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On this date, Hitler met with his top military advisers, and told them that in order for Germany to prosper, it needed to capture the land of its neighbors. He wanted to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich, and he would stop at nothing to obtain them.
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Austria was the first target Hitler had in his sights for expanding the German territory. On this date, German troops marching into Austria unopposed, and a day later, Germany announced that Austria and Germany's unification was complete.
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Sudetenland was Hitler's "last" territorial demand, and on this date, and Munich Agreement was signed that gave Germany the territory without a single shot being fired. Some of the men pictured below are French Premier Edouard Daladier and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, meeting with Adolf Hitler to sign the Munich Agreement.
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On the morning of march 15, 1939, German troops poured into Czechoslovakia and took over the country. At nightfall, Hitler stated "Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist".
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Stalin signed the Nonaggression Pact with Hitler, surprising everyone. This pact meant they were to never attack each other. They also signed a second pact which evenly split up Poland to Russia and Germany. With the two front war eliminated, Poland had no chance.
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On this day, The German "Luftwaffe", or German Air Force, roared over Poland, and rained bombs on Military bases, airfields, railroads, and cities. Meanwhile, Tanks were racing across the Polish Country-side. This strategy of invasion was called "The Blitzkrieg", meaning "Lightning War".
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After occupying Eastern Poland Stalin began annexing the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Stalin then sent the Soviet Army into Finland, conquering it after three months of fighting.
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Hitler launched surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway in order to "protect those countries." Hitler really wanted them so he could build bases along the coast to attack Great Britain
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Germans assemble invasion fleet along French coast. Along with naval attacks, Germany launched an air war which started the night bombings of Britain.
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With the help of the new technological device called radar, Britain saw the flight path of German bombers accurately and shot down about 185 German planes.
