WW2- The Age of Tanks (Part 7)

 

The Age of Tanks

The tanks were first used by the British during the First World War(WW1). The tanks were mainly used for the purpose of crossing the battlefield under machine gun fire, to break the deadlock of trench warfare. By the end of World War 1, the French designed a tank, that would become the standard format of tanks as we know them today.

The First Modern Tank

-Renault FT-

The tank that the French designed was the Renault FT. The thing which made this tank different from others was its turret. It had a rotating gun turret mounted on top of an armored chassis, and was powered by a engine that was situated in the rear while the driver was positioned in the front of the tank. The tank's engine was able to produce around 18-35 hp(horsepower), and had a max speed of 8 km/h.

This pattern set the standard that saw tanks evolve into efficient fighting machines during the inter-war years.

-The German Panzers-

A German Panzer IV

The Germans developed a series of Panzer tank prototypes over the 1930s. They were considered to be better designed than most of the tanks of the Allies, in terms of reliability, manoeuvrability and weaponry, but it was the Blitzkrieg tactics that made them so much more effective in the fields of battle, as it enabled the Germans to avoid 1v1 tank confrontations. 

The Germans were also the first to fully equip their tanks with radio communications, which made a significant difference in the strategy. The Panzer III and the Panzer IV were the tanks used by the German army in the early years of WW2. These were relatively small tanks and were inferior to those used by the US and Russia. 

Thus in the later years of war, the Germans introduced a new medium tank in the form of the Panther, and a new heavy tank in the form of Tiger. The Panther was very effective as it offered great mobility and good firepower. It was set as the benchmark for all post-war tanks.

A German Panther

Tiger-1 tank 

-The Russian Tanks-

 A Russian KV-1

The Russians prompted the Germans to improve their tanks, because they had this tank called the T-34, which was far more superior than the panzers in the eastern front. 

It was fast, reliable, mobile and packed a very good firepower. The T-34-76 model 1943 had a 76.2mm f-34 tank gun on it, whereas the later models i.e. the T-34-85 which were built extensively in 1944 had a much bigger and powerful 85mm ZIS-S-53 tank gun which was capable of easily knocking out a Panzer IV.

Russian T-34-76 (1943)

Russian T-34-85 (1944)

-British tanks-

Britain had various Cruisers and Infantry tanks. They also had the American made Sherman tanks. Sherman tanks were very cheap to mass produce, which the Americans did best. Thus there were plenty available even though they lacked in firepower and quality. Two or Three Sherman would always win against a Panzer, even though inferior in design. In the end this was a critical factor against the Germans, as they lacked the resources to manufacture enough of their tanks, partly because their quality standards were too high.

An American made M4 Sherman

British Cruiser tank Mk V or A13 Mk III Covenanter
 

-Japanese tanks-

The Japanese had well designed tanks too, but they were not used due to geography. In-fact the Japanese kept most of their tanks in reserve, in case they had to defend their homeland, so they were never used.

The Chi models of tanks were the most advanced of the Japanese designs.

Japanese manufactured Type-4 Chi-To 

Type-3 Chi-Nu medium tank

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PEACE

WW2- New Race to the Sea (Part 6)

 

New Race To The Sea

During the opening of World War 1, the Allies had been successful in preventing the Germans from reaching the coast of France and Belgium. When it came to World War 2, the Allies were not so fortunate. When they realized that the German forces could not be stopped it put a whole new complexion on the situation at hand. The British decided that the best plan of action was to use the sea to their advantage and organize a mass evacuation, thereby leaving the Germans on the coast.

Dunkirk

The point of evacuation was to be a small French town named Dunkerque(Dunkirk) and the operation named 'Dynamo' began on 27th May 1940, just seventeen days after the Blitzkrieg had begun. On the 28th May, the French army began defending the area around Lille to stall the Germans and gave the British a chance to get away. They held up for 4 days before the Germans punched their way through, but it had done the trick. By the 4th June, 1940 the evacuation was complete, so that most of the British force had escaped, along with many French soldiers.

