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German invasion of Poland
The Invasion of Poland or the September Campaign was a joint invasion of Poland by the USSR and Nazi Germany.
Germany began their invasion on the 1st of September. The USSR began their invasion on the 17th of September.
By the 6th of October, German and Russian forces gained full control of Poland.
The Invasion marked the beginning of the Second World War.
The invasion was part of the Nazi's plan to build an empire. The USSR was involved in the invasion due to wanting neutral terms with Germany. -
War declared on Germany by Britain and France
France and Britain declared war on Germany on the 3rd of September due to the Invasion of Poland. -
Winston Churchill becomes the prime minister of Britain
After Neville Chamberlain resigned, Winston Churchill became the Prime Minister of Britain on the 10th of may. -
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The evacuation of Dunkirk
The evacuation of Dunkirk was the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from Dunkirk. The troops were trapped by Axis forces after the Axis launched attacks on western countries.
The evacuation began on the 26th of may. During the evacuation, the RAF held off the Luftwaffe while the British Navy evacuated over 338,000 troops. The Navy didn't actually have the numbers to evacuate all troops. Due to this, many civilian boats were borrowed from the public and used to rescue troops. -
Italy joins the war with the Axis powers
On the 10th of June, Italy had officially joined the Axis powers as it became clear that France would fall to Germany.
The most obvious reasons for the alliances made were the opposition to communism, opposition to the treaty of versailes and the expansion of empires. -
France signs an armistice with Germany
After France's defeat in the Battle of France, they were forced to sign an armistice with Germany. It was signed on the 22nd of June, 1940. Ironically, it was signed in the same location that Germany was forced to sign the treaty of Versailles. The armistice essentially took France out of the picture of the was, preventing their military fighting anywhere in the war, and also allowed for Germany to stay and occupy France. -
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The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a campaign where the UK was under siege by Germany. The attacks began on the 10th of July. Germany's goal of the attack was to attempt to force the British into a peace treaty. This goal was never met, and the German attacks couldn't break through the British defence. Eventually, all German forces withdrew. The battle is considered Germany's first major loss. The British victory came at a cost, with thousands dead including civilians. -
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Planned date for Operation Sea lion
The operation was a plan for the German invasion of the UK. The plan was an amphibious assault using blitzkrieg tactics, where land troops would be supported by air. The operation also included plans for the occupation of Britain and a post-invasion administration. However, the plan was delayed multiple times before being postponed indefinitely. Operation sealion was originally planned to begin on the 1st of September. -
Operation Sea lion postponed indefinitely
Operation Sealion, a plan for the invasion of Britain by Germany was postponed indefinitely on the 17th of September by Hitler. The plan was meant to begin on the 1st, however, it was repeatedly postponed until the 17th. The reason for postponing the operation was because the German Luftwaffe (airforce) was not able to break through British defences. If the airforce couldn't break through, the invasion would have been ineffective. -
The Tripartite Pact is signed
The Tripartite Pact officially formed the main Axis alliance with Germany, Japan and Italy. The alliance was signed in Berlin.
It meant that all Axis countries would receive wartime support from one another. It was also created hoping that it would drive an already mutual America from fighting in the war. It also stated that Italy and Germany would "establish a new order in Europe" while Japan was recognised to have rule over “Greater East Asia.” -
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The Battle of Tobruk
The battle of Tobruk was a Siege on the fortified allied position by the last port remaining in Tobruk, Lybia. Australian, British, Indian and Polish forces defended the position from the German and Italian forces. The allies were able to hold out in the harsh conditions for 241 days due to the constant supplies from the port.
After this time Axis forces began to withdraw leading to an allied victory. The Victory of the siege was the first major and decisive Allied victory of the war. -
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Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the German invasion of Russia.It was fought by Germany and the USSR. The operation was to use the area in Russia to be populated by the German people and to use the Slavic population as a slave workforce. The offensive ended up being a failure, due to the harsh terrain and climate. Germany was eventually pushed back by the Soviet winter counteroffensive. The German failure allowed for the USSR to push west into Germany and stay on the offensive for the rest of the war. -
Pearl Harbour Bombed
The bombing of Pearl Harbour was a surprise attack on a US navy base on an island in Hawaii by Japan. The attack was to make sure the US weren't capable of intervening with their military actions in south-east Asia. The attack left the US navy crippled. However, the attack actually led America to leave its neutral state and officialy enter the war a day later by declaring war on Japan and other Axis powers. -
War declared on Japan by Britain and the US
As a response to the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the US declared war on Japan the following day of the attack. Of the 471 votes from the senate and the house, there was only 1 vote against the declaration. Soon after the US declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy also declared war on the US, resulting in the US's full involvement in the war. Britain also declared war on Japan, but 9 hours before the US. This was due to the simultaneous attacks by Japan on British colonies such as Malaya. -
Singapore conquered by Japan
After the battle of Singapore, where invading Japanese forces broke through defences of a combined British, Australian, Indian and Malayan defence, Japan had taken over Singapore. The Japanese occupation lasted through to the end of the war. The occupation was simply to expand the Japanese empire and to gain more resources. Throughout the Japanese occupation, there were many attacks in attempts to liberate the country. All failed and many led to severe civillian casualties. -
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The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a naval and air battle between the US and Japan over Midway Atoll, an island in the northern pacific ocean. Japan had planned for an attack on a US fleet, but the US was able to predetermine the attack and prepare for an ambush. The battle lasted around 3 days. By the end of the battle, the US had incapacitated all Japanese ships and had won. The US victory made for a turning point in the Pacific campaign as it allowed for the US to be in an offensive position. -
