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German Revolution
The German Generals had told politicians there was no hope of victory. So following a Naval Command decision to engage in battle with the British navy the sailors revolted on the 28th of October 1918.
Combined with the social tensions throughout the German Empire ,undemocratic constitution and lack of willingness to reform a revolution began. -
Kaiser Wilhelm Abdicates
Kaiser Wilhelm was forced to abdicate n the 9th of November 1918 -
Armistice
End of World War 1 . Over 2 million German soldiers killed in the war and 420,000 civilians died. Matias Erzberger signed the Armistic document in Compiegne, France -
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Murders Of Weimar Politicians
Between 1919 and 1923 around 300 Weimar Politicians were killed.This shows the unpopularity of the Weimar Government and the amount of people who hated it -
The Spartacist Uprising
General strike in Berlin , the KPD and the Spartacist League joined a few days later. Strikers controlled the street until the Freikorps (armed mercenaries) were sent in by the Ebert Government. The leaders Rosa Luxembourg and Karl Liebnecht were shot. The strike ended 8 January 1919.This showed the weakness of the german government,showed the increasing power or the communists,encouraged people to form or join strong groups and distracted people from the birth of the Weimar Republic -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Allied countries held a Peace Conference in the Palace of Versailles starting JANUARY 1919.
Germany was forced to sign the document and agree tall its terms: which included
Accepting total blame for the war
Paying £6.6 billion in reparations
Restricting the army to 100,000 men, 6 battle ships no subs or airforce
Losing colonies Alsace Lorraine, Posen, the Polish Corridor, and Danzig to the allies
No Anschluss ever
Not joining the League of Nations
Demilitarising the Rhineland
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The Weimar Republic
Strengths
Very democratic
Bill of Rights everyone over 20 could vote ,freedom of speech ,equality protection of unemployed ,mothers, children. Represent many groups
Elected President and Reichstag
Weaknesses
Left too much power to German States
Article 48- in times of national emergency President can govern by decree
Proportional Representation vote for party seats in govt in proportion to votes . Parties that weren't strong enough to get majority votes which made legislation hard -
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Changes to the German Workers Party
1920- Name changed to Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party
1921- Hitler became famous for his public speaking and was named Furher
1922- Mussolini and Nationalist Fascist Party seized power - inspiring Hitler with " March On Rome" - same Black T-shirts, Same one arm salute
1923- Daily Nazi newspaper" The Peoples Observer"
1923 - attempted Munich Putsch -
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Nazis Affirm Their Racist Ideas
From the ir earliest days,the Nazis had blamed Jewish people for the problems affecting Germany.Nazi belief in racial purity and the 'superiority of the Aryan race' fed prejudice.When times are bad people are more inclined to blame outsiders and foreigners.The growing vote for the Nazi party between 1929-1933 confirms this racial message was getting through.The Nazis had similar visa about other minorities such as blacks,Romani,the disabled and homosexuals.These groups were persecuted after 1933 -
Kapp Putsch
Government disbanded a Freikorps group which outraged Nationalists. Wolfgang Kapp a Freikorps commander and nationalist and Walther von Luttwitz commander of the army in Berlin tried to seize power. Loyal troops outside Berlin suppressed the putsch.
