History of Europe

Who helped in German aggression?

1. Benito Mussolini and Fascist Italy

* Mussolini came to power in Italy in 1922 and admired Hitler.

* He was a firm believer in the concept of a "Greater Italy" that would include territories in North Africa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea.

* Mussolini provided financial and military assistance to Hitler's regime, including sending troops to fight alongside the Germans in the Spanish Civil War.

2. Francisco Franco and Fascist Spain

* Franco came to power in Spain in 1939 after a bloody civil war.

* He was a staunch anti-communist and saw Hitler's Germany as a natural ally against the Soviet Union.

* Franco provided military intelligence to Hitler and allowed German U-boats to use Spanish ports.

3. Emperor Hirohito and Imperial Japan

* Hirohito was the emperor of Japan during World War II.

* He was a nationalist and believed in the concept of a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" that would include territories in China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean.

* Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in 1940, which was a mutual defense agreement.

4. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

* Yamamoto was the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

* He was a brilliant strategist and led the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

* Yamamoto was killed in action in 1943.

5. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

* Rommel was one of the most famous German generals of World War II.

* He commanded the Afrika Korps in North Africa and was known as the "Desert Fox" because of his tactical brilliance.

* Rommel committed suicide in 1944 after being implicated in a plot to assassinate Hitler.