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Germany Invades Poland
On the 1st of September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. 16 days later Russia invaded from the East, and by the 6th of October, Poland was under Axis control. This is seen as the first battle of WWII. Poland was, at the time, allied with the UK and France, and these two powers soon joined the war. The war was started after German soldiers disguised themselves as Polish soldiers, took over a radio station and began broadcasting anti-German propaganda. Germany used this as an excuse to invade Poland. -
France and Britain Declare War on Germany
On the 3rd of September, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. This was just two days after Germany had begun its invasion of Poland, and as both Britain and France were allied with Poland. -
Churchill Becomes Prime Minister of Britain
On May the 10th, 1940, Winston Churchill was elected prime minister of England. This was after the previous prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, resigned after trying, and failing, to stop Britain from entering the war. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
After the Germans had stormed through Central Europe using their Blitzkrieg tactics, more than 300,000 British and French soldiers were trapped in the Southern French town of Dunkirk. On the 26th of May, 1940, Winston Churchill ordered all available boats to drive to Dunkirk. A makeshift fleet made mostly of pleasure and fishing boats were able to save more than 140,000 French soldiers and 200,000 British soldiers. -
Italy Enters the War on the Axis Side
Due to their pre-war agreement with Germany, Italy joined Germany and Russia in the Axis agreement. They joined on the 10th of June, 1940, around the time that Germany had totally annexed France. -
France Signs Armistice with Germany
On the 22nd of June 1940 an agreement was signed between French and Nazi German Officials. The agreement was both an armistice and a decree that stated that although France was still to be controlled by the French, the French would be under instructions from the Germans. This area was called Vichy France, and was controlled by a predominantly right wing government. The agreement was put into place on the 25th of June, 1940. -
The Battle of Britain
Operation Sea Lion was the German’s plan to invade Britain, and was to be put into action after the German’s had achieved air supremacy over the British. The operation involved a major aquatic force, but never actually happened. Due to Germany’s losses in the Battle of Britain, they were never able to enact Operation Sea Lion, and the plan was finally scrapped on the 17th of September, 1940. It caused a stalemate in the war within Europe. -
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sea Lion was the German’s plan to invade Britain, and was to be put into action after the German’s had achieved air supremacy over the British. The operation involved a major aquatic force, but never actually happened. Due to Germany’s losses in the Battle of Britain, they were never able to enact Operation Sea Lion, and the plan was finally scrapped on the 17th of September, 1940. -
The Tripartite Act is Signed
Signed on the 27th of September, 1940, the Tripartite Pact was an agreement between the three main axis powers, Italy, Germany, and Japan. Other Axis powers later joined, and the pact stated that all members would provide each other with economic and military assistance. -
Siege of Tobruk
The Battle of Tobruk was fought between the Axis (Italy and Germany), and the Allies (United Kingdom, Australia, and British India). The Battle took place around the town of Tobruk, in what is now Libya, in Northern Africa. The battle began on the 10th of April, 1941, and finished on the 27th of November, 1941. It allowed the Allies to keep control of the Suez Canal, a crucial trade route, and forced the Axis to take longer routes to supply their armies. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the name given to the German Invasion of Russia. Germany began the invasion on the 22nd of June, 1941. Despite having a signed peace agreement with the Russians, Hitler believed that controlling Russia was the key to world power, and as a result ordered the invasion. Despite early success, Germany’s invasion was halted by the harsh winter, and this caused a huge loss of manpower and resources and was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbour
Occurring on the 7th of December, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbour involved the bombing of the US Pacific Fleet by Japanese Aircraft. Japan aimed to entirely cripple the US Fleet at Pearl Harbour, and prevent any opposition to their invasion of South East Asia and the Pacific. However, the attack backfired. The Japanese failed to do any significant damage, and allowed the US to enter the war, who would prevent the Japanese from growing their empire, as well as helping to defeat Nazi Germany. -
Britain and USA Declare War on Japan
On December the 8th, 1941, just a day after the Pearl Harbour bombings, the US and Britain officially declared war on Japan, who were part of the Axis. The United States entry into the war would prove crucial to the Allies. -
Japan Takes Singapore
In the 1940’s, Singapore was the most major British military base in South-East Asia. It was crucial to Britain’s defensive strategy, and as a result, it was a crucial target for the invading Japanese. They attacked the stronghold on the 8th of February and by the 15th of February 1942, they had captured it. When captured, more than 80,000 soldiers became prisoners of war. This battle allowed Japan to fight its way towards Australia and meant that Britain’s colonies were now undefended. -
First Battle of El Alamein
