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Germany stormed Polish land shortly before 5 am on September 1st, 1939. Motorized and foot troops were sent. More than 1.2 million German troops swept into Poland.
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Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, declared war on Germany.
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Germany invades western Europe, France, and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrender on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime in Vichy is established.
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Japan bombs Pearl Harbor.
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The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina, and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina, and Singapore are under Japanese occupation.
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Axis declares war on the United States on Dec. 11th through 13th.
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The Germans launch a final offensive in the west, known as the Battle of the Bulge, in an attempt to re-conquer Belgium and split the Allied forces along the German border. By January 1, 1945, the Germans are in retreat.
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The United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
