr's support in their effort against America, and although it was argued against, Hitler was not one to turn down a fight. Finally, Hitler declared war on the US, uniting America, Russia, and Britain in fighting him.
