Hitler wanted to acquire Lebensraum (living space) for Germany after his ascension to chancellor in 1933. He built an empire for Germany through the following gains/conquests:

Saar and Rhineland (1936): In open defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler marched 3 battalions of ill-equipped German troops into the Rhineland to claim it for Germany. France had a standing army of more than 1 million men, more than enough to handle the forces Hitler sent, but allowed Hitler to occupy the Rhineland.
Austria (1938): Through political manipulation, Hitler was able to have the Austrian people vote in favor of being annexed by Germany. Under pressure from the people the Austrian government relented, and allowed their country to be annexed.
Czechoslovakia (1938-1939): Hitler first took the Sudetenland, as he had demanded in the Munich Pact, and then in early 1939 proceeded to march German troops into the remainder of Czechoslovakia and occupy the country. Not a sound came from the British or the French in response to this latest maneuver by Hitler.
Poland (1939): Hitler invaded western Poland and overran it in a few weeks, stopping at the agreed-upon line down the middle of Poland while the Russians conquered eastern Poland
Denmark (1940): Hitler overran Denmark and created a foothold for his divisions before the invasion of Norway.
Norway (1940): Hitler invaded and conquered Norway to block British and French access to the Baltic Sea and other bodies of water to the east.
Luxembourg, France, Belgium, and Holland (1940): In one sweeping offensive Hitler conquered every single nation west of the German border all the way to the eastern Spanish border. Britain remained independent of this conquest, but their armies were hammered by the German campaign.
Lithuania (1940): The Germans occupied Lithuania as per the Nazi-Soviet Pact agreement.
Greece (1940): When Mussolini's invasion of Greece floundered, the Germans invaded to assist their ally and conquered Greece.
Western USSR (Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Belarus, western Russia): In a half-surprise move the Germans attacked their former ally, and pushed all the way to Moscow before the Russians finally managed to stop their sweeping offensive campaign.
North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, most of Egypt): Again bailing out his faltering Italian ally, Hitler sent troops to North Africa to help the Italians. That move resulted in the conquest of Algeria and Tunisia, as well as the majority of Egypt, to add to the vast amount of land Germany already controlled.
Italy (1943): When the Allies invaded Italy, Mussolini was overthrown and the replacement government threatened to defect to the Allies. The Germans responded by invading and conquering the northern part of Italy, which at that point was still untouched by the Allied forces.
Hungary (1944): When the Soviet forces came west in their gigantic offensive campaign to crush the Germans, the Hungarians began leaning towards defecting to the Russians. Refusing to allow his former ally to leave him, Hitler sent troops, which promptly conquered Hungary and added it to the dwindling German empire.
Bulgaria (1944): Conquered for the same reasons as Hungary.
Romania (1944): Conquered for the same reasons as Hungary.
Yugoslavia (1944): Conquered fully for the same reasons as Hungary.

Resources

Top Categories

Product

Company