The Early War

Germany was easily able to overrun the Polish. This gave them a chance to test their Blitzkrieg tactic where they would bomb an area then send in their tanks the Panzers to punch through any defenses and then send in their infantry to defeat any remaining resistance. France and Britain weren’t ready for a war so they were powerless to help. No proper military action took place for the rest of 1939 and the beginning of 1940 except a few naval battles between the British and Germans. Both sides began to look at the possibility of invading Scandinavia. Britain and France wanted to cut off the Germans from much need ore shipment from Sweden while Germany wanted to defend these shipments and to use Norway as a base for submarine attacks. The Germans struck first on the 2nd of April when they invaded Denmark and Norway. They easily over ran Denmark but the British sent an expeditionary force to Norway. The British and German naval forces clashed and although Germany was able to land the troops needed to defeat the Norwegians and British their fleet suffered such significant loses they couldn't launch another large naval operation for the rest of the war. 

In the east Stalin had launched his own war in an effort to take over Finland. The winter war was fought through the winter of 1939 and saw the Soviet forces humiliated by an enemy they drastically outnumbered. Lots of people across Europe volunteered to join the Finish army. Although they eventually were in a position to demand some territory they were lost so many men in doing so and their army’s reputation sank even further.

Norwegian Volunteer's in the Finish army.