Question

in 1940, hitler indicated his switch to military conquest rather than annexation by invading
belgium and the netherlands.
poland and russia.
austria and czechoslovakia.
turkey and sweden.

Explanation:

Annexation (like Austria 1938, Czechoslovakia 1939) involved forced political absorption without full-scale invasion of a sovereign state. In 1940, Hitler invaded Belgium and the Netherlands as part of a full military conquest campaign (the Battle of France), marking a shift from annexation to overt military takeover of independent nations. Poland was invaded in 1939, Russia (USSR) in 1941, and the other options do not align with 1940 events.

Answer:

A. Belgium and the Netherlands.