Over nine-hundred (900) vessels had been used to evacuate 1,98,000 British and 1,40,000 French troops back to the British shores. The majority of the rescue fleet had been non-military boats responding to the crisis and risking shellfire to fit in as many soldiers as they could. Some craft made several trips over and over for the 9 days of evacuation, which saved a third of a million combatants from death or incarceration. More importantly, it meant that the Allies still had an intact fighting force, albeit stationed on the wrong side of the English Channel.

So, the Germans had won the Battle of France in some style, but that was just one battle with many more to come. A little of 4 years later, many of those who were evacuated would return too French shores as part of the Normandy Landings and begin the process of pushing the Germans all the way back to Germany.

The evacuation of Dunkirk has taken its place in British folklore, because it was a classic example of people making the best out of a bad situation. The participation of so many civilians also demonstrated cohesion(coming together and strengthen) of spirit against the enemy and gave the British something to be positive about at a time when their future not certain.

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WW2- The Blitzkrieg (Part-5)

 The Blitzkrieg

(Lightning-War)

Following Germany's invasion of Poland, resulting in the British declaration of war, there was a fallow period of inaction, now known as the Phony war, lasting just over eight months. During this time, Hitler was sizing up the enemy and allowing their forces to become complacent with boredom.

 He made gestures suggesting that he was hoping they may acquiesce and allow him to keep Poland, but it transpired that he was amassing a large military force ready to invade France and the Lowlands. When the offensive was implemented it caught the Allied forces by surprise. The Germans struck so hard and fast that there was little the opposing forces could do except retreat and attempt to slow down the Nazi advance.

The Germans had introduced a new mode of warfare called Blitzkrieg(Lightning-War). It was designed to be swift and overwhelming, rather like a tsunami, so that resistance was futile. A German officer, named Heinz Guderian had developed the concept in the early 1930s by optimizing tank designs along with that of armoured cars and artillery, so that they were highly effective at moving rapidly over rough terrain.

There were a vast number of different vehicles and armoured cars used in Blitzkrieg. The tanks like the Pz1 Ausf A-B, Pz2 Ausf A-B-C-D, Pz3 Ausf E-F-G, Pz4 Ausf A-B-C-D, and etc. were extensively used by the German forces in this campaign.

Panzer 1 Ausf A-B

Panzer 2 Ausf A-B-C-D

Panzer 3 Ausf E-F-G

Panzer 4 Ausf A-B-C-D

Panzer 35(T) Light

These tanks were also fully equipped with radios. This was done, so that communication was state-of-the-art and efficient. This was a very crucial step. As the tanks forged their way forwards, blasting any key opposition units out of action, they were followed by crack division of storm troopers, who dealt with the enemy troops while they were still in a state of trauma. To the rear, the artillery would be instructed to take out any enemy positions inaccessible to the tanks.

The spearhead of the Blitzkrieg emerged from the Ardennes forest on the 110th May, 1940 and proved unstoppable as it widened and continued westwards. Another advantage of its rapid progress was that the Allies were unstable to relocate and deploy forces from elsewhere to impede the Blitzkrieg. Added to that, the equipment that the Allies had was inferior and they had a different strategic mind-set, so they were outgunned and outmaneuvered. To avoid being killed or taken captive, the Allies had no choice but to make a rapid tactical retreat and figure out what to do next.

The Role of the Luftwaffe

An important factor in the success of the Blitzkrieg was air support. The German air force, the Luftwaffe, was very effective in dive-bombing Allied columns and strategically bombing installations farther away. This had the effect of weakening supply lines and softening targets to enable the offensive to continue unabated. All in all, the Germans had devised a war machine, which the Allies were unable to counter at that stage of the war, thereby allowing the Germans territorial purchase  on mainland Europe

  

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WW2- The Political Map (Part 4)

The Political Map

Before World War 2 Germany annexed Austria, making it part of Germany territory, this together with Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, and Hungary, formed the Axis powers. The Italian leader, Benito Mussolini, was an ardent admirer of Hitler. In 1941 Japan also joined the Axis Powers.

