The History of World War 2 (EXTRA: Environments of WW2)

During World War 2, soldiers in the competing factions have gone through all kinds of environments since the war was fought in virtually all of the continents of the world (except for South America and Australia).

## Forests

Forests were pretty common for quite a bit of soldiers. The Nazi Blitzkrieg came across a lot of forests especially in their invasion of France (especially in the Ardiennes which is a thick forest). Some trees can provide some cover from enemy fire, but because the areas are so narrow between the trees, it can make bringing in tanks, vehicles and even supplies quite difficult. If  there's a thick fog covering the forest, it can make seeing very difficult, perhaps next to impossible. That is what the Allies had to contend with during the *Battle of the Buldge* as the Ardiennes was often covered in fog during the winter, and the thick forests made things difficult for both the Allies and the Nazis.

## Desert

Deserts as we all know are the driest and hottest places on Earth as the temperature can get up to 100° Fahrenheit during the summer, and because it's also dry, water is a must or you won't survive.

Unlike the forest, the desert is also an open area, meaning that there is no cover, except for your own tanks and other vehicles, and even then they're not safe when they're destroyed as the fire from the destroyed vehicle or tank could cause another explosion when the fire reaches the full fuel tank.

In 1940, the Nazis and the Italians invaded the deserts in North Africa conquering lands in the area. But around 1942, the Brits defeated the Nazis at *El Alamein*. The American forces arrived in North Africa a few months later and suffered defeat at Kasserine Pass (until Bernard Montgomery's forces came in and forced into retreat).

## Jungle

Jungles were also traversed during the war. Now it doesn't get nearly as hot as the desert (as the temperature can be around 70° to 90° Fahrenheit) but the humidity can be very stifling especially in the summer (though the Jungle can be hot all year round in some places.

There's also the danger of having to deal with deadly animals such as snakes, spiders and scorpions which can kill soldiers with their stings and bites, though anti-venom can be administered by combat medics, but they weren't always readily available.

Diseases were also a problem as well (especially from Mosquitoes) and medicine (like anti-venom) wasn't always available especially if supplies were cut off.

The Japanese, the Americans and other colonists had this problem when they were in areas in Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. The islands also had other problems especially if the island was surrounded by hostile forces, cutting off precious supplies. This became more and more of a problem for the Japanese when the war looked all the more hopeless for them as the USA was cutting off their shipping.

## Snow Fields

Fields of snow was also traversed in the war. The snow made it very difficult for soldiers and especially tanks and other vehicles to move as it can be very slippery or in some places, the snow can be so deep which can make moving impossible, this can be a problem for supplies if they begin to run out. During a snowstorm, it can make it impossible to see out in the distance and in some cases it can get so cold (below freezing or 32° Fahrenheit) that soldiers could suffer from hypothermia.

When the Nazi Blitzkrieg focused their attention on the USSR, they had to deal with these conditions. This point was made clear during the Battle of Stalingrad when the Russian winter settled in. This was a huge problem or the Nazis as weapons began to not work and supplies began to run out, the Nazis also realize that the winter gear that the Soviets used worked better than what the Nazis had, and began to use them to survive. But in the end, they surrendered, which dispelled the belief that the Nazis were "supermen".

## Open Ocean

The Open Ocean was definitely traversed by a lot of the competing factions. Now, not an immediate problem like a Desert or a Jungle. But the Open Ocean can be dangerous under the right (or wrong) circumstances.

During the former parts of the Battle of the Atlantic where the British Fleet went up against the Nazi Kriegsmarine, many ships were lost, but it wasn't until the Nazis adopted new Submarine tactics with their U-boats is when the real danger came. The Nazi U-Boat fleet was so successful in sinking British merchant ships that this forced Britain's hand to negotiating with the USA to help the British.

But, ships and sailors on all sides knew that guns and Torpedoes weren't the only thing that can destroy a fleet. It can also be nature. In December of 1944, a US Fleet led by US Admiral *William Halsey Jr*. ran right into an Out-of-a-Season Typhoon (named Cobra) while he was ordered to aid General *Douglas McArthur'*s campaign on the Philippine island of Mindoro. Because sattelites weren't invented yet, Halsey unwittingly led his Fleet (called the Third Fleet) into Typhoon Cobra. The Third Fleet suffered major damage and couldn't help in the land campaign in Mindoro.

Well, that is it for this Extra page of World War 2. Don't forget to check out my other pages as well as my Games and Movies wikis. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.