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Treaty of Cooperation
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of cooperation on October 25. On November 1, the Rome-Berlin Axis was announced. -
Anti-Comintern Pact
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. This was directed against the Soviet Union and the international Communist movement. -
Japan Invades China
This is an important event as Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific. This invasion was for the benefit of Japan in order to gain more resources. -
Munich Agreement
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including the Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany. -
Nonaggression Agreement
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence. -
Germany Invades Poland
Germany invades Poland. This is a significant event because it marks the initiation of World War II in Europe. -
Germany Attacks Western Europe
Germany attacks western Europe—France and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established. -
Britain defeats Germany
British troops defeat the Germans and Italians at El Alamein in Egypt. This was a significant victory for the British Army and as a result of this defeat Hitlor decided to invade USSR -
United States Attack Japan
The United States drops a bomb on Hiroshima. This was due the unforseen attack on Pearl Harbor from the Japanese. The United States subsequently declared war on Japan. -
Invasion of Soviet Union
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners (except Bulgaria) invade the Soviet Union. Finland, seeking redress for the territorial losses in the armistice concluding the Winter War, joins the Axis just before the invasion. The Germans quickly overrun the Baltic States and, joined by the Finns, lay siege to Leningrad (St. Petersburg) by September. In the center, the Germans capture Smolensk in early August and drive on Moscow by October. In the south, German and Romanian troops capture Kiev (Kyiv) in Sep