Flags of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, 1937

To begin with, the European Allies comprised the United Kingdom, France and Poland, but many other nations were drawn in on the Allies side as the war progressed, including Russia, China, USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

As the war moved into 1940 and then into 1941, the political map evolved as the Axis powers invaded new territories. Some conquered nations resisted occupation (FRANCE), while others dealt with lot by co-operating, for the sake of survival. A number of European colonies in Asia and Southeast-Asia had become more autonomous under Japanese occupation and resisted having to return to colonial control when they were liberated.

THE FRENCH RESISTANCE

Although Russia was on the side of the Allies, it had its own agenda too. While most of the Allies were mainly interested in defeating the Axis and restoring the political map, the Russians saw an opportunity to seize Eastern European territories and enlarge their territory into other Slavic nations. The motive behind this was communism. Stalin and his comrades had the vision of a modern world dominated by their particular brand of dictatorial communism, so they wanted the political map to include as much as red as possible to enable the spread of communist ideas and influence.

A few nations were independent in their intentions such as Finland. In effect, it fought its own war, as it battled both the Russians and the Germans. Geographically, Finland was strategically advantageous to invade, providing generous access to the Baltic Sea, but the Finns had no desire to be occupied by either one of the opposed forces.

The Winter War, 1914-1945

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WW2- The Build-Up To War (Part 3)

 

The Build-Up To War

In the years preceding World War 2(WWII), it was evident that Germany had military ambitions, simply because of the rhetoric (a technique that is used to convey a point to the audience) used by Adolf Hitler. There was also a considerable increase in the manufacture of arms and machines of war, as well as the active recruitment of young men into the Nazi Party and German Forces.

However, politicians in other European countries had the naive (innocent) idea that avoiding conflicts was a matter diplomacy. They invested a great deal of time and efforts into visiting Hitler, thinking that he would be swayed by their good will. In fact, they were making a mistake of judging him by their own standards, for the truth was that Hitler had every intention of putting his plans of conquest into action regardless of these gestures.

He was merely pulling the wool over their eyes as he prepared for an all-out warfare. When the time was right, Hitler simply got on with what he had always intended, confident that nothing and no one could stop him.

A German Tank Factory

A German Weapons Factory

A similar situation had arisen in Japan. There too, military resources were being amassed to set the wheels of territorial ambition in motion. With the Japanese Emperor on the throne, the regime itself didn't need a particular personality to take the lead, but the intent was clear. As the Japanese already had a foothold in Manchuria, they had a pre-prepared platform from which to launch their campaign.

 Japanese Aircraft factory

THE WAR BEGINS

Germany's first move was to annex an area of territory in 1938, known as Sudetenland, which was home to German speaking populations in Czechoslovakia. Then in 1939, the German prepared to invade Poland for the purpose of expanding the German living space. The British warned Germany that war would be declared if the Germans set foot in Poland, so Hitler as expected instructed his army to encroach Polish territory on September 1st.

German Troops Removing The Border Barrier, 1939

German forces invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939. Thus as per their warning, Britain declared war on Germany, two days later on September 3rd.

As the Germans moved into Poland from the west, the Russians invaded Poland from the East as a counter measure, fearful of Hitler's underlying ambitions.

A newspaper seller carries a hoarding showing the declaration of war by Britain

  A newspaper headline pronouncing the declaration of war by Britain, 1939

The Japanese began the second phase of their invasion of China in 1937 by capturing Beijing. They then progressively took further swathes of territory. This was known as the Second Sino-Japanese War, and Japan didn't enter the Second World War(WWII) until 1940 when it joined the Axis, having invaded he colony of French Indo-China, which is now known as Vietnam.

The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)

This was the starting of the most bloodiest war in mankind's history, The Second World War. The war which changed the way of traditional warfare and replaced it with modern and conventional warfare. The Second World War saw the use of war machines like tanks, artillery, aircrafts, warships etc. This was just the starting.

Thank you all for once again reading this article. I will be publishing more blogs relating to WW2. Also make sure to check out the previous articles, Part-1 and Part-2.

