World War II begins

• Main Author: Weinberg, Gerard L.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University PressOxford 2014
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; New Zealand
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199688777.003.0003; https://academic.oup.com/book/930/chapter/135503632

Abstract The German attack on Poland began on September 1 1939, and triggered the declaration of war on Germany by Britain, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa. Germany and the Soviet Union were agreed on a dual attack on Poland from the West and East, which left Poland unable to defend itself. An important aspect of the war between Germany and the Allies was the war of the oceans. The battles between warships, targets on merchant ships, and the use of submarines in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans continued from 1939 up until Germany's surrender in May 1945 and drew in many Baltic and Scandinavian countries.