Nationalists hated the Weimar Government for agreeing to Treaty of Versailles -
The Hitler Youth Is Founded
The Hitler Youth ( Hitler Jugend or HJ) was a unit of the Nazi party founded in 1922.It recruited boys usually aged 14 to 18 but often they took younger boys for initial training.There was great emphasis on military type activities including physical fitness training.The boys wore uniforms and had ranks.They were indoctrinated with anti-semitic ideas.This unit was the breeding ground for soldiers of the future -
Hyperinflation 1922-1923
Money became worthless because
Passive resistance against the occupation of the Ruhr
Money printed to pay inactive workers and to but imported coal
More and more money was printed so banknotes became worthless. -
French Occupation of the Ruhr
Germany couldn't pay reparations so French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr , the industrial heartland of Germany. This displaced the people of the Ruhr and the government had to care for the refugees and deal with the loss of the steel mills and factories.The French stayed there until AUGUST 1925 -
Munich Putsch
600 SA and Hitler interrupted a meeting that the Berlin Commissioner was holding in a Beer Hall Supported by hundreds of thugs they announced a Putsch The Nazis arrested Socialist city councillors and took control of the local army HQ.The next day they sent armed SA into city The local commander stayed loyal and troops fired on the Nazis Two days later Hitler Nazis was arrested. This provided Propaganda, Mein Kampf and learning that Germans respected the law. -
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Re-organisation of the Nazi Party
Hitler formed the SS under Heinrich Himmler in 1925 - a larger more disciplined version of the SA
Each district had a Gau under the command of a Nazi Gautier
Party discipline was strong and there was a firm central structure.
They continued down a democratic path throughout the 1920s . -
The Dawes Plan
The Allies had to act because a weekend Germany could mean a Communist Germany. Charles Dawes A Us banker and future Vice President planned for withdrawal from the Ruhr , re-organisation of the Reichbank and rescheduling of Reparations Payments.
Dawes received a Noble Peace prize and foreign investment increased in Germany. However this plan relieved on huge loans from the USA . -
Locarno Treaties
In autumn 1925 the foreign ministers of Western Europe ( Gustav Streseman, Austen Chamberlain, Aristide Briand etc) met in Switzerland to fix the new map of Europe. G , F and B agreed to respect western frontiers given in ToV. E promised to help any country invaded in defiance of these terms. Czechoslovakia and Poland were unhappy because the eastern borders weren't mentioned so they felt vulnerable to attack. -
Kellog Briand Pact
This was an agreement signed by the western powers , including Germany in 1928 , and overseen by Us and French Foreign Ministers: Frank Kellogg and Aristide Briand.
The countries that signed this agreement committed themselves to solving international problems by peaceful means. Within eleven years World War Two broke out -
Heinrich Himmler Becomes Head Of The SS
In 1925, a small Nazi paramilitary group -The Protective Squadron (Schutzstaffel) or SS had become Hitler's personal guard.In 1929 Heinrich Himmler,a 29 year old party activist and SS Deputy Commander was appointed its head.When he took over the SS numbered just 280 but grew to number almost a million men.It was responsible for many crimes against humanity during WW2 -
The Young Plan
the Reparations still couldn't be paid so the Young Committee led by Owen Young proposed to find a way that Germany could pay.This plan was agreed to by Britain, France and the US in 1929 and was formally adopted in JANUARY 1930 however between Agreement and adoption was the Wall Street Crash. -
Wall Street Crash
The Crash plunged the world into economic crisis. The Young Plan like the Dawes Plan relied heavily upon big loans from the USA, the USA suspended all loans so Germany was also plunged into economic crisis again. Between September 1930 and September 1932 unemployment shot up from 3 million to 5 million in Germany, Businesses became bankrupt and inflation. -
The League Of German Girls Is Established
During 1930 the girls' branch of the Hitler Youth the BDM ( Bund Deutscher Madel).It was for girls aged 14 to 18 although girls aged 10 to 14 could join for preliminary training.Later there was also a group for older girls between 17 and 21.While men did the fighting and boys prepared to do so,girls were taught from an early age the their proper purpose was to get married and have children.It was then to be a good mother and a supportive wife -