WW2- The Axis (Part 2)

The Axis 

The term 'Axis' was used by the Allies to describe the enemy nations in World War 2 (WWII). It was because Germany, Austria and Italy formed a central line of axis running north to south, dividing Europe in two. The term remained in use when Japan allied with Germany as a matter of convenience.

Axis powers and their leaders (WWII)

What Germany and Japan had in common was their delusion of superiority towards other races which was an expression of 'insecurity' and 'inferiority'.

In the case of Germany, the prime targets were the Jews and all the other people who were not 'Aryan'. They also had disdain for any societies, culture and politics that clashed with Nazi ideals and nations that were not 'Teutonic'  (i.e. denoting the German branch of Indo-European language family). In addition, they had quasi-Darwinian notions about racial purity and perfection, which prompted them to purge their own population of individuals with physical and mental disabilities.

Th Japanese cultivated particular hatred for Chinese, because they were the traditional enemy across the sea. Their culture included unquestioning reverence for their Emperor, whom they allowed to believe that they were a divine race. In turn, this gave the Japanese a quasi-Darwinian understanding of strength, which meant that most were prepared to fight to the death as a matter of honour. This furbished them with a marked disdain for enemy forces that were prepared to surrender, rather than fight to the end.

- Main reason for the alliance of Germany and Japan -

The famous Tripartite Act, 27th Sep. 1940

As both Germany and japan had a very clear delusions of racial supremacy, they would have loathed one another had they not had political reason to become allies. It was in both of their interests to ally because their geographical separation meant that the enemy forces would have to fight two wars efficiently, which would have been very difficult. This was a very attractive option as both were very well aware that the Central Powers of World War 1 (WWI) had ultimately lost the war due to attrition(weakening) of finite resources against an enemy able to source further resources. The fundamental strategy for both(Germany and Japan) was to capture new resources and utilize them along the way, thereby preventing attrition from becoming a major factor and allowing both nations to permanently secure new territories. 

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WW2- Introduction (Part 1)

 

INTRODUCTION

By the time World War 1 had reached its bloody conclusion, many felt that the world had changed for good. A generation of men had perished. Many countries stood impoverished and bitter new enmities had emerged. In Eastern Europe a new and unknown political system had sprouted in the form of communism, the alien nature of which caused fear around the rest of the world. In Central Europe, new countries had been formed from broken off pieces of old Empires. 

The new states of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia bought new opportunities and also fresh tensions. In the USA the period after World War1 (WW1) was a time of substantial growth and development as it became the largest economy in the world.

The Treaty of Versailles

 

The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed between the 'Victorious Allies' and 'Germany'. At the Paris France Conference of 1919, 32 different nations met to discuss how peace could be maintained in future and this kind of bloody conflict avoided for all time. Of all decisions taken in Paris, one later called the 'War Guilt Clause', required Germany to 'accept the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage' of the war.

It forced Germany to disarm, make territorial concessions and pay massive reparations to the countries of the Entente. The War Guilt Clause was intended to maintain peace for all, but instead sowed the seeds for further, even more extensive war just 25 years later. 

RISE OF HITLER

After the bloody and devastating war, Germany was in a state of shock. The ordinary German people began to seek a saviour and a decade after World War1 (WW1) they found one in the shape of Adolf Hitler.

HITLER

After a rapid rise to fame and a surge in popular support, Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and from that movement onwards the country was preparing for war on a huge scale. Germany Industry went into overdrive building weapons and technology and a new army was recruited and trained.

 Hitler's aim was to make Germany the ruler of Europe. His fanatical nationalism led him to believe he had a right to invade other countries, occupy their space and control the race and nature of their populations to match his own beliefs. He wanted the 'Superior Aryan Race to rule the world'. He thought of the other races as 'outcast' and wanted to remove them from the Earth once and for all. 

But he could not have done it alone. The seeds of hatred he spread around him found fertile ground in a nation that was beaten, bitter and humiliated. Ironically, the evil beliefs of the Nazi party came from decisions intended to maintain peace forever. 

Flag of Nazi Party

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