Japan knew that she could not win a prolonged war against the 'Occidental Powers',[6] but hoped that by striking first at Pearl Harbor to knock out the American Pacific fleet then using her huge reserves of men and machines to occupy the territories she coveted while America was still unready for war, Britain was engaged in all-out struggle with Germany and the Netherlands was herself occupied, she could establish her empire and consolidate herself so firmly that although her enemies would attempt to batter at her defensive line they would eventually be forced to accept the new position and make peace on the basis of the new status quo. They were also forbidden by Hitler from withdrawing to better positions a few miles inland, and as a result suffered a relentless barrage of heavy calibre gunfire from British and American battleships moored offshore. In some cases these new resources were considerable, and were quickly reorganized for the Nazi war machine. [9], France occupied the Saar protectorate from 1947 to 1956, with the intention of using its coal and steel industrial output to boost the French economy as reparations for the war. In November heavy damage was caused by the USAAF to the most important industrial site in Norway, the molybdenum mine at Knaben, 50 miles (80km) from Stavanger. He commented; At present their plight is lamentable and will become much worse. Finally, on 12 October, the invasion was called off until spring 1941, although British cities, notably London, Birmingham and Liverpool continued to be heavily bombed for another 6 months. After six months of negotiations, Switzerland also agreed to trim by one third her $60m yearly sales of machine goods and precision instruments to Germany and to cut sales of ball bearings to 10% and ammunition to 5% of the 1942 total. Even so, many Americans were appalled by the continuing hardship. On 1 August Italy, having joined the war, established a submarine base in Bordeaux. Some are listed below: An accident led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. German soldiers got double rations, but this was still only a modest daily diet, similar to that served to inmates in American prisons. But by the end of the war, though the UK also lost a quarter of its real wealth,[13] Germany was ruined and she had since then experienced a number of severe financial problems; first hyperinflation caused by the requirement to pay reparations for the war, then after a brief period of relative prosperity in the mid-1920s under the Weimar Republic the Great Depression, which followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which in part led to the rise in political extremism across Europe and Hitler's seizure of power. The speed of advance often meant there was no time to build up an orderly logistical structure and, despite the use of a truck system called the Red Ball Express, for 5 days at the end of August virtually the entire American and British advance came to a complete halt due to a lack of fuel. [16] But after autumn 1943 the connections between industrial centres made attractive bomber targets which when effectively bombed badly affected the distribution of coal, which formed the basis of most military and industrial operations. In late 1942, an 8,000-ton cargo ship was caught in the Indian Ocean, where it hoisted a neutral flag and initially gave the name of a neutral vessel but misspelled the name. From late 1944 onwards there were reports that rich German and Austrian Jews were being allowed to leave the Reich after paying special taxes and surrendering all their belongings to the Nazis. Acute food, housing and medical shortages continued for some time and around 10 million refugees housed in temporary encampments or on the roads. East Germany experienced the opposite effect, with a weaker economy, a low standard of living and a decreased population. German troops invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, triggering World War II. Although the US managed to secure alternative non-Arabian oil supplies mainly from Venezuela synthetic oils are widely used today, mainly in specialised areas such as the airline industry and as lubricants. In order to buy from abroad without credit or foreign exchange (cash), a nation needed goods or gold to offer, but the British export ban prevented her from raising revenue. In early November the MEW published a summary of the position in the occupied lands, giving an assessment of what the Germans were believed to have appropriated from the territories they conquered in 1940 and 1941. Germany needed to be divided into four postwar occupied zones. This is because for nearly a half-century after the end of World War II (WWII), Germany was split into two states. The children's section of the ICRC sent vitamins, medicine and milk products for children, and in 1944 it was awarded its second Nobel Peace Prize for its work. 9,000 factories and 60,000 commercial enterprises were taken over for exploitation, and 80% of the 1942 harvest was sent to Germany. Most were sunk or scuttled, and at least eight foundered on rocks trying to negotiate the way down the unfamiliar and hazardous Norwegian coast. Hintergrnde und Einschtzungen eines nicht nur innerpolnischen Streites", "Odpowied