Italy intervened in the Spanish Civil War on the side of General Francisco Franco, annexed Albania in 1939. What angered nations the most was Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia because Mussolini sent an army of 250,000 soldiers armed with tanks, poison gas, artillery, and aircraft to conquer the Ethiopians who were unprepared. 275,000 Ethiopians lost their lives as a result.
Operation Barbarossa was Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union. Germany used similar tactics that were effective in Poland and Western Europe. However, the Germans underestimated the Soviet’s Red Army and these tactics were not effective in vast expanses of Russia. The Red Army also militarized 360 divisions versus Germany’s 150. Also, Germans were not prepared for Russia’s harsh winter conditions, which thousands died or underwent amputation due to frostbite. Overall, 800,000 German soldiers died in battle in Russia.
The Japanese hoped to destroy America’s navy in the Pacific with an attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. More than 350 bombers, fighters, and torpedo planes struck into two waves, which sank or disabled eighteen ships and two hundred aircrafts. Additionally, on December 11, 1941, Hitler and Mussolini declared war on the U.S.