Egypt, and was between Germany and Italy, and the British Commonwealth. The Axis were attempting to push the Allies out of Africa, and to gain control over crucial trade routes, oil supplies in the Middle East, and ports, including the Suez canal. The Allies, despite being undermanned, were able to hold off the Axis advances, and prevent total European and African control from the Axis. The battle took place on the 1-27th of June, 1942. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was fought between Japan and the USA, and took place north-west of Hawaii. The battle began on the 4th of June, 1942, and lasted for 3 days. The battle was convincingly won by the Americans, and gave the Allies momentum in the battle for the Pacific. The battle was especially important due to the amount of ships and planes that Japan lost. The US also suffered losses, but was able to replace them with improved models, whereas the Japanese fleet was never able to recover. -
Battle of Stalingrad
During the Battle of Stalingrad, 17th of July, 1942, the Nazi’s invasion of Russia was halted. Germany wished to control the city and Russia’s oil. The Germans bombed the city, turning the city into rubble, but this provided cover for the Russians. This caused an 8-month siege, where little was gained or lost, and huge casualties resulted. By the 2nd of February, 1943, the Germans were defeated and their invasion of Russia was over. Both sides had 700,000+ soldiers captured, wounded or killed -
Second Battle of El Alamein
Much like the first battle, the Second Battle of El Alamein was between the advancing Axis and the defending Allies. It took place between the 23rd of October and the 11th of November, 1942. Unlike the first battle, however, the British, with the support of the Commonwealth, were able to push the Axis back towards Libya. The Allies now had the advantage in North Africa. Demonstrating this, Winston Churchill said “Before Alamein, we never had a victory. After Alamein, we never had a defeat”. -
D-Day Landings
The D-Day Landings took place on the 6th of June, 1944. It was the beginning of the Allies march towards Berlin, the German Capital. On this day alone, more than 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel and arrived on French soil. They were met with heavy opposition, and many soldiers weren’t able to make it off the beaches, but due to sheer weight of numbers they were able to push through and break the “Atlantic Wall” that the Germans had built. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, so called because of the way the Allied offensive line “bulged” under the German attacks, was one of Germany’s last major attacks. Secretly planned, the Nazi’s attacked a weaker part of the Allied line, and despite initial success, were bogged down in the forests of Europe. The Nazi plan failed, and many German soldiers were killed, leaving them undermanned to defend as the Allies pushed on. It took place between the 16th of December, 1944, and the 25th of January, 1945. -
Mussolini's Capture and Execution
Italy’s involvement in the war had been a disaster, and as the US Army advanced up the Italian peninsula, Mussolini became a wanted man by the Italian people. After fleeing Milan, and trying to escape to the Swiss border, on the 25th of April, 1945, Mussolini was caught, and shot. His body was then hung up, and abused by angry crowds. It was pretty much the end of Italy’s resistance. -
Hitler's Suicide
Adolf Hitler, the German Fuhrer, shot himself in the head, on the 30th of April 1945. His wife and family were also killed/committed suicide on the same day, and all of them died in his bunker in Berlin. Germany was losing the war, and defeat was inevitable, and Hitler couldn’t face seeing his empire collapse around him. -
VE Day
VE day was the day that the war in Europe (as Japan was still fighting) officially ended. It signalled the end of 6 years of struggle, adnwas met with wild celebrations all around the world. The celebrations were biggest in London, but as most countries were affected in some way by the war, VE day was felt around the world. It occurred on the same day as the surrender of German forces, on the 8th of May, 1945. -
The Surrender of German Forces
On the 8th of May, 1945, just over a week after Hitler’s suicide, WW2 in Europe was officially over. Germany had been invaded by Allied forces from the west, and the Russians from the east, and decided that signing a treaty was the best way to limit damages. The treaty was signed by German general Alfred Jodl, in Reims, France. -
Hiroshima Bombing
After VE Day, the war continued in Japan. The USA wished to end this war quickly, without loss of life to their soldiers, and the atomic bomb was their solution to this. It would ideally force Japan into an early surrender, and less lives would be lost than if the USA was forced to fight their way to Tokyo. On August the 6th, 1940, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, killing upwards of 100,000 people -
Soviet Union Declares War on Germany
On the 9th of August (the same day as the Nagasaki Bombing), 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. They sought to take control of Japan’s many colonies, including Korea and Manchuko. This, as well as the Atomic Bombs, caused Japan to realise that the war was unwinnable, and that surrendering was their only alternative. -
Nagasaki Bombing
Even after the bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese refused to give in to the Allies demands, and on the 9th of April, 1945 (3 days later), a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. This bomb had similar effects, and killed nearly 80,000 people. This 2nd bomb, and the Soviet Union’s invasion from the west, finally made Japan realise that the war was lost. -
Japanese Surrender and the End of WW2
WW2 officially ended on the 2nd of September, 1945. Japan, after finally realising that they lacked the military and economic power to win the war, finally surrendered on August the 15th, and signed the official agreement on the 2nd of September 1945, bringing an end to the largest war the world has ever seen. -
Birth of the United Nations
Much like the League of Nations in WW1, the United Nations was set up on the 24th of October, 1945, to prevent another such conflict from occurring. Within the founding 51 nations, the USA were most prominent in its founding, as well as the other Allied countries, who had won the war. Unlike the League of Nations however, the UN has been at least semi-successful.