na zapytanie nr 3812 w sprawie strat poniesionych podczas II wojny wiatowej", "Germany rejects Poland's claim it owes 1.3tn in war reparations", "On Behalf of Victims of Pseudo-Medical Experiments Red Cross Action", "Fundacja Polsko-Niemieckie Pojednanie | Stiftung Polnisch-Deutsche Ausshnung", "Zweiter Weltkrieg: Polens Regierung prft Reparationsforderungen an Deutschland", "Szef Biura Analiz Sejmowych: Polska i Niemcy nigdy po II wojnie wiatowej nie zawary umowy ws. On 29 May 1940 it stopped sending its oil to Britain, and signed an arms and oil pact with Germany; Romania was soon providing half her oil needs. Virtually all Dutch and Belgian ships not captured by the Germans joined the British merchant fleet, which together with the tonnage contributed by Norway and Denmark added about one-third to Britain's merchant marine, giving them a large surplus of vessels. The Germans sank 117 ships in the Atlantic during the first two months of the year, and in Russia Hitler was about to launch a huge offensive to take the Caucasus oilfields. Its own substantial fleet of modern warships was hemmed into its bases at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven and mostly forbidden by the leadership from venturing out. Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev's attempted reforms did little to solve the crisis and the relaxation of political suppression gave citizens of Eastern Europe greater freedom to protest communism. It features the classic line "Stop that man and woman! As 1940 drew to a close, the situation for many of Europe's 525 million people was dire. What happened to Germany after WWII was that two separate economies and ways of life developed in East and West Germany. Example: A poster with two columns (one for East Germany and one for West Germany) might work best here. Sweden received very little by way of imports due to the various blockades, and the Allies tried to use offers of a relaxation to persuade her to reduce her assistance of Germany, which they believed was actively prolonging the war. Arrangements for boarding and examining ships were made in the port "Boarding Room", and eventually a team of 2 officers and 6 men set out in a fishing drifter or motor launch to the ship. Later, high-ranking Nazi officials withdrew their deposits from German banks and transferred large sums to Swiss banks and to the Swedish Consulate at Karlsruhe. The Soviets had not been happy about the division of Berlin, since it was technically in their occupation zone. This was the first "area raid", but photography after the raid showed that most of the 300 bombers had missed the target, and that Bomber Command lacked the means of carrying out precision raids. Germany is finally paying off World War I reparations, with the last 70 million euro (60m) payment drawing the debt to a close. The French collaborator Pierre Laval promised to send 300,000 more workmen to Germany immediately. [11][12], At the beginning of the occupation, the Allies dismantled the remnants of German industries. FDR had died in April, so the new American president, Harry Truman attended the conference. [48], In an effort to force Britain into submission, the Luftwaffe concentrated its efforts on factories, ports, oil refineries and airfields. From the beginning of the war, Germany experienced massive labour shortages and as time went by the occupied nations labour forces were virtually enslaved, either to work in factories to supply the Reich or sent to Germany to work in the factories or farms there. Meanwhile, as a result of the sustained Allied diplomatic pressure, together with the deteriorating German military position, Sweden began to reduce its trade with Germany. [1] Germany carried out its own immensely effective counter-blockade during its war on Allied commerce (Handelskrieg), its U-boats sinking many Allied merchant ships. Meanwhile, at the beginning of 1940 there were still 60 German merchant ships alone in South American harbours, costing 300,000 per month in port and harbour dues, and Hitler eventually ordered them all to try to make a break for home. Six went down in the mouth of the Thames, and the new cruiser Belfast was badly damaged at the mouth of the Firth of Forth. immediately after the war, millions (~7.7m) of German soldiers were kept in POW camps. Over the next few months, the ship delivered around 6,700 tons of supplies to Greece, but foundered on rocks and sank during her fifth voyage. [citation needed], On 3 July Stalin announced a "scorched earth policy"; as Soviets forces and people retreated in the face of the Wehrmacht, everything that could not be moved east was to be destroyed. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. The supreme commander of Allied forces, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower wanted to advance on a broad front to overcome the West Wall (Siegfried Line), but instead accepted British General Bernard Montgomery's Operation Market Garden, the plan to try to outflank the West Wall and drive into northern Germany to encircle the industrial Ruhr via the Netherlands. After WW2 was over, the Allied powers occupied Germany. In particular the Swiss were, and continue to be, criticised for the way they aided the shipment of Nazi funds abroad and provided banking facilities for the concealment of looted art treasures and gold, much of it stolen from Jews. German labour shortages grew so acute that Germany relied increasingly on slave labour and demanded prior claim on all available Swiss labour. On 17 January 1940 the Minister of Economic Warfare, Ronald Cross said in a speech in the House of Commons: We have made a good start, we must bear in mind that Germany does not have the same resources she had some 25 years ago. Germany: Reluctant military giant? - BBC News [86] Some 300,000 documents relating to the history of the programme, including plant diagrams, patent descriptions, detailed reports on which catalysts and additives worked best, and monthly reports from the 25 oil from coal plants had fallen into American hands at the end of the war. Up to Christmas 1939, at least 19 German merchant ships were scuttled by their crews to prevent them from being taken by the Allies. Greece received an additional share of reparations from other Axis powers as a result of the Paris Peace Treaties from 1947. What was supposed to have happened was that people could apply the next day for a visa to allow for travel. Rearmament, and later war brought these resources to life, which combined with rising investment and an intact infrastructure kept American industry buoyant, although considerable residual unemployment remained. Spain supplied Britain with iron ore from the Bay of Biscay, but, as a potential foe, she was a huge threat to British interests as she could easily restrict British naval access into the Mediterranean, either by shelling the Rock of Gibraltar or by allowing the Germans to lay siege to it from the mainland. Although the commandos displayed exceptional courage and the expedition was essentially successful in that a number of ships were damaged, only 2 men survived, including the leader, Major Herbert Hasler, who had to make their way across 80 miles of France, Spain and Gibraltar back to safety. As time went on other miscellaneous items such as clothing, soap, park benches, garden tools, bed linen and doorknobs were also taken. Berlin Wall History & Timeline | When was the Berlin Wall Torn Down? Factories and oil wells were blown up, crops burnt and animals slaughtered so that nothing would be left for the Germans to use. Shirer recorded in his diary on 15 September that the blockade was already having a direct effect. The Soviet Union occupied East Germany and East Berlin. On 9 February Albert Speer became the new head of the German Armaments Ministry. Spain agreed to reduce the German exports in May 1944, although the Allies discovered that she continued making clandestine shipments, transporting more than 800 tons of tungsten through to July 1944 and not finally ending the trade until the closing of the Franco-Spanish border in August 1944. Although the Allies kept up the round-the-clock pressure, raiding countless lines-of-communications targets in the build-up to the invasion, they were slow to grasp what German commanders were all too aware of that Germany had plenty of tanks and aircraft and their real achilles heel was the oil supply. After three years of war Britain had spent 10 billion, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kingsley Wood, had to ask the House of Commons to find another 1 billion to continue. When I say 'Germany', what do you think of? Minutes on Commons debate, 1941. Shortly after the German invasion of the Low Countries and France, the British took the first tentative steps towards the opening of a strategic air offensive aimed at carrying the fight to Germany. To stop the people of East Berlin from migrating to West Berlin, the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961. (German government Statistical Office), The Statistisches Jahrbuch fr die Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1960, pp. The day after the declaration, the British Admiralty announced that all merchant vessels were now liable to examination by the naval Contraband Control Service and by the French Blockade Ministry, which put its ships under British command. [37] On the night of 15/16 May 1940, RAF Bomber Command, which until that point had been used for little more than attacking coastal targets and dropping propaganda leaflets, set off on a night time raid on oil production and railway marshalling yards in the Ruhr district. Learn why and how Germany was divided after WWII. The Soviet Union received compensation under the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947 from four Axis allied powers, in addition to the large reparations paid to the Soviet Union by the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany and the eventual German Democratic Republic in the form of machinery (entire factories were dismantled and shipped to the Soviet Union) as well as food, industrial products, and consumer goods. Together Yugoslavia, Romania and Bulgaria annually exported to Germany a large part of their surplus oil, chromium, bauxite, pyrites, oil-bearing nuts, maize, wheat, meat and tobacco. Write an essay that explains the reunification of Germany. The Swedish Government adopted tightened exchange control regulations in November 1944 and made great progress