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Nonagression Pact
The USSR and German leaders Hitler and Stalin signed the the nonagression pact on August 23, 1939. The pact made peace between the two countries. Hitler wanted the pact so that he would not fight a war on both sides of his country. The pact was soon after broken, and Hitler's nightmare came true. -
German Invasion of Poland
Considered the start of WWII, Hitler launches an assault on Poland, using Blitzkrieg tactics and heavy bombing and artillery, the Germans took Poland in three weaks. The germans then annexed the western half, who were mostly of german descent. The new tactic worked very well, and would be used throughout the war. -
Phoney War
After the invasion of Poland, France and Britain both declared war on Germany. They mobilized troops on the Maginot line, a sereis of fortifications on the broder between France and Germany. They waited for the German attack, but one never came. The "war" lasted for 7 months, until the Germans launched a surprise attack on denmark and Norway. -
Battle for France
On this date, Italian and German forces joined together, pushing the Allies up and out of France toward the British channel. They ended up in the city of Lille. Later on, they were pushed to the city of Dunkirk, where British naval and civilian ships rescued the remaining soldiers. Once back in Britian, a French leader named Charles de Gaulle started a French resistance group, which helped those soldiers still in France. It also became an important part of the wr efforts later on. -
Battle of Britain
In early 1940 the Luftwaffe, or German air force commenced bombing Britain, in attempts to take it over. Winston Churchhill, the prime minister of Britain at the time, conducted the RAF, or Royal Air Force, to counter attack the Blitzkrieg. Although the country took a lot of damage, the Lufftwaffe were repelled and Britain was saved. -
Italian Invasion of Egypt
In September 1940, the Italian dictator Mussolini moved part of his army into Egypt and other parts of Northern Africa, in an attempt to seize British controlled Egypt and access the Suez Canal, which led to Middle Eastern oil fields. The campeign eventually failed after a few victories in Tobruk and Agheila. -
German invasion of the Balkans
On this date, the German forces attacked Yugoslavia and Greece, the two resistant countries in the Balkans. Hitlar did so because he wanted to go throught the Balkans when he invaded Russia, and he didn't want resistance when he moved his trops through. The battles were very brief, both countries fell before the end of the month, however it was an important move because it gave Hiter and important advantage when he decided to stab his ally Russia in the back. -
Pearl Harbor
On this date, the Japanese, a member of the axis powers, surprised attacked Pearl Harbor, a United States military base located on one of the Hawaii islands. This attack caused FDR, the current US president, to go to war against Japan and the other Axis powers, meaning the US were now part of the Ally forces. -
FDR Speech
On this date, Franklin Delanor Roosevelt solidified his place as one of the most influential American Presidents of all time. This was the day after the Pearl Harbor attacks, and he needed to calm the country down and yet fire them up at the same time. His speech informed the American public that the Japanese had attcked them, an nnocent country, as well as other islands around the Pacific area. It also showed he would not stand for this, and he wanted to go to war. The americans declared war. -
Battan Death March
On this date the battle on the Battan peninsula in the Philipines began. Befoe the battle, the Japanese blokaded the island, so the Americans could not get food and medical supplies. Even so, the Americans won severla battles, but it severly weakened the army. TheJpanese finally got them to surrender, and they were marched, starved and tired, 65 miles to camp o'donnell. Even at the camp, the conditions were terrible. In the battle, the march, and the camp, 2/3 of the original US force died. -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese wanted to attack the island of Midway, an important American outpost. They also wanted to heavily damage the American Fleet. They set up divirsions in other parts of the pacific, to try and split up the American fleet. The Americans cracked Japanese code and found out their plan. The Americans intercepted the Japanese fleet, and sunk 3 of 4 aircraft carriers.Both sides retreated, but it is considered an Allied victory. -
El Alamein
On this date, the battle important battle of El Alamein begain. The Axis powers wanted to invade Egypt and other parts of North Africa because the British had a lot of oil fields there. The Axis tried and tried, but they could not break the British defenses, even after their previos victories in the North Africa campeign. In the second batle there, the allies pushed the axis powers' forces out. -
