WORLD WAR II

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Adolf Hitler — The evil mastermind, the 'super junkie'

• WORLD  WAR  II 
• In  1938,  Hitler,  along  with  several  other  European  leaders,  signed  the Munich  Agreement.  The  treaty  ceded  the  Sudetenland  districts to Germany, reversing  part  of  the  Versailles  Treaty.  As  a  result  of  the  summit, Hitler was  named  Time Magazine's  Man  of  the  Year  for  1938.  This  diplomatic  win only wetted  his appetite for  a renewed  German  dominance. On  September  1, Germany invaded  Poland. In  response, Britain  and  France declared  war  on Germany. 
• Hitler  escalated  his  activities  in  1940,  invading  Scandinavia  as  well  as  France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and  Belgium. Hitler  ordered  bombing raids on the  United  Kingdom,  with  the  goal  of  invasion.  Germany’s formal alliance with Japan  and  Italy,  known  collectively  as  the  Axis  powers,  was  signed  to  deter the  United  States  from  supporting  and  protecting  the  British. 
• On  June  22,  1941,  Hitler  violated  a  non-aggression  pact with Joseph Stalin, sending 3  million  German  troops into the Soviet Union. The invading force seized  a huge area before the German  advance was stopped  outside Moscow in  December  1941. 
• On  December  7,  Japan  attacked  Pearl  Harbor  in  Hawaii.  Hitler  was  now  at war  against  a  coalition  that  included  the  world's  largest  empire  (Britain),  the world's  greatest  financial  power  (the  U.S.)  and  the  world's  largest  army  (the Soviet  Union). Facing  these  odds,  Hitler's  military  judgment  became  increasingly  erratic. Germany's military and  economic position  deteriorated  along with Hitler's health. Germany and  the Axis could  not sustain  Hitler's aggressive and expansive war. In  late 1942, German  forces failed  to seize the Suez Canal. The German  army also suffered  defeats at the Battle of Stalingrad  and the  Battle  of  Kursk.  
• On June  6,  1944,  the  Western  Allied  armies  landed  in  northern  France.  As  a result  of  these  significant  setbacks,  many  German  officers  concluded  that defeat  was  inevitable  and  that  Hitler's  denial  would  result  in  the  destruction of the country.