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Nazis and Soviet sign pact
News of the Pact stunned the world and paved the way for the beginning of World War II with Hitler assured his troops would not have to fight a war on two fronts. -
Germany invades Poland
German forces invaded Poland from the north, south and west in the morning after the Gleiwitz incident. The plan was for Panzers to assist the rapid movement of troops and concentrate on localized parts of the enemy front, eventually isolating segments of the enemy, surrounding, and destroying them. All three assaults were to converge on Warsaw, while while the main Polish army was to be encircled and destroyed west of the Vistula -
Britain declare war on Germany
Britain declares war on Germany at 11 am, France's declare war on Germany six hours later. After Great Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, Australia raised a volunteer force, the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF), and sent the 6th, 7th and 9th Divisions of the AIF overseas to support Britain despite long-held fears that Japan would enter the war on the side of the Germans. -
Poland split between Germany and Soviet Union
It was a secret clause as amended on September 28, 1939 by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union after their joint invasion and occupation of sovereign Poland. -
The Soviet Union invades Finland
The Winter War began with the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939 and ended with the Moscow Treaty on 13 March 1939. The Soviet Union demanded that Finland cede substantial border territories in exchange for land elsewhere, claiming security reasons, primarily the protection of Leningrad.The end of the war cancelled the Franco-British plan to send troops to Finland through northern Scandinavia. -
German invasion of Western Europe
The campaign against the Low Countries and France lasted less than six weeks. Germany attacked in the west on May 10, 1940. The main German attack went through the Ardennes Forest in southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. German tanks and infantry broke through the ranks. -
Italy delcare war
Italian Invasion of France, also called The Battle of the Alps, was the first major Italian engagement in WWII. Mussolini goals was the elimination of Anglo-French domination in the Mediterranean. -
Axis powers
Germany, Italy and Japan enter into a 10-year military and economic alliance that comes to be known as the "Axis". Hungary and Romania later join the Axis in November.
