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1931
When Japan invaded Manchuria, the League of Nations, including Britain, tried to stop the action, but failed. -
1935
League of nations put out official disapproval about Japan invading other countries. -
1938
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to give up the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany. -
1939
Hitler says that Poland has done an unforgivable act of aggression when Nazi soldiers pretend to be Polish and to damage German land. Then using that as an excuse, Germany invades Poland and the British controlled part of Poland. Britain sends Germany an ultimatum saying that either they stop the invasion or they face war, as the British had promised the Poles to protect them if Germany invaded. Germany continued to invade. -
1939
WWII begins when Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declare war on Germany after German forces go deeper into Polish land. -
1940
Winston Churchill becomes the new Prime Minister of Britain and Germany invades Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg -
1940: Royal Air Force
During the night, Whitleys attack enemy communications in the RAF's first attack on mainland Germany. -
1940
After Germany invades Belgium, Durnkirk evacuation, code named Operation Dynamo, begins. The Dunkirk evacuation was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk, France. The operation was decided upon when large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by the German army during the Battle of France. -
1940
German bombers attack small targets in East Britain, with the purpose of training crew before a bigger attack. Germany's goal was to break British morale before invading. -
1940
Italy declares war on Britain and France. Italy’s lack of raw materials had made Mussolini wary of waging all-out war previously, so they were neutral. Britain and France were also promising him of territorial compromise in Africa in exchange for neutrality. However, he was more persuaded by the thought of his Axis ally conquering the entire continent. -
1940
Germany invades the Channel Islands. This will be the only part of Britain to be occupied by the Germans. -
1940
The Battle of Britain takes place. Started when Germany bombs Britain, and the British defend themselves from the air “Finest Hour”. It ends on October 31, 1940. -
1941
The U.S. and Britain sign the Atlantic Charter declaring their joint opposition to fascism, despite the U.S. still being nominally neutral. -
1941
Britain gives Finland an ultimatum: halt all offensive operations against the USSR or face a war with the Allies. -
1941
Japan became allies with Germany and Italy. The Allies -- except the USSR -- then declared war on Japan. The growing tensions since the invasion of Manchuria provoked this. -
1942
The Declaration of the United Nations is signed by the leaders of 26 nations (Allied powers). The countries pledged to uphold the Atlantic Charter, to use all their resources against the Axis powers, and to never seek to negotiate a separate peace with Germany or Japan. -
1943
British troops land on mainland Italy, beginning the Allied campaign in Italy. The new Italian government formally surrenders. -
1944
Germany launched the first V-1 flying-bomb on Britain. It was designed to instill terror in the people of Britain however, it often missed its target. The British often intercepted the bombs before they reached their target. -
1944
The USSR invades Bulgaria, just like the plans they made at the Tehran Conference. Germany launches the first V-2 flying-bomb on Britain. -
1945
The Yalta Conference between the U.S., Britain, and the USSR begins. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin discuss their plans for Europe after the war, and Stalin agrees to declare war on Japan. In the Pacific, the Allies finally retake Manila in the Philippines after three years of brutal Japanese occupation. -
1945
U.S. troops reach the Buchenwald concentration camp and discover that the prisoners had liberated themselves from a forced evacuation. A few days later, British troops liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp for women. -
1945
The U.S., Britain, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration which gives an ultimatum to Japan: unconditionally surrender immediately, or face "prompt and utter destruction." In Britain, Clement Atlee replaces Winston Churchill as Prime Minister.