Causes Of The Phony War

The Phony War was, in short, the period from September 3rd, 1939, to May 10th, 1940, starting with the German Invasion of Poland and the subsequent Anglo-French declarations of war and ending with the German invasion of the low countries and France. During this period, the allies abandoned their promise to Poland, the Soviet Union invaded Finland, and Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. It was a period of silence from the allies in which no material military movements or operations took place. On September 1st, 1939, German troops marched into Poland and the Second World War was to begin. The Nazis, utilizing their superior organization, technology, and tactics, swept through Poland at an unprecedented rate. On September 17th, the Soviet Union invaded from the east and the Polish defense would soon crumble under the might of these two great military powers. On October 6th, the invasion of Poland had ended. The Poles had been defeated at the Battle of Kock and the Soviets and Nazis now had full control of the country. But there was no response. The British and French declarations of war on September 3rd were little more than gesture. The occasional combat on the air and ground punctuated the western …show more content…
In hopes to ensure hegemony over the nations on its periphery, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. On November 30th, Soviet troops entered Finland and met fierce resistance. The Finnish troops, recently having gained their independence, where fighting with their backs up against a wall and fought as such. Their efforts were such that the Soviet invasion was substantially slowed; the campaign lasted for slightly over three months and ended on March 13th, 1940. During this period, public opinion in both Britain and France heavily favored the Finns. Thusly, the allies began mustering troops in an attempt to aid the Finns in their defense, but were diverted to the upcoming Norwegian campaign