Hitler vs Hindenberg
Hitler stood against Paul von Hindenburg in the presidential election . Hindenburg, who had been president for some time won at 19.3 million votes, while Hitler lost with 13.4 million votes. -
National Election 1932
Nazi Party received nearly 14 million votes making them the largest party although they were not a majority party. They won 230 Reichstag seat with Social Democrats a distant second with 8 million votes and 133 seats. -
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The German Government Conspires Against The Nazis
Hitler demanded , as leader of the largest party in the Reichstag , to be made Chancellor, but Hindenburg refused to appoint him. Franz von Papen a Centre Party politician was made Chancellor, he had very little support so he called another election the same year.The Nazis lost 2 million votes and 34 seats. Hindenburg then appointed Kurt von Schleicher as Chancellor. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor
Von Schleicher tried to control the Nazi Party and Hitler but his power quickly dwindled. Von Papen persuaded Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor. Von Papen was convinced that as Vice Chancellor he could control Hitler. Thus , on the 30th of January 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany -
The Reichstag Fire
A fire broke out in the Reichstag Building . The Reichtag was completely destroyed. Marinus van der Lubbe , a 24 year old Dutch Communist was charged with arson, tried and convicted. The Nazis were able to claim that Germany waist urgent danger of violent communist conspiracy. -
Nazi's Win Largest Reichstag Victory
They received over 17 million votes and won 288 seats in the Reichstag. It says a lot for democracy that 20 million people voted for other parties. -
The Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment And Propaganda
The RMVP was established on 13th March 1933.In charge of the Ministry was Dr Joseph Goebbels,at 36 years old.Every aspect of society was to be controlled by the Nazi state,and it was Goebbels expertise in media manipulation that secured for him this key job as the youngest Nazi minister.Nazis had a strong voice in newspapers,books and posters and had complete control over radio,film,music journalism and writing.Hitlers speeches were broadcast nationwide with loudspeakers outside,Nazi rallies etc -
The Enabling Act
The Nazis presented an Enabling Act to the Reichstag in the Kroll Opera House on 23rd March 1933.This emergency law was demanded because the Nazis claimed there was an urgent danger to the state.The meeting was a joke,communists and social democrats were in jail or fleeing.The act was passed into law by President Hindenburg.This law gave the Nazis the right to pass laws without involving the Reichstag or keeping within the constitution.It was a 4year licence to operate a dictatorship. -
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Nazi Policies Towards Women
In 1933 many women had worked for Germany,within months of the Nazis coming to power, the great majority of women had been sacked or left their jobs.Women weren't expected to dress fashionably.High-heels and heavy makeup were banned.Hair had to be simply dressed and not dyed.Clothes had to be plain and wholesome.Trousers were banned.Women were encouraged to develop a full figure as this was thought to be better for childbirth.Women smoking was improper. -
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Censorship In Nazi Germany
Joseph Goebbels was appointed Reich Minister For public Enlightenment And Propaganda in 1933.His most successive achievements included:Making radios cheap enough so most households had one and could hear the Nazi message,placing radios in public places.Backing the production of lots of Pro-Nazi films,controlling the newspaper industry( sacking Jewish journalists and anti Nazi newspapers),Organising the 1936 Munich Olympics at which the Germans excelled.Organising pro Nazi festivals and rallies. -
The First Nazi Laws Against The Jews
Law for the Reestablishment of the Professional Civil Service banned all those of Jewish origin from working in Civil Service Jobs,
Law on the Admission to the Legal Profession banned all people of Jewish origin from taking the bar exam which was necessary if they wanted to become lawyers. -
Law For The Encouragement Of Marriage
One of the first laws passed by the new Nazi government in 1933 was the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage.It stated that every couple who married would get a government loan of 1000 marks (9months average salary).The repayment was reduced by 25% on the birth of a child, and would disappear on the fourth child.Some 800,000 newly weds took up this offer in the first year.Germany needed to populate for wars,and claiming back colonies. -
