Editing Nazi Germany (section)

=== World War II ===
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==== Foreign policy ====
{{Further|Diplomatic history of World War II#Germany}}
Germany's wartime foreign policy involved the creation of allied governments controlled directly or indirectly from Berlin. They intended to obtain soldiers from allies such as Italy and Hungary and workers and food supplies from allies such as [[Vichy France]].{{sfn|Mazower|2008|loc=chapter 9}} Hungary was the fourth nation to join the Axis, signing the [[Tripartite Pact]] on 27 September 1940. Bulgaria signed the pact on 17 November. German efforts to secure oil included negotiating a supply from their new ally, [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]], who signed the Pact on 23 November, alongside the Slovak Republic.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=151}}{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=584}}{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=803}} By late 1942, there were 24 divisions from Romania on the Eastern Front, 10 from Italy, and 10 from Hungary.{{sfn|Weinberg|2005|p=414}} Germany assumed full control in France in 1942, Italy in 1943, and Hungary in 1944. Although Japan was a powerful ally, the relationship was distant, with little co-ordination or co-operation. For example, Germany refused to share their formula for synthetic oil from coal until late in the war.{{sfn|Martin|2005|pp=279–280}}

==== Outbreak of war ====
[[Invasion of Poland|Germany invaded Poland]] and captured the Free City of Danzig on 1 September 1939, beginning World War II in Europe.{{sfn|Evans|2005|pp=699–701}} Honouring their treaty obligations, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later.{{sfn|Beevor|2012|pp=22, 27–28}} Poland fell quickly, as the Soviet Union attacked from the east on 17 September.{{sfn|Beevor|2012|p=32}} [[Reinhard Heydrich]], chief of the ''[[Sicherheitspolizei]]'' (SiPo; Security Police) and ''[[Sicherheitsdienst]]'' (SD; Security Service), ordered on 21 September that Polish Jews should be rounded up and concentrated into cities with good rail links. Initially the intention was to deport them further east, or possibly to [[Madagascar Plan|Madagascar]].{{sfn|Longerich|2010|pp=148–149}} Using [[Operation Tannenberg|lists prepared in advance]], some 65,000 Polish intelligentsia, noblemen, clergy, and teachers were murdered by the end of 1939 in an attempt to destroy Poland's identity as a nation.{{sfn|Longerich|2010|p=144}}{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=15}} Soviet forces advanced into Finland in the [[Winter War]], and German forces saw action at sea. But little other activity occurred until May, so the period became known as the "[[Phoney War]]".{{sfn|Beevor|2012|p=40}}

From the start of the war, a [[Blockade of Germany (1939–45)|British blockade]] on shipments to Germany affected its economy. Germany was particularly dependent on foreign supplies of oil, coal, and grain.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|p=260}} Thanks to trade embargoes and the blockade, imports into Germany declined by 80 per cent.{{sfn|Tooze|2006|p=332}} To safeguard Swedish iron ore shipments to Germany, Hitler ordered the [[Operation Weserübung|invasion of Denmark and Norway]], which began on 9 April. [[German invasion of Denmark (1940)|Denmark fell after less than a day]], while [[Norwegian Campaign|most of Norway followed]] by the end of the month.{{sfn|Beevor|2012|pp=73–76}}{{sfn|Evans|2005|p=120}} By early June, Germany [[German occupation of Norway|occupied all of Norway]].{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=709}}

==== Conquest of Europe ====
Against the advice of many of his senior military officers, in May 1940 Hitler ordered an [[Battle of France|attack on France]] and the [[Low Countries]].{{sfn|Beevor|2012|pp=70–71, 79}}{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=715–719}} They quickly conquered [[Invasion of Luxembourg|Luxembourg]] and the [[Battle of the Netherlands|Netherlands]] and outmanoeuvred the Allies in [[Battle of Belgium|Belgium]], [[Dunkirk evacuation|forcing the evacuation]] of many British and French troops at [[Dunkirk]].{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=731–738}} France fell as well, [[Armistice of 22 June 1940|surrendering to Germany on 22 June]].{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=696–730}} The victory in France resulted in an upswing in Hitler's popularity and an upsurge in war fever in Germany.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=562}}

