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World War 2

A comprehensive World War 2 history guide with facts and information on one of the most important events in British history.

  • Overview
    • World War 2 Summary
    • World War 2 Facts
    • World War 2 Timeline
    • World War 2 Prisoners Of War
    • Soldiers In World War 2
    • WW2 FAQ
      • Who Started World War 2?
      • Causes of World War 2
      • When Did WW2 Finish?
      • Which countries were involved in World War Two
      • When was World War 2?
      • Who won World War 2?
      • How Many People Died In World War 2
    • WW2 Planes: A History of World War 2 Aircraft
  • Battles
    • The Blitz
    • Pearl Harbour
    • Battle Of Britain
    • Dday
    • Operation Barbarossa
    • The Battle Of Kursk
    • Operation Overlord
    • Battle Of Midway
    • Battle of Stalingrad
    • The Invasion Of Poland
    • Operation Cerberus
  • Leaders
    • Winston Churchill
    • Franklin D Roosevelt
    • Adolf Hitler
    • Benito Mussolini
    • Emperor Hirohito
    • Joseph Stalin
  • Home Front
    • Evacuees Of World War 2
    • World War 2 Recipes
    • World War 2 Shelters
  • Anne Frank
  • Miscellaneous
    • World War 2 Books
    • World War 2 Movies
    • World War 2 Poems
    • World War One
    • The Phoney War
    • Blitzkrieg
    • World War 2 Allies
  • World War 2 For Kids
    • World War 2 Facts Kids
    • Children in World War 2

The Phoney War

The Phoney War took place between September 1939 to April 1940 and was the British term used for the 6 months prior to the start of the war. This was following the Blitzkrieg attack on Poland which is claimed to have started World War 2.

It was seen as a period of time where preparation for the impending war was done. There’s two arguments as to whether the benefit was for the British homeland or whether it helped the German army regroup after his victory in Poland.

It was a conflict ultimately ran by civil servants as opposed to the troops of Britain however it gave Britain time to create home protection including 400 million sandbags around shops and public buildings, the handing out of over 38 million Gas Masks to name just a few.

The British Army however did advance into France on the 11th of September a week after the fall of Poland. But with only 150,000 men and 25,000 vehicles they didn’t feel comfortable in attacking a Nazi army.The Phoney War WW2

As mentioned above following this advance the British dug in on the Belgian border and began making the preparations at home. The period was seen as a confusing one for those who lives in Britain as they expected a war at any time. It is claimed that London Zoo went as far as putting down on their poisonous snakes in case they escaped during the bombing raid. Britain were very much prepared for an attack; maybe too prepared!

By the Spring of 1940 it is estimated that millions of people decided that the war wasn’t going to happen and they began walking the streets without Gas masks. The fear of the impending war began to subside.

This however was short lived when suddenly on the 9th April 1940 the war began again. This period essentially proved to be fruitful for Hitler as he was able to regroup following the victory in Poland. He then launched an offensive on Norway and Denmark which well and truly announced the start of the war.

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Overview

WW2 Summary
WW2 Facts
WW2 Timeline
Soldiers in WW2
WW2 Planes
WW2 Prisoners Of War

Leaders

Winston Churchill
Franklin D Roosevelt
Adolf Hitler
Benito Mussolini
Emperor Hirohito
Joseph Stalin

Home Front

Evacuees of WW2
WW2 Recipes
WW2 Shelters

Misc

WW2 Books
WW2 Movies
WW2 Poems
World War One
The Phoney War
Blitzkrieg
WW2 Allies

Kids

WW2 For Kids
Children in WW2
WW2 Facts For Kids

Battles

The Blitz
Pearl Harbour
Battle of Britain
D-Day
Operation Barbarossa
The Battle Of Kursk
Operation Overlord
Battle Of Midway
Battle Of Stalingrad
The Invasion Of Poland
Operation Cerberus

Common Questions

Who started WW2?
Causes of WW2
When did WW2 finish?
Which countries were involved in WW2?
When was WW2?
Who won WW2?
How many people died?

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