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The First battle of El Alamein
The 1st battle of ElAlamein was fought in Egypt between Italy and Germany, and countries in the British commonwealth including Britain, India, Australia and NewZealand. The battle began when British forces fell back from a position to ElAlamein, a railway station by the coast. Allied forces were on the defensive as the Axis were assaulting the area. The area was important due to its position near the Suez canal. The first battle ended in a stalemate, with heavy casualties on both sides. -
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The Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was one of the largest battles fought by the USSR during WW2. By the end of the battle, German forces assaulting Stalingrad were repelled. The USSR victory of this battle is also said to be the turning point to the allies during the war, as after the USSR victory, Russian troops were able to push on a western offensive through to the end of the war. -
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The Second Battle of El Alamein
The first battle although being a stalemate, stopped the axis advance on the Suez canal. 3 months after the first battle, both sides made another move for ElAlamein. This time, the allies from the first battle also had support from France and the US.By the end of the battle, it was a clear allied victory. The allies had control of the Suez Canal and the Axis forces left the middle east. -
The D'day Landings
The D-day landings were the allied invasion of Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, during Nazi occupation. The invasion resulted in the liberation of western Europe and eventually an allied victory on the western front. During the Invasion, British, US and Canadian troops were on an amphibious assault while other allied forces like Australia and NewZealand supported in other areas of the invasion. Although there were many losses and the invasion took a while, in the end, it was an allied victory. -
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The Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last German offensive on the western front in Europe after the allies successful Normandy beach landings in France. Hitler intended the assault to eliminate all the new allied forces in west Europe after he realised the east was lost. After an allied counterattack, they gained the advantage and there was an allied victory. The victory allowed the allies to maintain position in the west and allowed the allies to continue pushing on the western front. -
The Capture and Death of Mussolini
As it seemed that an Allied win in Europe would become inevitable, Mussolini the dictator of Italy, fled from the city of Milan with his wife on the 25th of April.
On the 27th of April were captured by Italian Partisan forces near the village of Dongo, near the Switzerland border. They were executed the following day. The death of Mussolini was significant as it was the death of one of the 3 major Axis power leaders. His death heavily affected Hitler's decision to commit suicide soon after. -
Suicide of Adolf Hitler
Nearing the end of the war, Soviet forces had pushed far into Germany. Hitler along with his wife and a few other Nazi officials went into hiding in the "Fuhrerbunker".
As USSR forces were just 500 or so meters away from the bunker Hitler and his wife committed suicide. Hitler's suicide led to the fast disbandment of the Nazi party, and the allied victory in europe.
While Hitler's wife committed suicide through Cyanide poisoning, it's unknown whether Hitler poisoned himself or shot himself. -
The German Forces Surrender
After Hitler's death, Nazi military officials were left without a leader and were desperately trying to hold their position with allied forces attacking from all sides. One by one, commanding officers and troops in certain areas of Europe began to surrender. The Nazi's official surrender was on the 7th when official documentation was signed by General Alfred Jodl and all forces surrendered. The surrender of the Nazi's marked the allied victory in Europe and eventually the entire war. -
Victory in Europe day
VE day is a celebration in Europe celebrating the surrender of the Nazi's and the liberation of Europe. It is a public holiday celebrated all around Europe today. Recently however, in certain countries it is similar to a rememberence day and not a public holiday. It now serves as a reminder to the events of WW2. -
Nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima
After Allied victory in Europe, Japan was the only remaining axis force. Allied forces were preparing for an invasion of Japan. The US gave Japan an ultimatum for military forces to surrender, or "prompt and utter destruction". It was ignored by Japan.
By the beginning of August the US had developed 2 nuclear weapons. After permission from Britain, on the 6th of August the nuclear warhead, the Littleman was dropped on the city Hiroshima. The US president once again called for Japan's surrender. -
USSR Declares War on Japan
In 1943 the USSR made an agreement that they would declare war on Japan once Germany was defeated. Once it was clear that the allies won Europe, USSR declared war on Japan. Although it was only a few days after the first nuclear bomb was dropped, there was no relation with the timing of the declaration. In the "Soviet-Japanese war" Russia was able to end Japanese control in North Korea, Manchukuo and other regions in Asia. The USSR invasion along with the Nuclear bombs pushed Japan's surrender. -
Nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki
3 days after the bomb on Hiroshima, the US sent another nuclear warhead, the "Fatman" to be dropped on Nagasaki. Japan eventually announced surrender 6 days after the bomb on Nagasaki, on the 15th.
The two nuclear bombs had a total of around 226,000 casualties within a few months of detonation, including fatalities from radiation poisoning and other ilnesses. A majority of which were civilians. Although bringing an end to the war, there is still debate about the justification of the bombs. -
End of WW2, Japan surrenders
On the 15th of August, following the 2 nuclear bombs and the USSR's declaration of war Japan announced they would surrender. On the 2nd of September, the official written declaration was signed. It was signed by Japan, China, the US, Britain and the UK, the USSR, Australia, NewZealand, France and the Netherlands.
The signing officially marked the end of WW2. It is occasionally referred to as "Victory over Japan" day.
It was signed in Tokyo Bay on the "USS Missouri", a US battleship. -
The United Nations is created
The United Nations is an international council that is meant to keep peace around the world and to prevent international conflict of the scale of the world wars, a replacement for the failed "League of Nations". It was first established after the end of WW2, but the first idea of it was drafted by the US president during 1939. When the UN was established it consisted of 51 countries. Now there are 193 members.