Stalingrad
On this date, the Germans surrounded the Russian city of Stalin grad after heavily bombing it to near rubble. Even though much of the city was destroyed, Stalin ordered his commanders to defend the city no matter what. The Germans controlled 90% of the city, but winter was starting. This caused major problems for the Germans, who eventually surrendered because of the Soviet counter attack, which was to cut off supply lines to the Germans inside the city. The Germans were then put on the defense. -
D-day
On this date one of the most famous WWII battles accoured, the invasion of Normandy. Allied forces attacked five seperate beaches on the northern shore of France. The battles were fierce, and many lives were lost, but the Allies won, and forced the Germans to retreat. The Allies finally got a foothold in mainland Europe.This a turning point in the war, because the Germans were now being pushed back on both sides. -
Battle of the Bulge
In Hitlers last counter attack, known as the battle of the bulge, he made one last push west. He boke through weak British and American defenses, and made what looked like a bulge on the front. The Allies quickly recovered and pushed the Germans back, forcing them to retreat. The Germans at this point were running out of men and running out of time. -
Yalta Confrence
In February 1945, the leaders of the most powerful countries in the Allied forces, Stalin, Churchill, and FDR met in Yalta to discuss postwar problems. They agrred to divide Germany into 4 zones, one controlled by France, Russia, US, and Britain. Germany also had to pay Russia for the loss of property and life. Stalin also agreed to let eastern Europeans have their own elections, eveb though they were fixed. -
Iwo Jima
On this date, the fighting over the island of Iwo Jima commenced. The island was the last before mainland Japan. The Japanese knew that if they lost, a homeland invasion was inevitable. There were two airforce bases, which could be used by the Americans in an invasion. The battle was very fierce, and out of thousands of Japanese troops, only 212 survived. They also used kamikaze attacks on the American fleet.There were many casualties on both sides, but the americans won. -
Okinawa
on this datre the largets operation of the Pacific occured in the attack on Okinawa. This is considered the final major battle before the atomic bombs and Japanese surrender. Before the invasion, the Americans made sure they had control of the air and water surrounding the island. Despite the multiple advantages the Americans had over the Japenese, it took a long time to secure the island because they would not surrender. Many lives were lost, but yet again the Americans came up victorious. -
Nagasaki
On this date, three days after the Hiroshima bomb, the Americans dropped a second one on the city of Nagasaki. The bomb, nicknamed Fat Man and made of Plutanium, killed an estimated 70,000 people by the end of the year. This second bomb caused the Japanese to surrender, and WWII to be over. -
FDR's Death
On this date, FDR's life came to a tragic hault. The American President was succeded by Harry Truman, who later accepted the German surrender. He left his mark, by declaring war on the Axis and attending the Yalta confrence, that was extremely important to postwar Europe. He also helped invent the United Nations, which is still inplace today. -
Hitler's Death
On this day, the mighty German Fuhrer takes his life, along with his new bride. Before he committs suicide, he writes one final address to his country, blaming the high ranking military officers and the Jewish community for the war and his fatal descison. -
VE Day
On this date, the nazi surrender was offically signed in Berlin. The day before, General Eisehower accepted the German unconditional surrender. People all over the World rejoiced. Unfortunately, FDR was not alive to see this. Harry Truman, the new President, finished the job FDR had started. -
Hiroshima
On this date, The Americans dropped the first Atomic bomb in warfare on the city of Hiroshima. The bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, was made with Uranium-235, a element never tested before in an atomic weapon. The weapon killed at least 140,000 people in the initial blast and within five years because of raditation linked diseases. -
VJ day
On this date the Japanese officially surrendered. This was not only the end of the war in the Pacific, but also the end of WWII itself. The Surrender was accepted by General Douglas MacArthur, and was signed that very day on the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay
