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Declaration of War
Britain and France declare war on Germany, 2 days after the Germans had invaded Poland -
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Phony War
Allied troops waited along the French border for the Germans to make a move. After 7 months of no movement, people began to believe that there might not be a war -
Germany attacks Denmark and Norway
Codenamed Operation Weserübung, the Germans used Blitzkreig tactics to surprise and attack Denmark and Norway. -
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Battle of the Netherlands
Following the attack on Denmark & Norway- the Germans quickly set their eyes on the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Hitler then sought after France -
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Dunkirk Evacuation (Operation Dynamo)
Surrounded by the Germans and with nowhere to go, 338000 Allied soldiers ditched their weapons/equipment and were evacuated from the French port of Dunkirk. If it were not for the help of merchant ships and many other boats, this would have been a major loss for the Allies -
Dunkirk Bombed
German luftwaffe bombed the port of Dunkirk two days after the Allies began evacuating their soldiers. -
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North African Campaign
Following Italy's entrance into the war in June 1940; Britain and Italy fought back and forth between Libya and Egypt in what is known as the “Desert War.” Access to the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibralta was critical as it gave access to oil in the Middle East -
France surrenders to Germany
France realises that they are no match for the Germans and surrenders on the 22nd of June -
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Battle of Britain
Codenamed Operation Sea Lion, Hitler had hopes to invade Britain. The luftwaffe began by bombing British harbours and shipping facilities, as well as aircraft factories and air fields for the RAF. -
Hitler gives up
The RAF, equipped with an advanced radar system as well as the use of Spitfires and Hurricanes... beat the Germans in the Battle of Britain. Hitler finally gives up his plans to over take Britain. -
The "Blitz"
On August 24, the Germans bombed London (it is unknown whether this was intentional or accidental). The RAF retaliated by bombing Berlin which furiated Hitler. Hitler commenced the Blitz, which consisted of 55 back to back nights of raids, targeted towards British civilians -
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Operation Barbarossa (Red Beard)
Following his defeat in the Battle of Britain, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa as an attack on the Soviet Union. Soviets were unsuspectful of an attack since Hitler had signed a non-agression pact with Stalin. Germans fought far into Russian territory and had reached the outskirts of Moscow and Leningrad by Autumn. Their advantage was quickly lost during the cold bitter Russian winter in which the Germans were ill equipped for. -
USA enters War
With the US on their side, the Allies become stronger and begin gaining ground in Northern Africa. U boats become more and more weak against the Allies, resulting in more significant Allied advances in the Pacific. -
Dieppe Raid (Battle of the Dieppe)
What was supposed to be a trial run for a larger scale attack, Operation Jubilee ended as a bloodbath at the French port. Allied ships were delayed, resulting in soldiers entering in broad daylight. These soldiers became easy targets for the awaiting German soldiers up on the cliffs. Regardless, reinforcements were still sent in: resulting in more and more Allied soldiers being trapped. -
Soviet Union fights back
Germany attacks Soviet Union again, with eyes on the rich oil fields in the South. Once at Stalingrad, the Germans were stopped yet again by the bitter winter and were unable to turn back. -
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Germanys remaining soldiers surrender to Soviet Union
With no hope to return and no reinforcements, the German army surrenders in Early 1943. Immediately following this, the Soviet Union reclaimed much of its territory after going on the offensive. -
Victory for Allies in Northern Africa
After 3 long years, the Allies finally beat the Axis in Northern Africa. This enabled the Allies to begin moving up the “soft underbelly” of Europe........ Italy. -
Battle of Sicily
Having gained ground in North Africa, the Allies were able to launch an attack through the “soft underbelly” of Europe. Canadians fought the Axis through kilometres of mountaineous terrain and managed to captures Sicily after 38 days, on August 17 1943. The Italian government quickly surrendered, but Germany kept defending their territory. -
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Battle of Ortona
A short yet vicious fight between Canada and Germany, this battle often took place from house-to-house. Ortona was captured by the Canadians on December 28 1943 and Canadian troops were able to join the campaign in France. -
Juno Beach
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was responsible for the attack on Juno Beach, one of the key points in Operation overlord. By the end of the day, Canadians had tediously fought their way inland 9 km. This was a major turning point in the war as well as for Canadian military history -
D-DAY
"Operation Overlord" was launched as a full scale Allied invasion of Europe. Meticulously planned and rehearsed, troops landed on five beaches (Omaha, Gold. Sword, Juno and Utah) along the French coast of Normandy. Allies were successful, having kept the attack a secret to the unsuspecting Germans -
Battle of the Scheldt
In order to connect Antwerp and the North Sea, it was necessary to clear all enemy troops along the Schledt River in Belgium. Already having control over Antwerp, the Allies needed the Sea in order to bring in supplies to advance into Germany. German forces were defeated on November 8. -
Battle of the Rhineland
Allies sought to drive the Germans over the Rhine River and out of the Netherlands. On Feb 8th, the Allies began their attack. The battle was tedious, with soldiers trudging through mud and flooded fields against the German front. -
German Army withdraws
With the German army withdrawn onto the East Bank, Canadians were finally able to head up North and liberate Holland -
Liberation of the Netherlands
Following the Battle of the Rhineland, Canadian forces entered the Netherlands from the east and liberated the eastern and Northern provinces. It was not until May 5 1945 where the Western provinces were also liberated. Throughout the war, the Netherlands were under German occupation and many civilians were malnourished.
