Second World War Europe Colouring Map - Free Printable

Let’s solve this step by step.

The task is to color countries on a map of Europe during World War II based on which side they were on: Allies, Axis, Axis-controlled, or Neutral.

First, let’s understand what each group means:

- Allies: Countries that fought against the Axis powers. Main ones include United Kingdom, Soviet Union (USSR), France (before 1940), and later USA (but USA isn’t in Europe).
- Axis: The main aggressors — Germany, Italy, Japan (Japan not in Europe). In Europe: Germany and Italy.
- Axis-controlled: Countries taken over or forced to join the Axis — like Poland (invaded by Germany), Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia (partially), Greece (occupied), etc.
- Neutral: Countries that did not take sides — Sweden, Switzerland, Spain (though Franco was friendly to Axis, officially neutral), Portugal, Ireland, Turkey (until 1945).

Now, let’s go country by country on the map (based on typical WWII maps):

Allies (color one way):
- United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland)
- USSR (Soviet Union — big country in east)
- France (until 1940; after that, Free French still counted as Allied, but for simplicity, often colored as Allied if pre-1940)
- Norway? No — occupied by Germany → Axis-controlled
- Denmark? Occupied → Axis-controlled
- Netherlands? Occupied → Axis-controlled
- Belgium? Occupied → Axis-controlled
- Luxembourg? Occupied → Axis-controlled
- Greece? Invaded by Italy/Germany → Axis-controlled
- Yugoslavia? Invaded → Axis-controlled

Wait — actually, some countries joined Allies later. But for school-level maps, we usually use early-war alignment or official status.

Better approach: Use standard classification for educational maps:

✔ Allies:
- United Kingdom
- Soviet Union
- France (sometimes shown as split, but often colored Allied before fall)
- Poland (invaded but considered Allied)
- Czechoslovakia (government-in-exile, so sometimes Allied — but often marked as occupied)
→ For simplicity in coloring tasks, often only UK and USSR are clearly “Allies” on the map, plus maybe France and Poland.

But looking at common key legends for such worksheets:

Typical legend might be:
- Green = Allies
- Red = Axis
- Yellow = Axis-controlled
- Blue = Neutral

So let’s assign:

Axis (the core aggressors):
- Germany
- Italy

Axis-controlled (occupied or puppet states):
- Austria (annexed by Germany)
- Czechoslovakia (occupied)
- Poland (occupied)
- Denmark
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- France (after 1940 — Vichy France collaborated, so often colored Axis-controlled)
- Yugoslavia (invaded)
- Greece (invaded)
- Albania (Italian then German control)
- Hungary (joined Axis in 1940)
- Romania (joined Axis)
- Bulgaria (joined Axis)
- Slovakia (puppet state)
- Croatia (puppet state)

Neutral:
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Spain
- Portugal
- Ireland
- Turkey (until Feb 1945, so mostly neutral during war)
- Finland? Tricky — fought with Germany against USSR but didn’t sign Tripartite Pact → often called “co-belligerent”, but for school maps, sometimes grouped with Axis-controlled or separate. Usually, for simplicity, may be left out or colored neutral.

Allies:
- United Kingdom
- Soviet Union
- France (if showing pre-1940, or Free France — but often colored Allied)
- Poland (even though occupied, it’s an Ally)
- Maybe Czechoslovakia (government-in-exile)

But again — for a simple coloring worksheet, they likely expect:

🟩 Allies: UK, USSR, France, Poland
🟥 Axis: Germany, Italy
🟨 Axis-controlled: All others invaded or forced into Axis (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, possibly Finland)
🟦 Neutral: Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey

Wait — let’s check a reliable source mentally: Standard WWII European alignment for education:

Actually, many textbooks simplify:

- Allies: Britain, Russia (USSR), USA (not on map), France (until 1940), Poland
- Axis: Germany, Italy
- Occupied/Controlled: Everything else except neutrals
- Neutral: Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey

Finland is tricky — they fought Soviets alongside Germans but weren’t formal Axis. Often omitted or colored neutral in simple maps.

For this worksheet, since it says “use the key on the map”, and the key has 4 categories, we’ll assume:

Final Assignment (for coloring):

Allies (e.g., green):
- United Kingdom
- Soviet Union
- France
- Poland

Axis (e.g., red):
- Germany
- Italy

Axis-controlled (e.g., yellow):
- Austria
- Czechoslovakia
- Denmark
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- Yugoslavia
- Greece
- Albania
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Slovakia
- Croatia
- Possibly Finland (if included)

Neutral (e.g., blue):
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Spain
- Portugal
- Ireland
- Turkey

Note: Some maps may show France as partially occupied — but for simplicity, often entire France is colored Axis-controlled after 1940. However, since the title is “Europe during the Second World War”, and no specific year, we go with general alignment.

Also, Iceland? Not usually on these maps. Greenland? No.

Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)? Occupied by USSR then Germany — often colored Axis-controlled.

But again — for a student worksheet, keep it simple.

Let me verify with common answer keys for similar worksheets:

Upon recall, a typical correct coloring would be:

- Allies: UK, USSR, France, Poland
- Axis: Germany, Italy
- Axis-controlled: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
- Neutral: Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey

Finland is sometimes listed separately, but if must choose, often put in Axis-controlled due to co-belligerence.

But to avoid overcomplicating for a student, here’s the safe, standard answer:

Final Answer:

Color the countries as follows:

- Allies: United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France, Poland
- Axis: Germany, Italy
- Axis-controlled: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, Greece, Albania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
- Neutral: Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey

(Note: If Finland is on your map, you can color it Axis-controlled or ask your teacher — it’s a special case.)

This matches most educational materials for this level.