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Japan occupies Manchuria
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria began on September 19, 1931. Japan established a new government, known as Manchukuo. The invasion started after the “Mukden Incident,” in which the Japanese staged a small bombing on a Japanese train and blamed the Chinese. This gave them an excuse to start the invasion the next day. Japan’s occupation lasted until the end of WWII. -
Neutrality Act (1st)
Prohibited export of arms, ammunition, and implements of war from the U.S. to foreign nations at war. It also required arms manufacturers in the U.S. to apply for exporting licences. -
Italy Invades Ethiopia
Benito Mussolini and the Italian Army invaded Ethiopia on October 3, 1935, even though both Italy and Ethiopia were members of the League of Nations. Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie was forced into exile. In 1941, Selassie returned and defeated most of the Italian army, but fighting didn’t end until Italy’s formal surrender in 1943. -
German occupation of the Rhineland
The Rhineland is a strip of land in between Germany and France and had constantly been warred over. In the treaty of Versailles it was written that the Rhineland would remain to be a demilitarized buffer between Germany and France. Invasion or remilitarization of the Rhineland was a clear violation of the treaty of Versailles. -
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a military revolt against the Republican government that was in place in Spain. The rebels, known as the Nationalists, were aided by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, while the Republicans were aided by the Soviet Union. The Nationalists were primarily landowners and business owners, while the Republicans were urban workers and agricultural laborers. On March 5, 1939 the members of the Republican government were exiled to France. By march 28 all Republican armies begun to -
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Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a military revolt against the Republican government that was in place in Spain. The rebels, known as the Nationalists, were aided by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, while the Republicans were aided by the Soviet Union. The Nationalists were primarily landowners and business owners, while the Republicans were urban workers and agricultural laborers. On March 5, 1939 the members of the Republican government were exiled to France. By march 28 all Republican armies begun to -
Nanking Massacre (Rape of Nanking)
With the capture of the capital of China (which at that time was Nanking, now known as Shanghai) Prince Asaka of the Japanese imperial family led the Japanese soldiers to commit incredible atrocities. These atrocities included widespread rape and looting and the murder of up to 300,000 unarmed Chinese civilians, mostly women and children. Lasted until January of 1938. -
Germany Occupies Austria
Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg learned of Nazi plan to annex Austria, met with Hitler to try & assure independence. But he was bullied into naming Nazis into his cabinet. March 9: Schuschnigg called a national vote to try & resolve the annexation, but gave into pressure from Hitler & resigned March 11, imprisoned, begging Austrian forces not to resist. March 12: Nazi’s entered Austria among enthusiastic crowds; Hitler appointed new Nazi government, which remained till end of WWII. -
The Munich Pact
Hitler threatened to invade Czechoslovakia to continue creating his “greater Germany”. Czechoslovakian government had hoped for assistance from Britain and France in event of German invasion, but to avoid war, Chamberlain (Czechoslovakia) proposed 4-power conference: Germany was to take over Sudetenland by Oct. 10, and Czechoslovakian government chose to submit to Germany. Signed by: Chamberlain, Hitler, Daladier (France), Mussolini & Ciano (Italy). The Soviet Union agreed to help; was ignored. -
Germany Occupies Czechoslovakia
On March 15, Hitler threatened a bombing raid against the Czechoslovak capital, Prague. As a result Hitler was granted free passage for German troops into Czech territory. The same day, German troops poured into two Czech provinces, Bohemia and Moravia with no resistance. By the end of the night, Hitler had entered Prague. This event was important because Germany was able to acquire 66% of Czech coal, 70% of its iron, and 70 percent of its electrical power. -
Germany Invades Poland
Germany invades Poland ( September 1, 1939 - January, 1945)
When Germany invaded Poland, it marked the start of World War Two and showed how Hitler would wage war against his enemies. Using the “Blitzkrieg” first on Poland, it consisted of early intensive bombing of the enemies air capabilities, communication, and railroads, then ended only to have a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops and artillery. The Polish army was severely under-equipped to fight the modernized Germ -
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World War II
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Cash-and-Carry Act
Countries could buy anything from the U.S. except weapons and war materials as long as they used their own ships and payed immediatly in cash. It replaced the Neutrality Act of 1939. -
France Surrenders
France surrenders (June 22, 1940)
Germany swept through France from Compiegne, than captured Paris, and throughout two/thirds of France to Vichy and Bordeaux. One June 17, Marshall Petain, World War I hero told French people in a broadcast that French would spot fighting. The Armistice was signed on June 22 in the same spot twenty-two years ago where Germany signed the Armistice ending World War One. To add further humiliation, Hitler ordered that the signing take place in the same railroad car -
Battle of Britain
German air attacks against the United Kingdom in order to gain an advantage over the British air force. The attacks were mostly on British ports and airfields but when they were not as damaging as Hitler wanted, the targets moved to areas of political importance. -
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Battle of Britain
German air attacks against the United Kingdom in order to gain an advantage over the British air force. The attacks were mostly on British ports and airfields but when they were not as damaging as Hitler wanted, the targets moved to areas of political importance. -
Four Freedoms Speech