The Labour Front
Within a few months of coming to power,Hitler abolished Trade Unions.He ordered the arrestor all Trade Union leaders and established the National Labour Front (DAF).This was the only Trade Union allowed in Nazi Germany and all workers had to be members.Workers were not allowed to strike of Protest about wages or conditions; the Labour Front set the wages -
Gertrud Scholtz-Klink -Reich Women's Fuhrer
Gertrud Schotz-Klink was appointed Reich Women's Fuhrer by Hitler in 1933.She was the mother of ten children by three husbands.Her plain but Aryan,wholesome looks,prolific childbearing and passionate Nazi beliefs made her an ideal choice. -
De-Naturalisation Law
De-Naturalization Law cancelled the citizenship of all ' Undesirables" i.e. Jews,Romani,disabled and all other groups the Nazis hated -
Reichskonkordat
In July 1933,Hitler sent his Catholic Vice Chancellor,Franz Von Papen,to Rome to negotiate a Concordat, an agreement between Germany and Holy See. Cardinal Pacelli.He signed the agreement securing the rights of the 20 million Catholics in Germany to to remain Catholic under the Nazis.A key condition,in breach of and agreement with Priest Ludwig Kass of the Centre Party,was the abolition of the Centre Party -
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Protestant Church And The Nazis
There were some 40 million Protestants in Germany.The Nazis wanted to organise many groups of Protestant Churches into one organisation that would support their ideas.In defiance of Nazi attempts to control the Protestant Churches,a young Protestant Pastor Martin Niemoller formed the Confessing Church in 1934.Niemoller was later arrested and sent to Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps.He survived,but the Church was under great pressure from the Nazis until 1945 -
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Catholic Church and the Nazis
Pope Pius XII's closeness to the Nazis attracted comment,but he was prepared to do much to protect German Catholics and prevent the spread of communism.Hitler claimed that the Catholic Church had given its blessing to National Socialism,and that its support would be significant in the struggle against Jewry.The Concordat is perceived to have contributed towards acceptance of Nazism.In Germany however conditions were imposed on priests and restrictions were placed on Catholic organisations. -
Crosses For Mother Hood
On the 15th of August every year, the birthday of Hitler's mother, special Crosses For Motherhood were awarded.A gold medal was awarded to mothers of eight children,a silver for six children,a dans a bronze for four children. -
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Nazi Policies On Unemployment
Between October 1933 and February 1937,unemployment in Germany fell from 6 million to 1.2 million.This was a remarkable turnaround.As soon as the Nazis came to power in 1933 they established a National Labour Service.This employed people on a wide range of public works.Also Germany was busy re-arming itself.The army had expanded and the Luftwaffe was created,German navy had modern warships and U-boats.Arms factories were busy.All young Germans were conscripted.They also wanted self sufficiency. -
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Strength Through Joy
The idea of Strength Through Joy was to improve people's leisure time.Hitler wanted to keep workers loyal to him and the Nazi cause.He also wanted to keep them busy,so that they would not have the time to question Nazism.Discounted theatre and cinema tickets were offered to workers; cheap holidays and coach tours were organise,along with evening courses -
The SS Is Above The Law
The SS developed its own security service(the Sicherheitdienst),or SD,and it was given control over all police forces in Germany,including the state secret police the Gestapo(Geheimestatspolizei) in April 1934.The SS,now grown to nearly 100,000 men was now above the law and had become a suitable instrument for enforcing Hitler's will.Heinrich Himmler was made Assistant Chief of the Gestapo on the 4th of April 1934 -
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The Night Of The Long Knives
Between 30 June-2 July,the SS and the Gestapo under Heinrich Himmler attacked the SA.This operation was codenamed Hummingbird.The SA commander Ernst Rohm was killed with many other SA leaders.The SA had become an obstacle for Hitler,they were unpopular unruly street thugs unlike the loyal disciplined SS.The courts were quick to declare the killings legal.The fact they got away with this showed Hitler he wass truly above the law and courts. -
The National Labour Service
