The Second World War has cast such a shadow over the shape of the modern world that, even sixty years after it ended it is still what people are generally referring to when they talk about "The War" in the absence of any other context. There is a vast variety of works in all media concerned in one way or another with the war, and yet there are still many stories still untold and some events still almost unknown.
For a full historical account of the war, visit
the page at the Other Wiki
. What follows here is a brief summary of the various settings typically seen in fictional media and some of the tropes and media associated with that setting.
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1939-1940
The war is generally considered to begin with either Germany's
Invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 or Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany two days later. Germany had spent much of the late 1930s acting as a bit of a bully, threatening and cajoling other nations into giving up territory to satisfy Hitler's stated desire to unite all the German-speaking peoples and conquer "Living Space" (
Lebensraum) for them to expand into and become a great nation.
Austria and Czechoslovakia had already been absorbed into Germany or transformed into puppet governments, but Poland was the first nation to fight, backed by guarantees from Britain and France. In the event, Poland was conquered in four weeks while Britain and France did little to assist. The Soviet Union, happy to work with Nazi Germany if it meant gaining Polish territory, invaded from the east and took about half of the country.
Polish Campaign media
- Polish movie Katyn (2007) deals with the massacre by Soviet forces of about 22,000 Polish officers captured in their invasion of Eastern Poland.
- Polish movie Lotna (1959) shows a factually-inaccurate representation of Polish cavalry charging German tanks with lances and sabres.
Polish Campaign tropes
- Did Not Do the Research - the "Polish Cavalry Charging Tanks" scenario is a myth concocted by German propaganda at the time, yet was swallowed whole by most westerners and even repeated by Polish media after the war as the communists sought to rubbish the pre-war republic.
- Fearless Fool - the Polish troops are generally held to have been fearlessly courageous but reckless.
There then followed a period of about six months known as the
Phoney War, while Germany replenished its army and air force after the surprisingly hard fighting of the Polish campaign and the British and French forces dug in waiting for an attack, and little real fighting occurred. Hostilities continued throughout the Phoney War, in particular at sea where German submarines and surface ships sank merchant ships and were in turn hunted by the British and French navies.
Phoney War media
- Battle of the River Plate (1956) details the efforts of the Royal Navy to hunt down the German ship Graf Spee which has been causing havoc amongst merchant shipping.
Phoney War tropes
Finally, in May 1940, the Germans felt ready and unleashed what was to become known as the
Blitzkrieg - Lightning War. Denmark fell in a few hours, Norway a couple of weeks; the bungled British and French campaign to defend Norway cost lives and ships and led to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's downfall and the rise of Winston Churchill. While the world was still reeling from the attacks on Denmark and Norway, the German armoured divisions crashed through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and into France, comprehensively outmanoeuvring the Allied forces. British forces (and some French and Belgians) were evacuated from the port of Dunkirk, while France surrendered after about six weeks of fighting.
Blitzkrieg media
- Dunkirk (1958) a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits in the British army try to make their way to the titular port amongst the chaos of the Blitzkrieg.
- Atonement (2007) features a modern depiction of the evacuation of Dunkirk.
Blitzkrieg tropes
With France gone, Britain stood alone and as a preliminary to invasion the German air force (the
Luftwaffe) began a bombing campaign to knock out the Royal Air Force and gain air superiority. However, a combination of factors - not least being the excellent British fighter aircraft, well-trained pilots and Radar control system - meant that the "Battle of Britain" was Germany's first major defeat of the war. As 1940 entered the autumn and winter, Germany switched to heavy night-time bombing raids of London particularly but also other British cities in an attempt to bombard the British into submission. This campaign is known as "The Blitz".
Churchill's inspirational speeches are often credited with keeping British morale up during this darkest of hours, and his reference to this being the British Empire's "Finest Hour" has passed into popular folklore - the British remain immensely proud of the nation's conduct during the summer of 1940.
Battle of Britain & Blitz works
- Battle Of Britain (1969) - an All-Star Cast and Loads and Loads of Characters tell the story of the battle.
- Dark Blue World (2001) - Czech pilots fly in the battle.
- Hope and Glory (1987) - A British family sticks together during the Blitz.
Battle of Britain & Blitz tropes
