Germany, Italy and Japan align

28th September 1940: Plenty of people around the world believe the future belongs to Hitler, as there is growing evidence he is preparing for a long war

After signing the Tripartite Pact on September 27, 1940, Japanese Ambassador to Germany Saburo Kurusu addresses a gathering in Berlin. Hitler (right) and Italian Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo Ciano look on.

The enthusiastic German public response to the war was now cooling. Hopes had been high after the fall of France, that having exacted his revenge f…