Hitler introduce the National Labour Service in 1935.The Labour Sevice conscripted all men ager 19-25 to work for the government for 6 months.They were put work building motorways,ditches,schools and other public projects.The Labour service had a dual effect:it kept young men busy and loyal to the Nazis,and also helped build up the country.The Labour Service also helped reduce the massive unemployment in Germany after the Great Depression. -
Nuremberg Laws
All citizens of Jewish origin lost the right to vote and their citizenship - they became 'subjects of the state' due to the Reich Citizenship Law
The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor meant that Jews were forbidden to from marrying non-Jews. -
The German Army Enters The Rhineland
The Treaty of Versailles forbade the Germans from militarising the Rhineland,a natural barrier between Germany and France.On March 7, 1936, Hitler denounced the Locarno Pact and ordered histroops to reoccupy the Rhineland.20 infantry battalions, along with a small number of planes moved into the Rhineland. In total, there was about 32,000 armed policemen and soldiers who occupied the Rhineland.France was alarmed but would not act with the help of Britain who didn't want to go to war. -
Military Conscription
Adolf Hitler introduces a compulsory two-year period of military conscription.This was another act that violated the Treaty of Versailles. -
The Rome-Berlin Axis
Hitler planned to draw Italy into an alliance.In July 1936,Fascist rebels led by General Franco took up arms against the Spanish government,and Mussolini intervened in support of the rebels.As a demonstration of solidarity with Italy,Hitler also intervened.He invited the Italian foreign minister to come to Berlin,where on 21 October 1936,Germany and Italy signed an alliance : Rome-Berlin Axis.This alliance contained a protocol committing Germany and Italy to follow a common foreign policy -
Anti-Comnitern Pact
Anti-Comintern Pact, agreement concluded first between Germany and Japan (Nov. 25, 1936) and then between Italy, Germany, and Japan (Nov. 6, 1937), ostensibly directed against the Communist International (Comintern) but, by implication, specifically against the Soviet Union.
Japanese hated Soviets because they helped China in the war.Hitler was Anti-Communist.This helped with Western relations -
Hitler Youth Is Compulsory
From December 1936 all German youths had to join the Hitler Youth -
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Edelweiss Pirates
The Edelweiss Pirates was a movement of young rebels who were opposed to the HJ.Most major cities had an Edelweiss Pirates chapter from the late 1930s onwards.Their motto was "Everlasting opposition on Hitler Youth".They disliked the military focus of the HJ and opposed the segregation of the sexes and Nazi indoctrination.The sexes mixed feely,listened to banned music and debated controversial issues.In 1944 a number were hanged. -
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Changing Role Of Women In Wartime Germany
Hitler had firm ideas about women should behave,he believed they should focus on Children,Kitchen,Church.However as war loomed,Women were needed in the workplace.In 1937 the Nazis introduced a 'Duty Year' in which women gave a year to the national cause.During WW2 many Duty Years were served in Concentration camps,in land,or in the factories.However more workers were needed,there wasn't enough food or weapons.Some believe that England won because they brought women to the workplace quickly. -
Hitler Announces Anschluss With Austria
In 1938 Hitler invited Schuschnigg,the Austrian Chancellor,to meet him.Hitler demanded concessions for the Austrian Nazi Party.Schuschnigg refused and after resigning was replaced by Arthur Seyss-Inquart,leader of the Austrian Nazi Party.On 13 March,Seyss-Inquart invited the German Army to occupy Austria and claimed union with Germany.Austria was now renamed Ostmark and was placed under the leadership of Seyss-Inquart.Austrian Kaltenbrunner was named Minister of State and head of the Austrian SS -
More Anti-Semitic Laws
The Executive Order on the Law on the Alteration of Family and Personal Names made it so that all males of Jewish origin had to add the name 'Israel' to their first names.Women had to add the name 'Sara'.Later that year the medical qualifications of all Jewish doctors were cancelled and Jewish Children were excluded from German schools and universities -
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Kristallnacht-Night Of The Broken Glass
On Kristallnacht,the 9th and 10th of November 1938,Jewish shops,homes and synagogues were destroyed.The shops and businesses that survived had to be closed and sold.91 Jews were murdered and 25,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps.Nearly 200 synagogues were burned.Altogether 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps in 1938 -