In violation of the provisions of the [[Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907|Hague Convention]], industrial firms in the Netherlands, France, and Belgium were put to work producing war [[materiel]] for Germany.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|p=265}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L05487, Paris, Avenue Foch, Siegesparade.jpg|thumb|German soldiers march near the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in Paris, 14 June 1940|alt=]]

The Nazis seized from the French thousands of locomotives and rolling stock, stockpiles of weapons, and raw materials such as copper, tin, oil, and nickel.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=333–334}} Payments for occupation costs were levied upon France, Belgium, and Norway.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|p=271}} Barriers to trade led to hoarding, [[black market]]s, and uncertainty about the future.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|pp=272, 279}} Food supplies were precarious; production dropped in most of Europe.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|p=262}} Famine was experienced in many occupied countries.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|p=262}}

Hitler's peace overtures to the new British Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] were rejected in July 1940. Grand Admiral [[Erich Raeder]] had advised Hitler in June that air superiority was a pre-condition for a successful [[Operation Sea Lion|invasion of Britain]], so Hitler ordered a series of aerial attacks on [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) airbases and radar stations, as well as [[The Blitz|nightly air raids]] on British cities, including [[London Blitz|London]], [[Plymouth Blitz|Plymouth]], and [[Coventry Blitz|Coventry]]. The German Luftwaffe failed to defeat the RAF in what became known as the [[Battle of Britain]], and by the end of October, Hitler realised that air superiority would not be achieved. He permanently postponed the invasion, a plan which the commanders of the German army had never taken entirely seriously.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=753, 774–782}}{{sfn|Kershaw|2000b|pp=301–303, 309–310}}{{efn|According to Raeder, "Our Air Force could not be counted on to guard our transports from the British Fleets, because their operations would depend on the weather, if for no other reason. It could not be expected that even for a brief period our Air Force could make up for our lack of naval supremacy." {{harvnb|Raeder|2001|pp=324–325}}. Grand Admiral [[Karl Dönitz]] believed air superiority was not enough and admitted, "We possessed neither control of the air or the sea; nor were we in any position to gain it." {{harvnb|Dönitz|2012|p=114}}.}} Several historians, including [[Andrew Gordon (naval historian)|Andrew Gordon]], believe the primary reason for the failure of the invasion plan was the superiority of the Royal Navy, not the actions of the RAF.{{sfn|Harding|2006}}

In February 1941, the German ''[[Afrika Korps]]'' arrived in [[Italian Libya|Libya]] to aid the Italians in the [[North African Campaign]].{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=149}} On 6 April, Germany launched an [[invasion of Yugoslavia]] and [[Battle of Greece|Greece]].{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=153}}{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=815–816}} All of Yugoslavia and parts of Greece were subsequently divided between Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Bulgaria.{{sfn|Tomasevich|1975|pp=52–53}}{{sfn|Richter|1998|p=616}}

==== Invasion of the Soviet Union ====
{{Main|Operation Barbarossa}}
On 22 June 1941, contravening the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, about 3.8&nbsp;million Axis troops attacked the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Clark|2012|p=73}} In addition to Hitler's stated purpose of acquiring ''Lebensraum'', this large-scale offensive—codenamed [[Operation Barbarossa]]—was intended to destroy the Soviet Union and seize its natural resources for subsequent aggression against the Western powers.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=160–161}} The reaction among Germans was one of surprise and trepidation as many were concerned about how much longer the war would continue or suspected that Germany could not win a war fought on two fronts.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=189–190}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B22436, Russland, Kampf um Stalingrad, Ruinen.jpg|thumb|upright|Death and destruction during the [[Battle of Stalingrad]], October 1942|alt=]]
The invasion conquered a huge area, including the [[Baltic region|Baltic]] states, [[Belarus]], and west [[Ukraine]]. After the successful [[Battle of Smolensk (1941)|Battle of Smolensk]] in September 1941, Hitler ordered [[Army Group Centre]] to halt its advance to Moscow and temporarily divert its Panzer groups to aid in the encirclement of [[Leningrad]] and [[Kiev]]<!--Do not change per WP:KYIV-->.{{sfn|Stolfi|1982|pp=32–34, 36–38}} This pause provided the [[Red Army]] with an opportunity to mobilise fresh reserves. The Moscow offensive, which resumed in October 1941, [[Battle of Moscow|ended disastrously in December]].{{sfn|Stolfi|1982|pp=45–46}} On 7 December 1941, Japan [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|attacked Pearl Harbor]], Hawaii. Four days later, Germany declared war on the United States.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=900–901}}

