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Germany invades Poland
Germany invaded Poland. Thanks to the employment of the German ‘Blitzkrieg’ strategy, the Polish army was defeated in weeks. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany:
Subsequent to Germany’s invasion of Poland, the Allied Powers of Britain and France declare war on Germany. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain:
Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain, whose policies had failed time and again to appease the Nazis, notably among these, the Munich Pact, which Hitler violated. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo): [27th May-4th June 1940]
The British and other Allied forces were evacuated from the French seaport of Dunkirk back to England. When the operation ended on the 4th of June, 198,00 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops were saved, with hundreds of civilian boats and naval vessels. This feat was so impressive because of the sheer numbers of Allied troops that escaped the German forces. -
Italy enters the War, joining the Axis Powers: [June 10th, 1940
Italy entered the war due to a number of external factors such as increasing pressure from Nazi Germany. Following Italy’s entry into the war, many Jewish refugees were incarcerated in the Campagna concentration camp. Franklin D. Roosevelt described Italy’s actions as a great betrayal, stating: “On this tenth day of June 1940, the hand that held the dagger has struck into the back of its neighbour.” -
French Armistice with Germany [June 22nd, 1940
After the fall of Paris, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud is replaced by Marshal Henry Petain. He was intent on signing an armistice with the Nazis to prevent any further bloodshed in France. -
Battle of Britain [July 10th 1940- October 31st 1940]
Britain and Germany finally met in battle in the skies of Great Britain. However, the Nazis underestimated the sheer might of Britain’s air forces and were obliterated by the superior force. This battle was significant because not only did it spare Britain from ground assault, it also demonstrated the uses of military planes in WWII. -
Operation Sea Lion [Planned for 1940]
Operation Sea lion was a planned attack on Great Britain by sea, from the German forces, who in theory would invade the island whilst the air force overwhelmed England. However, the attack never went through, due to the Nazis failing to win the Battle of Britain. -
Tripartite Pact signed [September 27th 1940
The signing of the Tripartite Pact cemented the alliance of the Axis Powers: Germany, Italy and Japan. The Pact supposedly guaranteed assistance from the other participants, should an Axis powers’ land be attacked. The reason for the publicised official nature of the signing was to intimidate the United States and to keep them neutral. -
Siege of Tobruk [April-August 1941]
The siege of Tobruk was a 241-day battle in the Western Desert Campaign in 1941. After defeating the Italian 10th army during Operation Compass, the British were attacked by the German and Italian reinforcements, forcing them to retreat into the border of Egypt. The allied troops the garrison at Tobruk to deprive the axis forces of the use of the essential port at the Egypt-Libya border . -
Operation Barbarossa [June 22nd,1941
Operation Barbarossa was Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. The attack involved over 3,500 Tanks and 3 million Axis troops. The German forces attacked the Soviets because Hitler wanted more “living space” for the German people, as well as to expand his agricultural industry upon the Russian fields. What he didn’t expect was the ferocity of the Soviet’s retaliation… -
Pearl harbour bombings [ December 7th 1941]-
The Japanese bomb pearl harbour. The bombing killed over 2,300 Americans, utterly destroying the USS Arizona, Capsizing the USS Oklahoma over 160 aircrafts were destroyed and a further 150 were damaged. The surprise attack on the US made it certain that they had to enter the war. -
Britain and the US declare war on Japan [December 8th 1941]
Following Japan’s surprise bombing of Pearl Harbour, Britain and France were basically forced into declaring war, escalating again the severity and range of the War. -
Japan takes Singapore
Singapore stood as a strong British colony, and on the eve of Pearl Harbour around 24k Japanese soldiers entered the Malay Peninsula from Indochina. Simultaneously, Japanese fighter pilots attacked Singapore. After a battle during December and January, the British Forces were ordered to retreat. On February 18, 5000 Japanese troops landed on Singapore Island, tearing apart the outnumbered British. 62K British soldiers captured, many POW killed, following British surrender of Singapore. -
Japan takes Singapore
Singapore stood as a strong British colony, and on the eve of Pearl Harbour around 24k Japanese soldiers entered the Malay Peninsula from Indochina. Simultaneously, Japanese fighter pilots attacked Singapore. After a battle during December and January, the British Forces were ordered to retreat. On February 18, 5000 Japanese troops landed on Singapore Island, tearing apart the outnumbered British. 62K British soldiers captured, many POW killed, following British surrender of Singapore. -
Battle of Midway [June 4th 1942-June 7th 1942]
6 months following the Pearl harbour bombings, the Japanese had planned another assault on the States, with aircrafts and ships. However, by intercepting Japanese codes, the Americans were able to foresee the coming attack, and won thanks to this strategic advantage. -
Battle of Stalingrad [July 17, 1942-Feb 2, 1943]
The Battle of Stalingrad was the USSR’s successful defence of their city. Stalingrad (now Volgograd). It stopped the Nazi’s advance into Russia and ultimately turned the war in favour of the Allies. -
D-day Landings [June 6th 1944
a large number of paratroopers and lightweight plane troops behind enemy lines, securing barricades and streets. The land and water intrusions started at 6:30 a.m. -
Battle of the Bulge [December 1944]
Hitler uses Blitzkrieg offensive against the Allies in the Ardennes Mountains. The Battle got its name from the formation of the Allied defence, which managed to neutralise the German assault, however sustained heavy casualties. -
Mussolini captured and Executed [April 29th 1945]
The dictator of Italy, Mussolini and his wife Clara were killed by an Italian man who had captured them while the couple tried leaving Switzerland. -
Hitler’s Suicide [April 30th, 1945]
Hitler hid in his underground bunker as his empire crumbled above him. He and his wife took cyanide pills to avoid the consequences for what they had done, and Hitler shot himself to make sure he died, to try to escape revenge from the Soviets. -
German forces Surrender [May 7th 1945]
German forces laid down their arms following the suicide of the Fuhrer in his bunker below. They feared above all the Soviet troops -
V.E Day (Victory in Europe) [May 8th, 1945]
Great Britain and the United States, as well as other Allied supporters across Europe and around the world, rejoiced as the Nazi war machine was defeated at last. The German forces laid down their arms, and feared above all being taken as prisoners by the USSR. The soviets took approximately 2 million German prisoners of war during this period. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima [August 6th 1945]
On this day America dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima named little boy. It immediately ended world war 2 and some say it started the cold war. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima [August 6th 1945]
On this day America dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima named little boy. It immediately ended world war 2 and some say it started the cold war. -
Soviet Union declare war on Japan [August 8th, 1945]
The USSR sent 1 million troops into Japanese occupied Manchuria as well as North Eastern China, to take on Japan’s army of 700K. -
Japanese Surrender (End of WWII) [Sep 2nd, 1945]
Following the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ( as well as the USSR’s declaration of war and subsequent invasion) the resilient Supreme War Council was finally convinced Japan should concede the war, and WWII finally drew to a close. -
The United Nations (U.N.) is Born [October 24th 1945]
U.N. Charter were first made at the San Francisco Conference. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin also attended by representatives of 50 nations, including 9 continental European states, 21 North, Central, and South American republics, 7 Middle Eastern states, 5 British Commonwealth nations, 2 Soviet republics (in addition to the USSR itself), 2 East Asian nations, and 3 African states all attended this conference