Jews Have To Give Over Their Valuables
In February 1939 all Jewish people had to hand over all their glad,silver and jewellery.Many people of Jewish origin had fled or were fleeing the country. -
World War Two Begins
The German Invasion of Poland sparks the Second World War. -
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Warsaw Ghetto
The invasion of Poland in September 1939 placed the large population of Polish Jews,some 2 million,at the mercy of the Nazis.Behind the invading German army came the SS under the command of Himmler's deputy Reinhard Heydrich whose job was to keep the conquered Poles in submission.Jews were forced to hand over most of their possessions and move into grossly overcrowded,insanitary ghettos.The largest ghetto in Poland was the Warsaw ghetto where some 380,000 Jews were forced to live. -
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Growth Of Opposition To Hitler In World War 2
The SS,Gestapo,Nazi Party,Regional Governments, and courts all prepared regular reports on things that would affect public morale:food shortages,price increases,fear of war etc.Reports were also prepared by the opposition Social Democrats from exile in Prague,Vienna,London and the US.There is little evidence of popular opposition to Hitler despite the increased bombing and tough rationing.This may be because of the ruthless Nazi suppression of opposition.However there was opposition. -
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Death Squads-Einsatzgruppen
The Death Squads or Einsatzgruppen (Special Operations Unit).Formed by Heydrich and under the control of the SS,their members were from a wide range of units including the SS and the Gestapo.They often involved local police in their mass killings.The Death Squads followed the German Army as they invaded Russia.Their main targets were Jews and Soviet Army political staff.Their own records document that the Death Suads carried over a million killings although it is probably much more -
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Anti Semitism In German Occupied Europe Before the Final Solution
In the countries occupied by Germany in 1940 such as Norway,Holland,Luxembourg,France and Belgium and from 1941 Greece and Yugoslavia, restrictions for Jews varied greatly with local circumstances.This changed following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague In June 1942.After this date the SS put the Final Solution fully into operation -
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The White Rose
The White Rose opposition group was set up by students at a university in Munich in 1941.White Rose members were ashamed of what the Nazis were doing.They decided to follow a policy of passive resistance and distributed leaflets opposing Hitler.In 1943 members of the White Rose group were tried for treason.Sophie and Hans Scholl were among those executed. -
Germany Turns On Russia- Operation Barbossa
In 1941,Germany turned on its ally Russia.It was a dangerous move.Stalin was not going to give up without a fight and hitler was split between fighting on the western or easter border.Hitler had thought that the Nazis could quickly defeat the Russians,however he found himself entrenched in a long and bloody battle.As Germany began to lose the war propaganda intensified.Cinemas showed victory reels and news was tightly censored. -
Warsaw Ghetto to Concentration Camps
Heydrich arranged for the ghettos to be close to major railway junctions so that,Jews could be easily loaded into train trucks.The time came at the end of July 1942.Over the next two months some 300,000 Jews were herded onto cattle trucks and shipped to the extermination camp in Treblinka north east of Warsaw.Other Ghettos in Poland were almost empties and their populations were almost emptied and their populations shipped to one of the Polish extermination camps.Few survived. -
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The Holocaust and the Final Solution
The word Holocaust comes from the Greek meaning 'Whole Burn'.Perhaps 6 million Jews were murdered in Nazi extermination camps during the war.Other victims of these camps included the Romani,The Disabled,The Mentally Ill,Homosexuals,Poles,Serbs etc.However the Jewish population was especially targeted by the Nazis for extermination in what they called the Final Solution.This meant the global extermination of Jews.In 1944 ,Auschwitz, 8000 jews were killed daily. -
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Rationing
