Critical Events of World War II

  • Germany Invades Poland

    Germany Invades Poland

    Beginning of World War II
  • Operation Barbarossa

    Operation Barbarossa

    Germany invades the Soviet Union.
  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    Attack on Pearl Harbor

    Japan bombs U.S. naval base in Hawaii, prompting the U.S. to join the war.
  • Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)

    Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)

    Allied forces land in France.
  • Death of Adolf Hitler

    Death of Adolf Hitler

    Hitler commits suicide in his bunker in Berlin.
  • Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day)

    Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day)

    Germany surrenders to the Allies.
  • U.S. Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

    U.S. Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

    The U.S. drops the first atomic bomb dubbed “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
  • U.S. Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki

    U.S. Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki

    The U.S. drops the a second atomic bomb dubbed “Fat Man” on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
  • Japan Surrenders (V-J Day)

    Japan Surrenders (V-J Day)

    Japan formally surrenders aboard USS Missouri, officially ending World War II.