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Hitler's Rise to Power
Adolf Hitler is apppointed Chancellor of Germany. Through a combination of legal means and violence, his government makes the Nazi Party the only legal political party in Germany and establishes a dictatorship.Germany begins legal discrimination against Jews. -
Germany and Italy form an Alliance
Hitler wanted Italy as an ally because Italy could have attacked Germany while Germany was fighting other countries. Another reason could have been because Germany didn't have many ally's. Finally because Germany wanted some control over the Meditteranean, because it would make it easier for Germany to attack other countries, and intercept enemy ships. -
"The Raping of Nanking"
Japan begins invading China. This invasion started the second Sino-Japanese War, which eventually became part of World War II. Germany provided support for the Japanese once this happened. After the falling of Nanking, the capitol of the Chinese Republic, thousands of civilians were killed in their own homes. After many of the people were dead, thousands of women and children were raped and murdered by the soldiers of Japan. -
Germany Begins European Invasion
Germany attacks western Europe -- France and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established. -
Attack of Pearl Harbor
The Japanese success was overwhelming, but it was not complete. They failed to damage any United States aircraft carriers. They did not damage any shore side facilities at the Pearl Harbor Naval base, which played an important role in the Allied victory. American technology repaired all but three of the ships sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor during the first and second wave of the surprise attack. This attack rallied the people of America to the point of action; America had joined World War II. -
Mass Murder at Auschwitz Begins
Auschwitz was the deadliest of the concentration camps during the Holocaust of World War II. It was large camp with about 45 sub-camps all within less than 5 miles away from the main station. Built from the ruins of an old Polish military base, Auschwitz was responsible for around 1.1-1.5 million deaths, of which were about 90% Jewish. -
Battle of Midway
June saw the peak of Japanese expansion. The Battle of Midway, in which US sea-based aircraft destroyed four Japanese carriers and a cruiser, marked the turning point in the Pacific War. The key at Midway was intelligence, specifically US Naval Intelligence. The Navy had long before had some success decoding Japanese Navy codes. In the days leading up to the Midway battle, the Navy's decoders were able to determine that Midway would be attacked by the Japanese. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The battle took place between 17 July 1942 and 2 February 1943 and was among the largest on the Eastern Front, and was marked by its brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties. It was amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million deaths. In the defeat, the crippling losses suffered by Germany's military proved to be insurmountable for the war. The battle was a turning point in the war. -
Invasion of Normandy Beaches (D-Day)
French, British, and American coalition attacked the Germans on the beaches of Normandy, France. Allied forces landed in 5 different zones, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. These beaches were choosen becasue of their lack of defence and it gave the Allies an aerial advantage. After dropping almost 30,000 men by air, they sent in waves of foot soldiers in duck boats that landed directly on the beaches. This hectic tactic casued much confusion that helped the Allies to win the invasion. -
Battle of the Bulge
US, and allied forces, were attaacked by the Germans who believede they were gaining to much power. Hitler’s plan was to launch a massive attack using three armies on the Allies which would, in his mind, destabilise their accord and also take the huge port of Antwerp through which a great deal of supplies was reaching the Allies. the success of the Germans lasted just two days. Despite punching a bulge into the Allies front line, the Germans could not capitalise on this. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
America and the allies in the Pacific War had the ascendancy. In the west, the Japanese were being turned back in Burma and island hopping had isolated Japanese forces in the eastern sector. Combined with the attacks on Iwo Jima, was America’s desire to finally destroy Japan’s merchant fleet so that the Japanese mainland could not be supplied from the food-rich sectors of South East Asia which Japan still had control over. Linked to this, was the destruction of Japan’s remaining industry. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Enemies were closing in on him from all sides, and there was no way to escape; he knew he had failed. He wasn't sure what they would do to him when they caught him, but knew it would probably be a life of torture, imprisonment and humiliation. He wanted a quick dignified death, and he wanted to die with honour, and with his beloved wife. They took cynanide and had people shoot them, then his soldiers burned their bodies so their remains would not be desecrated. This of course is just one theory. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
"Little Boy" the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima killed an estimated 166,000 people, half of which occured in the first day. 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
Even after we had bombed Hiroshima, we needed to make a lasting impression on the Japanese nation. "Fat Man", the seconf bomb, was dropped at Nagasaki as part of a test of sorts. The bowl shaped mountains that Nagasaki was in it was a perfect place to drop an atomic bomb. Many people did not know the effects that an atomic bomb would so they used Nagasaki as the testing grounds. -
Japan Surrenders, World War II is Over
After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan realized that they were not going to win the war. They not only became severely damaged and discouraged from the bombings; they lost their goods supplies when Germany was conquered. They no longer had the man power to fight, the goods to supply a country, or the energy to keep fighting. When the U.S. offered them a contract of surrender, they accepted, officially ending World War II.
