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Nazi Germany Invaded Poland
The first country to fall to Nazi Germany through the type of warfare called Blitzkrieg. The countries to fall afterwards were Denmark, Norway, and France. -
Sitzkrieg
Sitzkrieg, a type of warfare with little to no warfare occurs, happened during the Phoney War during 1939. -
France Fell to Germany
Through the use of Blitzkrieg and systematic attacks, Germany was able to take over scandinavian countries, france, and the rest of europe except Great Britain. -
Destroyers-for-Bases Deal
The US and Britain negotiated a trade deal that gave Britain 50 US destroyers and the US the ability to use British air bases. -
America First Committee Launched
The America First Committee was launched to go against the American intervention in WWII. -
Congress Instituted the Draft
The US instituted the draft once again in 1940 to make sure that the US was ready for its involvement in WWII. -
Battle of Britain
Carried out by the Royal Air Force against the German Luftwaffe, the Battle of Britain was one of the longest bombing campaigns to that year. -
Four Freedoms
In FDR’s Four Freedoms speech he mentioned four freedoms -of speech, worship, from want, and fear- in order to give people hope for the war and the years to come after it. -
Lend-Lease
The lend-lease bill prompted the leasing of the United State’s arms to Great Britain. -
USS Kearny Attacked
The USS Kearny was a US naval destroyer that was torpedoed by the Germans before the US joined the war. It survived the attack and went to serve on in other countries. -
Reuben James Sunk
The Reuben James was the first US naval ship that didn’t survive an enemy attack. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor it killed and wounded thousands of Americans as well as sunk and destroyed many ships. This essentially marked the entrance of America into the second World War. -
Battle of Bataan
While the Americans and Filipino troops were fighting against the Japanese, the Japanese blocked all routes and opportunities to get food and backup, causing the soldiers to eat half rations in the jungle. Eventually weak and drained of supplies the US surrendered to Japan. -
Bataan Death March
The Japanese took prisoners from the Battle of Bataan and had them walk 65 miles without food or water or rest, occasionally killing some as an example to the others. -
Battle of Coral Sea
A naval and air battle taking place between the Japanese, US, and Australia in the Coral Sea next to Australia and Papua New Guinea. -
Battle of Midway
An air battle between the US and Japan at Midway Atoll, and Island in the Pacific in the string of islands near Hawaii. -
Battle of El Alamein
The British prevented an advancement of Axis powers into Egypt, preventing and delaying them to get to supplies, causing withdrawal from the Axis powers. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Although considered one of the bloodiest battles in history with a death toll around 2 million, the Battle of Stalingrad was a successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad. -
Casablanca Conference
This was a meeting of the Allied powers in Casablanca, France, in order to plan the next stage of WWII. -
Island Hopping Campaign Begins
The US used island hopping as a means to gain control. They would establish control of the island and the air for when Japan came into range of US bombers. -
Tehran Conference
Held in Tehran, Iran, this was a meeting between Stalin, FDR, and Winston Churchill concerning strategy and the invasion of Iran. -
D-Day
The day that Allied forces stormed the beaches at Normandy. -
MacArthur Returned to the Philippines
After leaving the Philippines with orders from FDR, MacArthur promised to return, as he did in 1944. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Germans tried to split up the Allied forces and to their attacks the allied troops took the form of a bulge and stopped the German offensive. -
FDR Elected to a Fourth Term
FDR was the first and only president who was elected into presidency for a fourth term, an amendment to the constitution limiting the amount of times a person can serve to two terms. -
Yalta Conference
During this meeting the allied forces started to demand Germany’s surrender and started to plan for after the war. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
A major battle in which the US Marine Corps was able to capture the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese. -
Battle of Okinawa
One of the last and one of the bloodiest battles of WWII, was a push towards Japan to take control of the Ryukyu islands. -
FDR Died/Harry Truman Became President
After FDR dies Harry Truman takes office and continued in fighting the war. -
Manhattan Project Began
The Manhattan Project was a secret project to create the United State’s first Nuclear weapon. -
VE Day
“Victory in Europe Day” marked the Allies acceptance of Nazi Germany’s surrender. -
Potsdam Conference
Last meeting between the Allies for WWII. It decided agreements for dealings at the end of the war and called for the surrender of Japan. -
Little Boy Dropped on Hiroshima
This was the world’s first atom bomb. When it was dropped it killed approximately 80,000 people injured thousands more and would be the cause of thousands of more deaths by the end of the year. -
Fat Man Dropped on Nagasaki
This dropping of the second atom bomb resulted in Japan’s unconditional surrender. -
VJ Day
“Victory over Japan Day” effectively ended WWII. -
Nuremberg Trials
This was the hearing and sentencing of prominent Nazi criminals. -
Japanese War Crime Trials
This was the hearing of 28 Japanese military and government officials that were accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Twenty-five were found guilty, two had died during the trials, and one was found insane.
