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Invasion of Poland
Germany invades Poland which marks the beginning of WW2. This attack lead to the successful attack for the German military against the Polish and allowed them to occupy most of the country. This forced the United Kingdom and France to both declare war against Germany, officially starting WW2. This attack also involved the Slovak Republic and the Soviet Union, and the Soviets and Germans split Poland's land. -
Britain and France declaring war
Germany had violated international agreements by invading Poland, and both Britain and France promised to protect Polish independence. Two days after Germany invaded Poland, they officially declared war. Even though war was declared, the first several months saw little actual fighting in Western Europe. It wasn't until the Germans invaded France is when conflict really kicked off. -
Hitler invades France
Germany launched a surprise and rapid invasion of France, using a military strategy called blitzkrieg, involving many tanks, aircraft, and infantry. They invaded France, and the British tried to help the French defend northern France and Paris. France fell in just six weeks. By June 14, 1940, German troops entered Paris, and by June 22, France officially surrendered, making France split into a small government in the south, and Germans occupying the north. -
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Miracle of Dunkirk
This was a successful evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France of over 330,000 Allied soldiers who were trapped by advancing German forces during the Battle of Dunkirk. Hundreds of civilian boats crossed the English Channel to assist in the rescue. Though it was a military retreat, it was celebrated as a symbol of courage, unity, and resilience in Britain. -
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Battle of Britain
The battle was fought in the skies over southern Britain, especially London and surrounding cities, and the English Channel, and was between Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe (air force) and Britain's Royal Air Force. The Royal Air Force, outnumbered and under immense pressure, managed to resist the Luftwaffe thanks in part to the use of radar technology. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was fought between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, in the city of Stalingrad (now called Volgograd) in southwestern Russia. It was led by Adolf Hitler on the German side and Joseph Stalin for the Soviet Union. The battle is considered one of the deadliest in history, with over 2 million total casualties, and the harsh winter and Soviet surrounding German forces led to complete surrender for Germany. -
USA Enters WW2
After the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, president Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a declaration of war on Japan from Congress, officially making the US enter the war the next day. It wasn't until a few days later that Germany had declared war on the US, and shortly after Italy did too. They providing an extraordinary amount of financial and military aid leading to the allies victory. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was the surprise attack by the Empire of Japan on the US naval base in Oahu, Hawaii. More than 2,400 US serviceman were killed in the attack, and lead to the US declaring war on Japan the same day. While this attack did have effects, it did not manage to destroy major facilities like oil storage, but rather, the attack killed around 120 Japanese soldiers, destroyed about 30 Japanese aircraft, and 5 Japanese submarines. -
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Battle of Midway
It was a battle was fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy. It took place near Midway Atoll, a small group of islands in the central Pacific Ocean, and was a battle to stop the Japanese attack to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet to eliminate American power in the Pacific and expand its dominance. The U.S. sank four Japanese aircraft carriers in a matter of days, which was another reason for the Japanese beginning their retreat in the Pacific war. -
Raid on Dieppe
The raid was carried out by the Allied forces, primarily Canadian troops, along with British commandos and a small number of American and French forces. The Raid on Dieppe was a failed Allied attack on the German-occupied French port of Dieppe. The raid was a disaster: of the nearly 5,000 Canadian soldiers who took part, over 900 were killed and thousands more were wounded or captured. But the lesson learned from this attack did aid their influence for their D-Day invasion. -
D-Day
The day the Allied forces, primarily the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, along with troops from several other countries, launched an operation called Operation Overlord. This operation was to begin liberating western Europe from Nazi Germanys control, and to force Nazi Germany to relieve pressure from the Soviet Union in the east. More than 156,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day, and the success of the invasion was aided by a massive deception campaign that fooled Germany. -
End of WW2 in Europe
The war in Europe ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Allied Powers. The end of World War II in Europe came when Germany unconditionally surrendered, which brought an end to the war on the European front. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, and Berlin being captured by the Allies powers. Even though Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, the Soviet Union insisted on a second, formal surrender, which took place on May 8. -
End of WW2
The Allied Powers defeat the Axis powers after Germany surrendered in May 1945. But didn't officially end until Early September 1945. Japan surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war on Japan, and Germany surrendered after Berlin was captured by Soviet forces and Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945, but was officially signed on September 2, 1945. -
A-Bomb on Hiroshima
The United States carried out the attack under the leadership of President Harry S. Truman to try and force Japan out of the war, and was dropped by a U.S. bomber plane. It hit Hiroshima, a major city in southwestern Japan being a major military command center. The bomb exploded about 600 meters above the city, creating a blast that instantly killed an estimated 70,000–80,000 people, and tens of thousands more from radiation. -
A-Bomb of Nagasaki
The United States, still under President Harry S. Truman, dropped the second atomic bomb just 3 days after the Hiroshima attack. It hit Nagasaki known for its shipbuilding industry and military production. It was sent to force Japan out of the war again because the first attack didn't work. Nagasaki was actually the secondary target. The primary target was the city of Kokura, but it was obscured by clouds and smoke, so the attack crew switch targets.