User:Nobs/Grand Alliance of World War II

Grand Alliance of World War II

The Grand Alliance of World II came into being as the War unfolded and progressed. After Nazi Germany had occupied the remains of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, the British ambassador was recalled from Berlin and Neville Chamberlain declared that if Hitler attacked Poland, considered next in turn for an assault by the Third Reich, then the UK and France would give Poland "all support in their power", a promise soon also given to Greece and the later Axis member Romania after Italy's conquest of Albania on April 7, 1939.

A formal military alliance was concluded between the UK, France and Poland on April 6th, 1939, whereafter also the Soviet Union initiated alliance negotiations, although unsuccessfully. The Soviet Union instead agreed with Nazi-Germany in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 23 August 1939.

The Big 3 Alliance of the British Commonwealth of Nations, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics with her Comintern allies (some governmental, some not) and the United States of America with its Pan-American Union allies emerged in the latter half of the War as the United Nations Organization (later the United Nations) when it was formed following the war. The founding members of the United Nations Organization were the Allies, at least in the sense of having declared war on Germany before the end.

By the War's end, the alliance system looked very different from what it looked like in 1938 and 1938. Several "neutrals" in 1939 in fact became belligerent powers on one side or the other.

===Neutrals=== (in 1939)

Oslo Group of States

Original Allies

These countries were allied to each other by a net of common defence pacts and military alliance pacts signed before the war. The Franco-British Alliance dated back to the Entente Cordiale of 1904 and the Triple Entente of 1907, active during the World War I. The Franco-Polish Alliance was signed in 1921 and then amended in 1927 and 1939. The original allies were the states that declared war on Nazi Germany in September of 1939, thus starting the World War II.

The Commonwealth

In addition to Britain, several independent members of the Commonwealth of Nations, known as the Dominions, declared war on Germany separately, either on the same day, or soon afterwards:

Commonwealth of Australia (from September 3, 1939)
Dominion of New Zealand (from September 3, 1939)
Union of South Africa (from September 6, 1939)
Canada (from September 10, 1939)

India and many other crown colonies were under direct rule by the United Kingdom, and were therefore considered to be at war from the same date as the UK.

=== Atlantic Charter === The Atlantic Conference : Resolution of September 24, 1941

The dates given below are for entry into the war.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (from September 3, 1939)
United States of America (from December 8 1941)
Kingdom of Belgium (invaded by Germany, May 10, 1940)
Czechoslovak Republic (seized by Germany, September 29, 1938 as part of the Munich Agreement)
Kingdom of Greece (invaded by Italy, October 28, 1940)
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (invaded by Germany, May 10, 1940)
Kingdom of the Netherlands (invaded by Germany, May 10, 1940)
Kingdom of Norway (invaded by Germany, April 9, 1940)
Republic of Poland (invaded by Germany and Russia in September 1939)
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (from June 22, 1941)
Kingdom of Yugoslavia (invaded by Germany, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, April 6, 1941)
Free France (from Charles De Gaulle's the Appeal of June 18, 1940)

The Polish government in exile, after 1939 continued the Polish contribution to World War II on several fronts with hundreds of thousand of members in the Polish Army in France and UK, as well as the Home Army in occupied Poland. The Soviet Union however, did not recognize the government and in 1943 organized the Polish People's Army under Rokossovsky, around which eventually became the post-war successor state.

British, Dutch and French colonies fought alongside their mother countries, and many continued their contribution also when the mother countries were occupied.

Comintern

United Nations Declaration

Declaration by United Nations, January 1, 1942

(Note: During 1942 the Declaration was adhered to by Mexico, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, and Ethiopia; in the first four months of 1943, it was adhered to by Iraq, Brazil, and Bolivia.

===Tripartite Treaty of Alliance === 29 January 1942

=== Pan American Union === [3] (21 members)

Havana Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American Republics, July 21-30,1940

(Final Act of the Second Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American Republics at Habana, Cuba, July 30, 1940)

Other Allies

Kuomintang (from December 9 1941)

From July 1944, a Brazilian Expeditionary Force of 25,000 personnel joined the Allies in the Italian campaign. The other countries in this group contributed support units, small combat forces, or to lesser degrees.

(The Irish Free State was sometimes referred to as "a neutral ally". While theoretically a neutral country, pro-Allied and anti-Axis sentiment in the population enabled the government to covertly favor the Allies in matters including supplies, shipping, and use of ports and airfields. However, a few elements of the IRA actively supported Germany due to hostility towards Britain.)

Sympathisers

Some countries, while remaining neutral, managed to favour the Allies in certain respects. This includes Éire, where popular support favoured the Allies. It is estimated that 70,000 people from Éire served in various Allied armed forces, whereas almost none served with Axis forces.