A rationing system was introduced in Germany in 1939 but is was a generous one.After defats in Russia in 1943 and the effects of bombing on production am much harsher system was introduced.Meat became scarce and butter,cream and cakes were severely rationed.Coffee was made from acorns and seeds.There were extremely strict rationing cards which were used in shops and restaurants. -
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Overall Bombing Of Germany
The Bombing of Germany intensified from 1943 when US bombers,based in Britain,joined in the air attacks on many German cities.The US Air Force attacked mainly by day and the RAF at night.Targets were selected because they were important manufacturing centres or transport hubs,but the raids were also designed to lower morale.Some industrial activity was disrupted by the bombing but production increase in Germany throughout the war.The port city of Hamburg was bombed but production continued. -
Employment In Wartime Germany-Albert Speer
Germany did not arrange its economy completely for war in 1939.It was not until 1943 that it did so under the leadership of the Minister for Production,Albert Speer.All men of military age in Germany were drafted into the armed forces.Speer filled the factories with forced labour,millions of workers from occupied countries.Prisoners of war were also used in this way -
Hitler Bomb Plot
The army was dismayed at the defeats in Russia and the progress of the Allies .One attempt to kill Hitler came from within the ranks of the German Army.A plot to explode a bomb in a room where Hitler would be present nearly succeeded.The Hitler Bomb Plot of the 1944 was led by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a senior military aide.It was the final effort of the resistance in Germany,which had been plotting since 1938 to kill Hitler.Hitler survived and 5000 people were arrested,200 were executed -
Final Solution Loses Momentum- After Ethnic Cleansing
The Final Solution was losing momentum by the summer of 1944.Those Jewish communities within easy reach of the Nazi regime had been overwhelmed.Many Jews had been eliminated.90% of Polish,German,Austrian,Bohemian,Moravian and Baltic Jews were killed.83% of Jews in Slovakia,25% of Jews in France and 205 of Jews in Italy were exterminated -
Liberation Of Auschwitz Extermination Camp
On January 27, 1945, the Soviet army entered Auschwitz, Birkenau, and Monowitz and liberated around 7,000 prisoners, most of whom were ill and dying.This was one of the largest concentration camps and at one point was killing 8000 people daily. -
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The Bombing Of Dresden
The attacks on the city of Dresden in 1945 raised difficult questions about the value of strategic bombing.Between the 13th-15th of February 1945,12 weeks before the surrender of the German Army, 1300 British and US heavy bombers attacked Dresden.It was a transport hub with over 100 factories.There were many fine old buildings in its historic centre.The Russian army had crossed the River Oder into Germany a week earlier.25000 civilians were killed.The city was destroyed by the incendiary bombs. -
US Army Crossed The Rhine
United States Army cross the River Rhine between Mainz and Mannheim. -
Buchenwald Extermination Camp Is Liberated
Buchenwald was a concentration camp built just outside of Weimar. The camp supplied prisoners to local manufacturing plants producing armaments. Staffed by members of the SS Death's Head units, it is believed an average of 200 inmates died every day.The US Forces liberated the camp on the 13th of April 1945 -
Bergen-Belsen Camp Is Liberated
Belsen (also known as Bergen-Belsen) was a concentration camp in north-west Germany. Josef Kramer of the Schutzstaffel (SS) was placed in charge and the camp was staffed by members of the SS Death's Head units. Built for 10,000 prisoners it contained 70,000 in 1945. The Belsen camp was liberated on 15th April, 1945 by the British 11th Armoured Division. -
The Russian Army Reaches Berlin
The Russian Army reached Berlin by the 20th of April 1945 -
Dachau Extermination Camp Is Liberated
Dachau was the first camp, built on the 20th of March 1933.US forces liberated the camp on the 25th of April 1945 -
The Reichstag Building Is Captured
The Russian Army captured the Reichstag Parliament Building on the 30th of April 1945 -
Nazi Leaders Commit Suicide
From the time that the Russians reached Berlin, it was clear they Germany had lost.On the 30th of April Hitler committed suicide and on the 1st of May Goebbels did the same -
German Forces Surrender
On the 4th of May 1945 all German forces surrendered to the Allies -
Germany Surrenders
General Alfred Jodl signed the official surrender of Germany on the 8th of May, 1945 in Rheims,France