<P> On 10 June, Italy invaded France, declaring war on both France and the United Kingdom . Paris fell to the Germans on 14 June and eight days later France signed an armistice with Germany and was soon divided into German and Italian occupation zones, and an unoccupied rump state under the Vichy Regime, which, though officially neutral, was generally aligned with Germany . France kept its fleet but the British feared the Germans would seize it, so on 3 July, the British attacked it . </P> <P> The Battle of Britain began in early July with Luftwaffe attacks on shipping and harbours . On 19 July, Hitler again publicly offered to end the war, saying he had no desire to destroy the British Empire . The United Kingdom rejected this ultimatum . The main German air superiority campaign started in August but failed to defeat RAF Fighter Command, and a proposed invasion was postponed indefinitely on 17 September . The German strategic bombing offensive intensified as night attacks on London and other cities in the Blitz, but largely failed to disrupt the British war effort . </P> <P> Using newly captured French ports, the German Navy enjoyed success against an over-extended Royal Navy, using U-boats against British shipping in the Atlantic . The British scored a significant victory on 27 May 1941 by sinking the German battleship Bismarck . Perhaps most importantly, during the Battle of Britain the Royal Air Force had successfully resisted the Luftwaffe's assault, and the German bombing campaign largely ended in May 1941 . </P> <P> Throughout this period, the neutral United States took measures to assist China and the Western Allies . In November 1939, the American Neutrality Act was amended to allow "cash and carry" purchases by the Allies . In 1940, following the German capture of Paris, the size of the United States Navy was significantly increased . In September, the United States further agreed to a trade of American destroyers for British bases . Still, a large majority of the American public continued to oppose any direct military intervention into the conflict well into 1941 . </P>

Information about the end of world war 2