What was the trigger for the 2nd World War? When did it begin and when and where did it end? What was the course of the war like? What was the impact of World War II on Austria and Vienna? How much was the city damaged?
An attempt at a brief summary could look like this: With the surprising attack on Poland on September 1, 1939 began the World War II. Hitler, as the leader of the German Reich, wanted to conquer Eastern Europe. After initial successes, the war turned in 1943/43. Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union joined together in a coalition. The German Wehrmacht had to surrender in 1945 and
World War 2 officially ended on May 8, 1945. Hitler’s lightning raid on Poland on September 1, 1939 is considered the trigger of the World War II. How did it come about? First, we have to go back a few years to 1933. Adolf Hitler, upon his appointment as German Chancellor in 1933, already expressed intentions about the “conquest of the East” at that time, which many did not want to believe. The situation became more and more acute and with the pogrom night of 1938 the Nazi regime showed what it was capable of. Hitler’s statements about a war in Europe and the final annihilation of Jewry were hardly taken seriously. The attack on Poland was justified by provocations and border violations by Poland. People looked forward to the events with fear; no one wanted to experience another war so soon after World War 1. However, the initial successes of the National Socialists soon turned into war euphoria. As a result, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Initially, the German Wehrmacht was successful against France. They crossed Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg. France had to capitulate and agree to the Compiege Armistice in June 1940. The German Wehrmacht suffered its first defeat in the air battle over England in the fall of 1940. The British were superior in the air. The next destination was the Soviet Union. In June 1941, the German Wehrmacht launched “Unternehmen Barbarossa”, meaning the invasion of the Soviet Union. After initial war successes, the siege of Leningrad and the attack on Moscow began The Battle of Stalingrad in 1942/43 was the turning point of
2nd World War.
As in the First World War, they failed due to the unfavorable temperatures and ground conditions. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, the USA also entered the war and it escalated into a war in the Pacific. The nuclear bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 was part of a warfare that knew no bounds. The USA; Great Britain and the Soviet Union formed an “anti-Hitler coalition”. Italy capitulated to the Allies in 1943 and ceased to be an ally of the German Reich. The Allied landing in Normandy in June 1944 marked another important step in the course of the war. The German Empire was now being pressed from all sides. At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met to discuss further steps and the political future of Germany. Hitler saw no way out and committed suicide in the Führerbunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945. The unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht took place on May 8, 1945. How did things look in Vienna at this time? Here, disaster seemed to take its course as early as March 1938.
The Anschluss took place on March 12, 1938, when German troops marched into Austria and Austria was incorporated into the National Socialist German Reich. When war broke out in 1939, food was rationed in Vienna. Ration coupons were issued for food and essential daily products. This was the case until the end of the war in 1945. The first deportations of the Jewish population began in October 1939 and continued until the end of 1942. From 1942 onwards, more of the armaments factories were relocated to the Vienna area and Wiener Neustadt, as there was no air war here yet. This was to change later. From April 1944 to March 1945, 115 alarms were given over the radio. From the cuckoo calls, the population recognized that it was time to flee to the air raid shelters. About 52 major attacks followed. Flak towers were built and are still silent witnesses of this dark time. For example, the flak tower in the Stiftskaserne provided shelter for around 15,000 people. Vienna was bombed particularly badly on March 12, 1945. Extensive damage was caused in Vienna’s city center, e.g. to the State Opera, Albertina, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Burgtheater, Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Danube Canal. The battle for Vienna in the urban area lasted from April 6 – 13, 1945. Children and women were asked to leave the city days before. Soviet troops captured Vienna from the west. They reached Gürtel, Ringstraße, Donaukanal – the bridges on the canal were blown up. On April 13, the last German soldiers withdrew. The restoration of democratic administration under Allied occupation took place. Theodor Körner became mayor of Vienna and formed the city government. The Allied air raids claimed almost 9,000 lives in Vienna – around 21% of Vienna’s houses were destroyed. Infrastructure also suffered, as there was damage to gas and water lines and sewers. Vienna’s markets were also hit, e.g. the Karmelitermarkt and the Floridsdorfer Markt burned down. These were terrible war crimes that were used in the Second World War. Over a million people were left to starve, prisoners of war were deported to labor camps. In Poland, many extermination slangers were created. The Holocaust was the worst crime of the 20th century. Mass shootings and medical experiments occurred. The number of victims of the Second World War is between 55 and 65 million people. Time Travel Tip: Where in Vienna can you find traces of the See World War 2? At Time Travel itself, you can relive a simulated air raid in a bunker. Flak towers in the cityscape are also a reminder of the World War 2, e.g. in the Augarten, in the House of the Sea or in the Ahrenberg Park in the 3rd District. The House of History and the Museum of Military History are also in good hands in this respect. More information: hdgö – Haus der Geschichte Österreich (hdgoe.at) Home – Museum of Military History (hgm.at) Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B-17_Flying_Fortress.jpg?uselang=de
