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The Great World War, sometimes called the Second World War or Great War Two, was the world's largest and deadliest military conflict in all of history. It was the ultimate conflict of capitalism and fascism versus communism and socialism. Tens of millions of people fought for their respective nations, and tens of millions died. The war began on September 17, 1948 with the invasion of Poland by the Soviet Union and lasted for over ten years, until the nuclear bombing of Stalingrad and the subsequent unconditional Soviet surrender.
Prelude[]
The First World War radically altered the political map, with the defeat of the Central Powers, including Austria-Hungary, Germany and the Ottoman Empire; and the 1917 Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia. Meanwhile, existing victorious Allies such as France, Belgium, Italy, Greece and Romania gained territories, while new states were created out of the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the Russian and Ottoman Empires.
Josef Stalin and Alfred Hugenberg had been planning to expand into eastern Europe for years prior. Between Germany and Russia, it was not a matter of if war broke out, but when. The world prepared for the worst when Hugenberg demanded control of the Sudetenland in the early 1940's, and it was reluctantly given away. Meanwhile, Stalin planned an attack on Europe. September 17, 1948 rolled along, a day that will live forever in infamy.
Outbreak of War[]
Soviet Invasion[]
On that day, September 17, the Soviet Union pushed into Poland, causing French, German, and British declarations of war. Poland tried to resist, but the Communist behemoth was too much. The government soon fell. Almost concurrently, Josip Broz Tito declared war on Italy, bringing Yugoslavia into the war. In America, the non-interventionist Congress blocked any attempt by President Truman to declare war. This policy would continue until the fall of Germany.
Communist Advances[]
The early half of the war was a series of progressive Communist victories. Stalin ordered military supplies created en masse, as a war machine was created. Attacks on East Prussia in June of 1949, such as the infamous Siege of Königsburg resulted in the German government announcing the evacuation of millions of East Prussian Germans. Several hundreds of thousands had already been captured by Soviet forces. However, the Germans were ambushed at Mohrungen. Men, women, and children were hauled off to giant Soviet camps, the full horrors of which are still not fully known. Meanwhile, Czechoslovakia launched an invasion to reclaimed the Sudetenland with Soviet support, but their advances were repelled by the Germans at Schönlinde. To be continued
German Revolution[]
Between France, Britain, and Germany, Germany was hit the hardest. The Germans suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Danzig, but the nation continued to fight. In early 1950, President Dewey convinced Congress to initiate the Lending Act, sometimes called the Lend Lease. This policy was crucial in keeping Germany from collapsing, as the Czechoslovaks and Soviets knocked them down peg by peg. Germany was faced with a fierce domestic resistance as well, since the Communist Party took up arms to support the Comintern Pact. Terrorist acts became a constant concern. The Reichstag building itself was nearly destroyed by a bomb. The plot was quickly foiled, and the government held on. However, Hugenberg was getting old. It was only a matter of time before he died.
That day happened on March 12, 1951. When Hugenberg passed away, a small power struggle broke out among the high-ranking DNVP officials. In his will, Hugenberg stated that Joseph Göbbels was to be his successor. Göbbels wouldn't serve long though, as Communists took advantage of the chaos. There were riots in the streets of Berlin, as Göbbels had to be smuggled out when a frenzied mob of Communists stormed the Hotel Adlon, where Göbbels and his top advisors were attending in secret. Many of the advisors weren't as lucky as Göbbels, and they died.
With the previous government ousted, Nationalist Germany entered a state of civil war.
War in Asia[]
The communists in China eventually pledged support to the Soviet Union in 1952. Fighting the Nationalists and the Japanese, the Communists were outnumbered. However, they continued to fight and by October have taken several towns in northern China. One of the most notable battles of the time was the Battle of Linjiang, a joint invasion by the Communists and Nationalists to force the Japanese off of China. It was the first event that led to the fall of the Japanese Empire.