Given by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to present his reasons for America getting involved in WWII. He made the case for greater production of war industries at home to aide Britain. The four freedoms were: freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear. -
Battle of Bataan
The Battle of Bataan started January 7, 1941 and ended April 9, 1941. It was one of the last stands of American and Filipino soldiers before they were overwhelmed by imperial Japanese forces. It was the largest surrender of American and Filipino troops in military history. Following the Battle of Bataan was the Bataan Death March where 76,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were captured by the Japanese and forced to March from the Bataan peninsula to prison camps to the north -
Lend-Lease Act Instituted
The Lend-Lease Act was proposed in late 1940 and later passed on March 11, 1941. It enabled the United States to aid foreign nations with military supplies without violating the Neutrality Act of 1939. It allowed the president to give arms or any other defense materials for which Congress appropriated money to “the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” -
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Lend-Lease Policy
The Lend-Lease Policy was passed on March 11, 1941. It enabled the United States to aid foreign nations with military supplies without violating the Neutrality Act of 1939. It allowed the president to give arms or any other defense materials for which Congress appropriated money to “the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
German forces invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, less than two years after the German-Soviet Pact was signed. Three army groups, including more than three million German soldiers, supported by 650,000 troops from Germany’s Allies (Finland and Romania), and later augmented by units from Italy, Croatia, Slovakia and Hungary, attacked the Soviet Union across a broad front, from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. -
Atlantic Charter Signed
Drafted by the U.S. and U.K. to outline the the postwar goals. The goals were: no territorial aggrandizement; no territorial changes made against the wishes of the people; restoration of self-government to those deprived of it; reduction of trade restrictions; global cooperation to secure better economic and social conditions for all; freedom from fear and want; freedom of the seas; and abandonment of the use of force, as well as disarmament of aggressor nations. -
Battle of Leningrad
The Battle of Leningrad cost the lives of an est. 1,000,000 city residents. German troops encircled of the city to strangle it into submission instead of using German ammunition by letting the residents exhaust oil, coal, water, and food supplies. Residents relied on eating street animals and some Soviet aid was able to make it across the frozen Lake Ladoga to get to an entrance to the city. The Red Army had pushed the German army beyond Leningrad ending the siege. -
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Battle of Leningrad
The Battle of Leningrad cost the lives of an est. 1,000,000 city residents. German troops encircled of the city to strangle it into submission instead of using German ammunition by letting the residents exhaust oil, coal, water, and food supplies. Residents relied on eating street animals and some Soviet aid was able to make it across the frozen Lake Ladoga to get to an entrance to the city. The Red Army had pushed the German army beyond Leningrad ending the siege. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Without warning, Japanese planes attacked the U.S. Naval Station at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,000 American sailors were killed and more than a dozen ships sunk or severely damaged. The next day, calling the attack "a day which will live in infamy," FDR asked Congress for -- and received -- a declaration of war against Japan. -
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U.S. Involvement
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Doolittle's Tokyo Raid
US Army Air Forces under Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided military targets in Tokyo, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Nagoya, and Kobe. Sixteen B-25 medium bombers were carried by the USS Hornet to a distance within takeoff range of Japanese islands. It only caused minor damage, but it caused fear among the Japanese civilians, boosted American and Allies’ morale, and caused Japanese combat forces to be recalled for home defense. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was considered the turning point of the war in Europe because the German Sixth Army surrendered. As the feared Russian winter set in and temperatures dropped to the minus forties, starvation, frostbite, disease and suicide decimated the Germans. When General Paulus surrendered, against Hitler's orders, 90,000 Axis soldiers were taken as prisoners of war and in 1955 only the 6,000 left alive were let go. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was considered the turning point of the war in Europe because the German Sixth Army surrendered. As the feared Russian winter set in and temperatures dropped to the minus forties, starvation, frostbite, disease and suicide decimated the Germans. When General Paulus surrendered, against Hitler's orders, 90,000 Axis soldiers were taken as prisoners of war and in 1955 only the 6,000 left alive were let go. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
The Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. In August 1942 US troops launched a surprise attack against the Japanese on a section of Solomon Islands and took control of the air base that was under construction. Though reinforcements were funneled in the Japanese suffered heavy casualties and withdrew from Guadalcanal in February 1943. -
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Battle of Guadalcanal
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Battle of El Alamein (2nd)
Took place in the Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein and marked a turning point for Allies in the Western Desert Campaign. The victory revived the Allies' morale, because it was the first major offensive against the Axis powers since 1939 -
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Battle of El Alamein (2nd)
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Italy Capitulates
Italy surrenders to end all hostilities with the Allied powers, weakend Axis powers. The capitulation ended the alliance with the Axis powers, but Italy was put into civil war because some were still loyal to the Axis and Mussolini. -
Invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch)
