In the first few months following the German declaration of war on the Soviet Union, numerous cities fell to the Wehrmacht as it advanced though Soviet Satellite states and into Russia. Minsk, the capitol of the Belarusian SSR, was captured in early July and hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops were killed or captured. ThreeContinue reading “July 3rd in German History: German Forces in Minsk Surrender”
Tag Archives: World War Two
June 2nd in German History: The Massacre of Kondomari
Nazi Germany committed many atrocities during the Second World War. One of the lesser-known ones is the Massacre of Kondomari, in which German troops killed civilians from the Greek village of Kondomari, located on the island of Crete. In 1941, Germany invaded and occupied the island of Crete, as I discussed here Link. Following theContinue reading “June 2nd in German History: The Massacre of Kondomari”
June 1st in German History: The First Flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Much is often made of German wonder weapons. They are the subject of pop documentaries on the History Channel and of countless books and papers. For the most part, though, the potential and impact of these weapons are greatly exaggerated. German weapons during the Second World War were generally not decisively superior over their alliedContinue reading “June 1st in German History: The First Flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190”
May 20th in German History: The German Invasion of Crete
In 1941, the German Reich was still ascendant in Europe. While it had failed to gain air supremacy over Britain, it had followed up its successful invasion of France with the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece. In Africa, Germany was winning as well, and the Battle of the Atlantic threatened to end in defeat forContinue reading “May 20th in German History: The German Invasion of Crete”
May 13th in Germany History: Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat
On May 13th, Winston Churchill, newly made Prime Minister of Great Britain, gave his famous “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” speech. In it, he declared that Britain would fight until victory was achieved. This speech was delivered during the Battle of France, and within six weeks France would fall to Germany. Following the fall ofContinue reading “May 13th in Germany History: Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat”
May 8th in German History: Victory, or Defeat, in Europe Day
May 8th was the day celebrated in Great Britain and the United States as Victory in Europe Day. Although the Germans had signed the surrender a day earlier, an event which I discussed here, the final version was agreed on on May 8th and all fighting against the Western Allies stopped. May 8th was aContinue reading “May 8th in German History: Victory, or Defeat, in Europe Day”
May 2nd In German History: The German Surrender of Italy and Berlin
Far from being the soft underbelly in Europe, Italy had proven a difficult theater ever since the Allied invasion had begun in 1943. German troops had held most famously at the Gustav Line during the Battle of Monte Cassino. The slow progress in Italy along with Soviet impatience had forced the Allies to invade NormandyContinue reading “May 2nd In German History: The German Surrender of Italy and Berlin”
April 25th in German History: Elbe Day, American and Soviet Forces meet
The Second World War was the single deadliest conflict in human history. Germany, or at least its leader, began the war believing that it could carve out a new Empire in Europe and secure Germany’s position as the greatest nation on the planet. That belief was kept alive even as German armies stalled in RussiaContinue reading “April 25th in German History: Elbe Day, American and Soviet Forces meet”
April 13th In German History: The Fall of Vienna
When one thinks about final battles of the Second World War, one generally thinks of the Battle of Berlin. That battle saw the death of Adolf Hitler and the end of the German Army being anything approaching an effective fighting force. The fall of the Nazi capitol was one of the most horrific battles ofContinue reading “April 13th In German History: The Fall of Vienna”
April 9th in German History: The German Invasion of Norway and Denmark
Two events relating to Nazi Germany occurred on April 9th. The first, the start of the invasion of Norway and Denmark, was another in the string of Axis victories that characterized the first years of the Second World War. The second, the hanging of anti-Nazi pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was a final act of desperation inContinue reading “April 9th in German History: The German Invasion of Norway and Denmark”
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