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Japan, attempting to increase their empire and acquire more resources, invades Manchuria.
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Mussolini, wanting to return Italy to its former glory, invades Ethiopia.
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Germany occupies the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia, claiming the territory is now under their protection.
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German Forces invade the country of Poland at the same time as they annex the port of Danzig.
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German forces, after invading France and Belgium, enter the city of Paris.
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France signs an armistice with Germany.
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Germany begins a bombing campaign against England. The hope is to force the country to surrender.
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Despite signing a non-aggression treaty with the Soviet Union, Germany launches a surprise attack on the USSR.
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Japan launches a surprise attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, hoping to weaking the US's presence in the Pacific.
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The Allies score a decisive victory over the Japanese at Midway. This is a major turning point for the war in the Pacific theater.
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German forces attack El Alamein in Egypt.
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Allied forces break through the Axis lines at El Alamein.
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German forces begin their assault of the Soviet city of Stalingrad. Stalin tells his military that they must hold the city at all costs.
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Allied forces begin their asault on the beaches of Normany, France. This marks the point where the Allies begin pushing Germany back.
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US Marines invade Iwo Jima.
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Allied forces attack Okinawa. This is the last amphibious assault during World War II.
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Allied forces drop an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
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Allied forces drop an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Shortly after this event, the Japanese surrender to Allied forces.