November 8-November 16
The first time the British and Americans worked jointly on an invasion plan, it was an attack by British and American soldiers on the Axis forces in French-North Africa. They invaded North Africa at three different landing sites- Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers- and were successful. Little resistance was met, and there were few casualties. This allowed the Allies to eventually occupy French North Africa. -
D-Day
D-Day took place on June 6th, 1944. D-Day was the invasion of mainland Europe by the Allies. This was the first major attack into France by the Allies in their efforts to liberate the Frenc from Germany. It was the first amphibious invasion of its scale to ever be done. It took place in Normandy, France on five different beaches. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf was a decisive air and sea battle that destroyed and allowed the U.S. fleet to invade the Philippines. The American and Australian forces fought the Imperial Japanese Navy in an effort to isolate Japan from the areas it controlled in Southeast Asia. Specifically, this would deprive it of vital industrial and oil supplies. -
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Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf was a decisive air and sea battle that destroyed and allowed the U.S. fleet to invade the Philippines. The American and Australian forces fought the Imperial Japanese Navy in an effort to isolate Japan from the areas it controlled in Southeast Asia. Specifically, this would deprive it of vital industrial and oil supplies. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16th, 1944 and continued into January 1945. The battle of the bulge got its name from the bulge shape created in the battle lines. It was the last major attack by the German army against the Allies in their last, desperate attempt to break the alliance and force the British and American armies to withdraw. Although initially successful, the battle of the bulge ended up being a disastrous defeat for the German army. -
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Battle of the Bulge
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Yalta Conference
February 4-11
FDR, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin made important decisions at the conference on how the war should progress and the world after the war. The US and Britain agreed to give the Soviet Union a sphere of influence in Manchuria for participation in the Pacific theatre. They also agreed not to include France in the postwar governing of Germany. Voting procedures for the Security Council in the future United Nations were decided at the conference as well. -
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Yalta Conference
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Battle of Iwo Jima
America wanted to capture the island of Iwo Jima in order to gain control of the three airfields and to make an attack on the main island easier. While Americans fought from air, land, and sea, the Japanese fought mainly from bunkers and dugouts. It was an assured Ally victory from the beginning due to superior arms, more soldiers, and air control. This battle contained some of the bloodiest fighting in the Pacific during WWII. -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
America wanted to capture the island of Iwo Jima in order to gain control of the three airfields and to make an attack on the main island easier. While Americans fought from air, land, and sea, the Japanese fought mainly from bunkers and dugouts. It was an assured Ally victory from the beginning due to superior arms, more soldiers, and air control. This battle contained some of the bloodiest fighting in the Pacific during WWII. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle was the last and considered the biggest battle in the Pacific islands during WWII. The Allies wanted to use the island as an air base for the planned attack on mainland Japan. America used air, land, and sea tactics while the Japanese used kamikaze type attacks. There were thousands of civillian casualties due to both Americans and the Japanese themsleves. It was an Ally victory. -
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Battle of Okinawa
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Roosevelt Dies
Roosevelt died of cerebral hemorrhage. He left Vice President Harry S. Truman in charge to end the war and in possession of the atomic bombs. -
Fall of Berlin
Stalin was convinced of an Allied plan to take Berlin first so he laid an offensive to reach the capital before the Western Allies. The Soviet army began shelling the city and did not stop until a surrender. House to house and street to street combat ensued. The Red Army finally breached the German fronts and the 3rd Reich ended as Hitler committed suicide. -
Mussolini Dies
Mussolini was executed by a firing squad. He was replaced by Galeazzo Ciano. There was a civil war in Italy after because of antagonism between political parties. -
Hitler dies
Hitler killed himself as his reich collapsed. He left Germany without a dictator. -
V-E Day
On May 8th 1945, German troops throughout Europe laid down their arms and both Great Britain and the US celebrated a victory in Europe. -
Potsdam Conference
July 17- August 2
A conference that consisted of Allied Leaders named the Big Three (Truman, Churchill, Stalin. Its main objective was to negotiate the terms for the end of WWII. Questions included how to deal with post-war Germany including the countries responsible for reparations and the revision of borders. However, all agreed upon a treaty that should not mimic the Versailles Treaty. In addition, the leaders agreed upon dividing Germany into four sections. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bomb was called “Little Boy” and killed 80,000 people from its initial blast. Another 60,000 would die later due to effects of the fallout. The bombing was authorized by U.S. President Henry Truman as an attempt to end the war. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
A second atomic bomb was dropped by the U.S. on the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima did not convince the Japanese War Council to surrender, so Truman authorized the second bomb. A B-29 bomber called Bockscar dropped the second atomic bomb, “Fat Man.” This blast killed between 60,000 and 80,000 people, and Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945. -
V- J Day
On August 14th 1945, it was announced that Japan surrendered to the Aliies ending World War 2. The formal surrender took place upon the USS Missouri that was anchored in Tokyo Bay.
