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German troops invade Poland on the ground while Hitler's air force bombs Polish cities from the sky.
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Britain and France declare war on Germany honoring their commitment to Poland.
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Adolf Hitler takes neutral Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg.
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Britain forces retreat from France and Adolf Hitler's armies defeat French forces.
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Benito Mussolini's Italian forces attack France from the south.
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France surrenders to Germany and signs an armistice. Great Britain now stands alone against the Axis powers.
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The United States extends the Japanese embargo to include iron and steel.
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The first draft numbers are drawn, sending thousands of draftees to drill camps all over the country.
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The American merchant ship Robin Moor is sunk by a German torpedo in the South Atlantic.
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Germany invades the Soviet Union violating the Non Aggression Pact.
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The United States extends lend-lease aid to the Soviet Union.
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces that the United States will take over defense of Iceland for the duration of the war.
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German submarines damage the U.S.S. Kearny in a skirmish near Iceland, killing 11.
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The Japanese government decides to attack Pearl Harbor if negotiations with the United States fail.
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Japanese fighter planes attack the American base at Pearl Harbor destroying U.S. aircraft and naval vessels, and killing 2,355 U.S. servicemen and 68 civilians.
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Invasion of Normandy, France.
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The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II
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US drops second atomic bomb. Over 40,000 killed
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Tokyo asks for peace on the condition that Emperor Hirohito will retain his throne. The Allies accept.
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A formal surrender ceremony is conducted in Tokyo Bay on the U.S. battleship Missouri. World War II officially ends.
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Congress approves the lend-lease bill which would deliver arms to Great Britain to be paid for following the war's end.
