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Following appeasement only moths prior, Nazi forces take control in Czechoslovakia. This marks the beginning of Nazi territorial gains.
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Nazi Germany signs the Pact of Steel with facsist Italy. This binds them, benefiting Italy, acting as a weight to Germany.
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Hitler and Stalin sign a temporary peace agreement. Both intend to wage war, but aren't ready at this time.
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Down to the minute, the Nazis attacked Poland at 4:45 AM. The fast moving nature of Blitzcreig ensured quick victory.
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All of these countries prepare for war. That is, if they hadn't seen this coming.
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The Soviet Union, in accordance with their Nazi pact, attack Poland. Under both extreme threats Poland quickly falls.
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As planned, the Polish government surrenders in Warsaw. Within two days Poland was divvied up betwixt the two invaders.
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The Soviet Union begins to move against Finland, beginning the Winter War. Brutal fighting will follow, as the Finns are no pushovers.
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After months of exhaustive fighting, the Finns give up. Soviet officials, eager to end the humiliation leave them on good terms.
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Nazis begin a campaign of invasions. Denmark quickly capitulates, Norway, not so much.
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In a widely coordinated movement, the Nazis bombarded and rushed each of these countries into submission. Blitzkreig is deemed very effective.
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After being pushed from France, Allied forces were taked across the Channel to Britain. The operation ended June 3.
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After forcing the opposition out, the Wermacht walk into the heart of France. An armistice is signed on the 22.
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Back at home, the British dust themselves off and brace for German attacks. Bombings begin in the following month. Hitler plans invasions but plans go awry.
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Mussolini's forces fight their way into Egypt. Allies accelerate African plans.
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Rommel, fresh from command in Europe, is dispatched to North Africa. He will be an obstacle for years to come.
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In the largest mistake in history, Hitler invades Russia. Oops.
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Roosevelt and Churchill define Allied war goals. They try to involve the US, try to convince the people.
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Having repulsed Italian forces for months, Greece is invaded by Nazis. They finished what Mussolini could not.
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In the dead of Russian winter, OKW decides that Moscow is overrated. This is soon to become a common theme.
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In an ambitious move, Japan attacks Hawaii, the Phillipines, Wake Island, Maidway, Guam, Malaya and Thailand. Their reach is unopposed.
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A period of almost constant Japanese invasions, the last of which was Operation RY, completed in August 1942. This is the peak of Japanese strength. It's a long way down.
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The United States, in respones to Pearl Harbor, declares war upon Japan. Great Britian, fearing for its many colonies, does the same. China declares war the next day.
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After US declaration upon Japan, Hitler stands by his ally. This is another move that should have been avoided.
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Having begun a siege days before Japanese forces invade Singapore. British forces surrender in a week.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt awards the commanding position in the Pacific to Douglas MacArthur. He soon rises from his past defeats (Bonus army and Phillipine retreats).
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U.S. forces surrender at Bataan April 9. The are the marched sixty miles with no food nor water to a POW camp. Five thousand die.
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First major Japanese defeat. Two aircraft carriers duke it out near New Guinea. Two major Japanese carriers were damaged and not used at Midway, giving the Americans an advantage.
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The first Jews die in Auschwitz. Many more follow.
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This is the turning point of the war. The majority of the Japanese attack, made up mainly of aircraft carriers, is decimated and Japan never truly recovers.
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Over the course of a year, American and Birtish forces continually push Rommel and his Italian counterparts back across the desert. By May 1943 the Axis forces in North Africa surrender. This signals the end on the first front.
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The first landing in the war occurs. Guadalcanal is chosen due to the near-completed airstrip(s) at its center.
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Japanese forces launching from a nearby island raid the major city of Darwin, Australia.Enormouos damage was caused, and more bombs were dropped here than Pearl Harbor.
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Japanese forces withdraw from Guadalcanal after five months of bloody fighting. The Ameircan forces consider this a victory.
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The Allied forces begin a campaign of covert war against Japanese cargo ships. As an island nation, this has a profound effect.
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Allies move from Africa stright into Sicily, striking at the weakest link in the Axis. Within months, the whole of Italy surrenders. Axis powers shrink, and Allied focus turns.
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Allied forces invade Makin and Tarawa of the g_libert Islands. Resistance ends within three days. Amercan forces are in full swing.
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American forces swarm onto French beaches. This signals the beginning of the end of the Nazi regime.
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Looking to gain an advantage, Allies invade Southern France.
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Aftermath-Extra information
A German thrust is halted, then trapped in a sector of France. Allies converge and tens of thousands of Germans were killed and captured.
My great-uncle told my father about this. He advanced through the aftermath. He said it was something you could never forget, all of the men and horses, dead and decaying, their weapons and vehicles abandoned. -
Paris is liberated after years of Nazi rule. This is a major Allied victory.
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In the Letye Gulf, the first Kamikaze pilot attacks the U.S. Navy. By the end of the war, more than two thousand will occur.
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Diary of a Soldier
In a final counter-attack, German forces push the Allied lines in the Ardennes. They nearly break through, but are eventually subdued. This loss makes Hitler realize that he has, in fact, lost the war. -
Forces from the USSR take Warsaw. Nine days later, Auschwitz is liberated.
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Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin discuss the end of the war. Stalin is the outlier, hides ulterior motives.
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Marine troops storm the island stronghold of Iow Jima. It holds for many days.
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"I drove to the Rhine River and went across on the pontoon bridge. I stopped in the middle to take a piss and then picked up some dirt on the far side in emulation of William the Conqueror." General George S. Patton, March 1945
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More than two hundred and fifty B-29 bombers fly on Tokyo. Much of the city is engulfed in flames.
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Within five days, Berlin is finished. Soviets set up occupation.
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Hitler and the majority of his staff commit suicide. Hitler and Eva Braun, just married are burned, remains taken by Soviets.
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All German soldiers, airmen, surrender unconditionally.
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The war in Europe ends. Cleanup begins.
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Japanese forces withdraw from China. The brutal war there finally ends.
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The Manhattan Project comes to fruition as the first nuclear weapons is detonated. This was but a test, but soon after it would be applied.
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The first atomic bomb is used in combat. Dropped by a B-29 upon Hiroshima, it was deployed with the hope of ending a war and saving lives, at the cost of more than sixy thousand.
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"We totally want to help!"
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Peace wasn't het made so the Allies deploy another nuclear weapon. This time, Nagasaki is decimated. The Emperor immediately seeks terms.
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Aboard the USS Missouri, Hirohito signs a document declaring unconditional surrender to Allied forces. Truman announces VJ Day. The war begins to wrap up.
