world war 2 timeline

  • chancellor of Germany

    chancellor of Germany
    People of Germany were worried about Communism taking over. Adolf Hitler used the panic to gain support to his party, the Nazis. The leader of Germany, Paul von Hindenburg, from a request from a group of prominent industrialists, made Hitler chancellor.
  • Germany and the League of Nations

    Germany and the League of Nations
    In October of 1933, Hitler came before the League of Nations and withdrew saying the Disarmament Conference was a failure. The main reason was so Hitler could rearm Germany.
  • Fuhrur of Germany

    Fuhrur of Germany
    Paul von Hindenburg resigns and Hitler finally gets his wish of becoming leader of Germany.
  • Sudetenland

    Sudetenland
    In Hitler's quest to build a "greater Germany" he had German troops occupy the Sudetenland along with some of Czechosolvakia.
  • Poland is invaded

    Poland is invaded
    In 1939, Hitler decides to attack Poland. After WWI, Poland was given part of Germany, Hitler wanted that part back.
  • France is invaded

    France is invaded
    To Hitler, France was just one more portion of land to conquer. To German forces, France could be reached by a direct route.
  • Russia is betrayed

    Russia is betrayed
    Lost in his thirst for power and a empire, Hitler turned against a fellow Axis power. In June of 1941, Hitler and his army invaded Russia.
  • Pearl harbor

    Pearl harbor
    Japan decided to make a move against the US and bombs Pearl Harbor.
  • The Battle of Coral Sea

    The Battle of Coral Sea
    The battle of Coral Sea took place in the pacific and was between the Japanese and Americans. This is the first battle in which Air Craft Carriers shot upon each other, though there was no clear victor.
  • Battle of Midway

    Battle of Midway
    The Battle of Midway come shortly after the Battle of Coral Sea. It occured in the skies above the pacific between the Americans and Japanese.
  • Mussolini overthrown

    Mussolini overthrown
    In Italy, Benito Mussolini was overthrown and imprisoned in the Abruzzi Apennines. Adolf Hitler sent his head bodyguard, Otto Skorzeny, to rescue Benito. Otto lead airborne commandos, rescued Benito and brought him back to Germany.
  • Italy's surrender

    Italy's surrender
    The Allies, Britain and the US, landed on the Italian mainland. Italy, with out a leader, surrendered right away. Though the German Army took over the Italian Army.
  • Yalta Conference

    Yalta Conference
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the US, Winston Churchill of Britain, and Stalin of Russia meet at Yalta for a war conference.
  • Bergon-Belson

    Bergon-Belson
    Bergon-Belson was a concentration camp that held around 40,000 prisoners. When the British came to free the prisoners, they discovered that the whole camp was infested with Typhus. There were also multiple mass graves.
  • Hitler's death

    Hitler's death
    April 1945 in a bulletproof bunker Hitler, along with his wife and dog, committed suicide from poison. Therefore ending his reign of terror. His successor, Admiral Donitz, surrendered.
  • Bombing of Hiroshima

    Bombing of Hiroshima
    President Truman makes the hard decision to test the power of the Atomic bomb to try to finish the war. The bomb completely destroyed Hiroshima. Soon after that Nagasaki was destroyed too.
  • Japan surrenders

    Japan surrenders
    After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan's Emperor called for a surrender. On Sep. 2 the Japanese surrendered at Tokyo Bay on the A.S.S Missouri. Their surrender was the end of World War II
  • Nuremburg trials

    Nuremburg trials
    Wartime generals, leaders, and soldiers, mostly from Germany, were trialed for war crimes. If the people were guilty then they were usually hanged. Many guilty people were Germans from the concentration camps who killed the Jews.