Food was in short supply in the conquered areas of the Soviet Union and Poland, as the retreating armies had burned the crops in some areas, and much of the remainder was sent back to the Reich.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=43}} In Germany, rations were cut in 1942. In his role as [[Plenipotentiary]] of the [[Four Year Plan]], [[Hermann Göring]] demanded increased shipments of grain from France and fish from Norway. The 1942 harvest was good, and food supplies remained adequate in Western Europe.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|pp=284–287}}

Germany and Europe as a whole were almost totally dependent on foreign oil imports.{{sfn|Mazower|2008|p=290}} In an attempt to resolve the shortage, in June 1942 Germany launched ''[[Fall Blau]]'' ("Case Blue"), an offensive against the Caucasian oilfields.{{sfn|Glantz|1995|pp=108–110}} The Red Army launched a counter-offensive on 19 November and encircled the Axis forces, who were trapped in [[Battle of Stalingrad|Stalingrad]] on 23 November.{{sfn|Melvin|2010|pp=282, 285}} Göring assured Hitler that the [[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|6th Army]] could be supplied by air, but this turned out to be infeasible.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=413, 416–417}} Hitler's refusal to allow a retreat led to the deaths of 200,000 German and Romanian soldiers; of the 91,000 men who surrendered in the city on 31 January 1943, only 6,000 survivors returned to Germany after the war.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=419–420}}

==== Turning point and collapse ====
{{See also|Mass suicides in 1945 Nazi Germany|Flensburg Government|German Instrument of Surrender}}
Losses continued to mount after Stalingrad, leading to a sharp reduction in the popularity of the Nazi Party and deteriorating morale.{{sfn|Kershaw|2011|p=208}} Soviet forces continued to push westward after the failed German offensive at the [[Battle of Kursk]] in the summer of 1943. By the end of 1943, the Germans had lost most of their eastern territorial gains.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1007}} In Egypt, Field Marshal [[Erwin Rommel]]'s ''Afrika Korps'' were defeated by British forces under Field Marshal [[Bernard Montgomery]] in October 1942.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=467}} The Allies landed in Sicily in July 1943 and were on the Italian peninsula by September.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=471}} Meanwhile, American and British bomber fleets based in Britain began [[Defence of the Reich|operations against Germany]]. Many sorties were intentionally given civilian targets in an effort to destroy German morale.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=438–441}} The bombing of aircraft factories as well as [[Peenemünde Army Research Center]], where [[V-1 flying bomb|V-1]] and [[V-2 rocket|V-2]] rockets were being developed and produced, were also deemed particularly important.{{sfn|Reisner|2015}}{{sfn|Strüber|2018}} German aircraft production could not keep pace with losses, and without air cover the Allied bombing campaign became even more devastating. By targeting oil refineries and factories, they crippled the German war effort by late 1944.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=461}}

On 6 June 1944, American, British, and Canadian forces established a front in France with the [[Normandy landings|D-Day]] landings in [[Normandy]].{{sfn|Beevor|2012|pp=576–578}} On [[20 July plot|20 July 1944]], Hitler survived an assassination attempt.{{sfn|Beevor|2012|pp=604–605}} He ordered brutal reprisals, resulting in 7,000&nbsp;arrests and the execution of more than 4,900&nbsp;people.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1072}} The failed [[Ardennes Offensive]] (16 December 1944&nbsp;– 25 January 1945) was the last major German offensive on the western front, and Soviet forces entered Germany on 27 January.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=1090–1097}} Hitler's refusal to admit defeat and his insistence that the war be fought to the last man led to unnecessary death and destruction in the war's closing months.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|pp=910–912}} Through his Justice Minister [[Otto Georg Thierack]], Hitler ordered that anyone who was not prepared to fight should be court-martialed, and thousands of people were executed.{{sfn|Kershaw|2011|pp=224–225}} In many areas, people surrendered to the approaching Allies in spite of exhortations of local leaders to continue to fight. Hitler ordered the destruction of transport, bridges, industries, and other infrastructure—a [[scorched earth]] decree—but Armaments Minister [[Albert Speer]] prevented this order from being fully carried out.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|pp=910–912}}

[[File:SFP 186 - Flug ueber Berlin.ogv|thumb|[[United States Army Air Forces|U.S. Army Air Force]] film of the aftermath of the destruction in central Berlin in July 1945|alt=]]

During the [[Battle of Berlin]] (16 April&nbsp;– 2 May 1945), Hitler and his staff lived in the underground ''[[Führerbunker]]'' while the Red Army approached.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1108}} On 30 April, when Soviet troops were within two blocks of the [[Reich Chancellery]], Hitler and his wife [[Eva Braun]] [[Death of Adolf Hitler|committed suicide]].{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|pp=954–955}} On 2 May, General [[Helmuth Weidling]] unconditionally surrendered Berlin to Soviet General [[Vasily Chuikov]].{{sfn|Beevor|2002|p=386}} Hitler was succeeded by Grand Admiral [[Karl Dönitz]] as Reich President and Goebbels as Reich Chancellor.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1126}} Goebbels and his wife [[Magda Goebbels|Magda]] committed suicide the next day after murdering their [[Goebbels children|six children]].{{sfn|Beevor|2002|p=381}} Between 4 and 8 May 1945, most of the remaining German armed forces unconditionally surrendered. The [[German Instrument of Surrender]] was signed 8 May, marking the end of the Nazi regime and the [[end of World War II in Europe]].{{sfn|Beevor|2002|pp=400–403}}

Popular support for Hitler almost completely disappeared as the war drew to a close.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=714}} Suicide rates in Germany increased, particularly in areas where the Red Army was advancing. Among soldiers and party personnel, suicide was often deemed an honourable and heroic alternative to surrender. First-hand accounts and propaganda about the uncivilised behaviour of the advancing Soviet troops caused panic among civilians on the Eastern Front, especially women, who feared being raped.{{sfn|Kershaw|2011|pp=355–357}} More than a thousand people (out of a population of around 16,000) [[Mass suicide in Demmin|committed suicide in Demmin]] around 1 May 1945 as the 65th Army of [[2nd Belorussian Front]] first broke into a distillery and then rampaged through the town, committing mass rapes, arbitrarily executing civilians, and setting fire to buildings. High numbers of suicides took place in many other locations, including [[Neubrandenburg]] (600 dead), [[Słupsk|Stolp in Pommern]] (1,000 dead),{{sfn|Lakotta|2005|pp=218–221}} and Berlin, where at least 7,057 people committed suicide in 1945.{{sfn|Goeschel|2009|p=165}}

==== German casualties ====
{{Main|German casualties in World War II}}
{{Further|World War II casualties}}
[[File:The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B14736.jpg|thumb|German refugees in Bedburg, near [[Kleve]], 19 February 1945|alt=]]
Estimates of the total German war dead range from 5.5 to 6.9&nbsp;million persons.{{sfn|Hubert|1998|p=272}} A study by German historian [[Rüdiger Overmans]] puts the number of German military dead and missing at 5.3&nbsp;million, including 900,000 men conscripted from outside of Germany's 1937 borders.{{sfn|Overmans|2000|p=Bd. 46}} [[Richard Overy]] estimated in 2014 that about 353,000 civilians were killed in Allied air raids.{{sfn|Overy|2014|pp=306–307}} Other civilian deaths include 300,000 Germans (including Jews) who were victims of Nazi political, racial, and religious persecution{{sfn|''Germany Reports''|1961|p=62}} and 200,000 who were murdered in the [[Aktion T4|Nazi euthanasia program]].{{sfn|Bundesarchiv, "Euthanasie" im Nationalsozialismus}} Political courts called ''[[Sondergericht]]e'' sentenced some 12,000 members of the [[German resistance to Nazism|German resistance]] to death, and civil courts sentenced an additional 40,000 Germans.{{sfn|Hoffmann|1996|p=xiii}} [[Rape during the occupation of Germany|Mass rapes of German women]] also took place.{{sfn|Beevor|2002|pp=31–32, 409–412}}