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Vladek is Drafted
Vladek is drafted into the Polish Army to fight against the Nazis. -
Britain Signs Pact with Poland
On August 25, two days after the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the Polish-British Common Defence Pact was signed. The treaty contained promises of mutual military assistance between the nations in the event either was attacked by another European country. -
Germany invades Poland
Germany invades Poland, starting WWII in Europe. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
On 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland, and two days later Britain and France declared war on Germany because they had a treaty with Poland in which they had undertaken to help Poland if its independence was threatened by force. -
Canada Declares War on Germany
Canada declares war on Germany; Battle of the Atlantic begins. -
Vladek Release from Work Camp
Through a family friend, Orbach, Vladek is able to escape murder and hide out. -
Vladek Returns to Sosnowiec
Vladek is reunited with his family after sneaking across the Poland-Germany Border. -
Germans bomb Naval Base near Scotland
Germans bomb Scapa Flow naval base near Scotland. -
Germany Invades Denmark
German troops invade Denmark, and German ships launch attacks and landings on Norway. Denmark surrenders within twelve hours. -
Auschwitz Created
The Auschwitz concentration camp is established. -
Hitler Invades France
In the World War II, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France. -
Belgium Surrenders
Belgium surrenders to the Nazis. -
France Signs Armistice
France signs an armistice with Nazi Germany. -
Greece and North Africa
As Hitler plotted his next steps, Italy, an ally of Germany, expanded the war even further by invading Greece and North Africa. The Greek campaign was a failure, and Germany was forced to come to Italy’s assistance in early 1941. -
Elie Wiesel studies Kabbalah
Elie starts to study Kabbalah -
Operation Barbossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War 2 that began on 22 June 1941. -
U.S. Enters WWII
The United States enters the war in December. -
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor -
Hitler Declares War on US
Adolf Hitler declares war on the United States -
Battle of Midway
Following the attack on Peal Harbor, Japanese armies rolled over Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and the East Indies. The war in the Pacific was fought on land, at sea, and in the air. The turning point in the war in the Pacific came in June, 1942 at the Battle of Midway. -
Vladek's Father Deported
Vladek's father is taken from the Ghetto during a mass inspection. He dies in an Auschwitz gas chamber. -
Hitler Orders Execution
Hitler orders the execution of all captured British commandos. -
Stalingrad Surrenders
Stalingrad surrenders marking Germany's first major victory. -
Germans Surrender
Germans surrender at Stalingrad in the first big defeat of Hitler's armies. -
Jews Rise Up in Warsaw
Jews rise up in Warsaw against their Nazi oppressors. By the end of the year more than 4 million Jews are killed in Europe. -
Elie and Jews Forced into Ghettos
Elie and the rest of the Jews are forced into the Ghettos in Sighet. -
Wiesel Transferred to Auschwitz
Elie is 15 years old when him and his family is sent from Sighet to Auschwitz. -
D-Day
On D-Day, June 6, 1944 , General Dwight Eisenhower led U.S. and Allied troops in an invasion of Normandy, France. The armies fought their way through France and Belgium and into Germany while Russian troops fought from the east. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered -
Elie's Father Dies
On January 29, 1945, Wiesel's father died after suffering from dysentery, and starvation. -
Elie is Liberated
Elie and the other Jews held captive is finally liberated. -
Vladek in U.S. Refugee Camp
In the summer of 1945, Vladek reaches the American run displaced persons camp, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
