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On September 1, 1939, Hitler launched a surprise attack on Poland, breaking the non-aggression pact he had signed with the Polish 6 years earlier. German machines crossed into the Polish border, while German aircraft bombed the Polish capital. Poland fell, as it was unprepared and lacked military forces. Enraged by this invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3. This event became known as the first step of Hitlers plan, the Blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). -
During the summer of 1940, Hitler planned an invasion of Great Britain by bombing British air force facilities. In September, the Nazi's expanded their attack to major British cities, but were surprised to see Britain's fierce resistance. Bombing raids from each side continued until May 10, 1941, when Hitler retreated, unable to break British resistance. The significance of this battle is that it taught the Allies that Hitler was stoppable, and it allowed the Allies to still fight back. -
In may of 1940, German tanks attacked France both through the French marginal line, and by invading through Belgium. However, both of these attacks were fake outs, in order to draw the French away from their real attack, which was through the Ardennes (a very heavy forest). Then, these German armies trapped the Allies, eventually seizing France. The significance of the fall of France is that the Allies lost a major power. This left the fighting for the Allies to just Russia and Britain. -
Japan launched a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor U.S naval base on December 7,1941. Over two thousand Americans were killed and 1,200 were wounded. Most of the aircraft was damaged, and all battleships were hit. On December 8, the US declared war on Japan. HItler, showing his public admiration for the attack, declared war on the US. Unfortunately for Hitler, his declaration allowed the United States to fully support the Soviet Union, Hitler's biggest enemy. -
Following Pearl Harbor, Japan obtained many military victories, and decided to target another US airfield, Midway Island. The US was able to prepare for this, and as Japanese planes entered the air, the fleets were attacked by US planes. Over 300 Japanese planes were destroyed, along with all air carriers, a loss so big that it led to Japanese withdrawal. The battle ended June 7, and the US victory changed the war in the Pacific.
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In the summer of 1942, Hitler sent one army to capture Stalingrad. The German army bombed the Soviets, until the Soviets surged a counterattack, trapping the Germans. The German army surrendered February 2, 1943, as they had suffered extreme losses. Casualties were extremely rough for the Soviets, but most importantly, the Germans were now on the defensive, and there was a turning point in the war for the Allies.
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In the summer of 1943, Great Britain and the US captured Sicily from Italy and Germany, collapsing Mussolini from power. On September 3, Italy surrendered, but soon after, Mussolini was thrown back into power when the Germans gained control of northern Italy. After nearly another year of fighting, the Allies entered Rome, but the fight for power in Italy continued until the end of the war in 1945. The importance of this event was that Hitler lost a strong ally which he viewed as betrayal. -
On June 6, 1944, the Allies fought their way into Normandy, where they executed "Operation Overlord". At first, Germany held the upper hand in regards to battle positioning, but the Allies had a clear advantage in naval and air power. Overtime German defences broke, allowing the Allies to liberate France after marching into Paris. D-Day was the biggest contributor to the Allied victory in WWII, but there were an outrageous amount of casualties, as it was the largest land/sea attack in history.
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On December 16, Germany, while fighting a two-front war, surged a counterattack against the Allies. German troops attacked through the Ardennes with hundreds of tanks, while hundreds of thousands of German soldiers broke through the weak US lines, shortly gaining back miles. US forces were able to push Germany back, eventually winning the Battle of the Bulge. Aside from being the final German offence on the Western front, this battle paved the way for Germany's surrender 4 months later.
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In late April of 1945, Soviet troops and Allied forces joined together to bring Germany down. Millions of Soviet soldiers surrounded Berlin and fired at the capital. Hitler, preparing for the crumbling of his power, committed suicide in his underground headquarters, where him and his wife were found dead. The surrender of the Third Reich was approved on May 7, 1945. Germany's surrender marked the official ending of the 6 year war in Europe, and many countries celebrated their freedom. -
In the Summer of 1945, President Truman threatened the Japanese to either surrender or expect bombs, but did not receive a response. On August 6, the US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, causing nearly 75,000 deaths. A second bomb was dropped in Nagasaki three days later, causing the same amount of deaths. On September 2, the Japanese surrendered to the US. The importance of dropping the atomic bombs is that Japan's surrender officially ended World War II.