in identifying German properties and eliminating German influences from its economy. Those complications related to the problems of German unity and the future of Berlin. As a result, the population density grew in the "new" Germany that remained after the dismemberment. Dutch industry was by now also under complete German control. Indeed, without the rise of the worldwide struggle between communism and capitalism, Germany may have merely been occupied by the four different countries until the occupiers could agree Germany was sufficiently rehabilitated. Also, the report noted that according to the minutes of the Council of Ministers of 19 August 1953, the renunciation concerned only the German Democratic Republic not the Federal Republic, and that no diplomatic note was ever sent to the East German government officially informing it of Poland's decision. The wall was one of the most visible symbols of the Cold War. On 28 December 1940 Mussolini appealed for urgent German help in the Greco-Italian War. Most of Germany's institutions had crumbled, and its populace was on the brink of starvation. [27] Germany then began seizing Danish ships carrying butter, eggs and bacon to Britain, in breach of a promise to allow Denmark to trade freely with her enemies. The Nazi official who took the leading role in preparing German industry for war was Hermann Gring. Although Swiss-German trade was generally considered to have ceased after November 1944, some companies, such as the Tavaro Munitions factory at Geneva, Switzerland, clandestinely shipped explosives to Germany, and German assets amounting to one billion francs still remained in Switzerland after November 1945. [8] In the case of Poland, the acquired territory was a compensation for the Polish Eastern Borderlands (Kresy), which were annexed by the Soviet Union. During the war Britain lost many of its lucrative export markets and now confronted an annual balance of payments deficit of 1.2billion. Hitler invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, and Britain and France declared war two days later. During World War II, Zurich industrialist and armaments exporter Emil Georg Bhrle began amassing one of the twentieth century's most important private collections of European art. [39], The reparation issue arose again in late 2017 with comments made by Polish government officials from the ruling Law and Justice. [30] Despite high prices, one mail company, the Fortra Corporation of Manhattan admitted it had sent 30,000 food packages to Germany in less than three months, a business which exceeded US$1 million per year. Churchill himself believed that Sweden could be instrumental in defeating Germany and after the heavy German defeats at Stalingrad and Kursk in 1943 the Russians became vocal in calling on Sweden to do more to aid the Allies. For six days aircraft factories were subjected to constant pounding, with the Americans flying heavily escorted missions against airframe manufacturing and assembly plants and other targets in numerous German cities including Leipzig, Brunswick, Gotha, Regensburg, Schweinfurt, Augsburg, Stuttgart and Steyr. After World War II commenced in 1939, this U.S. assistance grew ever greater and included such measures as the so-called destroyer deal and the deceptively named Lend-Lease program. German agents were permitted to operate and spread propaganda freely and subsidiaries of IG Farben, Staudt and Co. and Siemens also operated in Argentinian territory, maintaining their links with Germany and supporting Nazi espionage operations in the region. In late November Hungary and Romania signed the Tripartite Pact, joining the Axis powers and, although Yugoslavia initially refused to sign, Hitler now had control of the majority of the vast agricultural resources of the Great Hungarian Plain and Romanian oilfields. Ultimately it was the sustained Allied bombing of the transport network which broke Nazi resistance. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The second period began after the rapid Axis occupation of the majority of the European landmass (Scandinavia, Benelux, France and the Balkans) in 19401941, resulting in Axis control of major centres of industry and agriculture. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. [citation needed]. The German Problem first. There were reports of grave-robbing by people desperate to find the money to feed their families, but in the towns there were none of the staple potatoes, figs, raisins or tomatoes available and it was not long before the population began to die in droves from hunger, cholera, typhoid and dysentery. Mass attacks a few days later left a large part of the city in ruins, reportedly killing 42,000 people.[16]. In course of the Battle of France, the Germans captured 2,000 tanks of various types, including the heavy French Char B1 and British Matildas, 5,000 artillery pieces, 300,000 rifles and at least 4 million rounds of ammunition. Up to the end of February 1940 about 70 had tried to get away, but very few reached Germany. [71] Rationing remained fierce. Argentina had 84% of the world supply of flaxseed, nearly all of which was exported, along with much of its wheat (23% of world supply), its corn (71%) and beef (50%)[citation needed].