-
Attacking Poland
Hitler moved quickly into Poland. German tanks and troops cross Poland’s border while German aircraft bombed Warsaw. It was a surprise attack. -
Declaring War
France and Great Britain declare war on Germany, Poland fell before they could make any military response. -
France Surrendurs
France and Great Britain declare war on Germany, Poland fell before they could make any military response. -
Night Bombing
Germans gave up on daylight raids in favor of night bombing to avoid the RAF’s attacks. -
Afrika Korps
Hitler sent the “Afrika Korps”, a tank force under the command of General Erwin Rommel, to Africa and attacked the British, making them retreat to east Tobruk, Libya. -
Operation Barabossa
Germany attacked the Soviet Union, taking them by surprise, as they were not well equipped nor well trained. -
No More Oil
President Franklin D. Roosevelt cut off oil shipments to Japan, as they overran French Indochina, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor sinking or damaging 19 ships, killing 2,300 American soldiers, and 1,100 were wounded. The president called this day “The Day of Infamy”. -
The Final Solution
The Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish people. The Nazis begin the systematic deportation of Jews all over Europe to extermination camps established in former Polish territory. -
Tokyo Bombing
16 aircrafts under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle bombed Tokyo and other Japanese cities, although the bombs did not do much damage. -
The Battle of Midway
American pilots destroyed 332 Japanese planes, 4 aircraft carriers, and 1 support ship. -
Period: to
Battle of Guadalcanal
Japan lost more than 24,000 soldiers out of 36,000, and they called that place “the Island of Death”. -
D-Day
British, American, French, and Canadian troops fought their way onto a 60-mile stretch of beach in Normandy. More than 2,700 American soldiers died on the beaches that day. -
The Battle of the Bulge
German tanks broke through weak American defences along a 75-mile front in the Ardennes. Although they were caught off guard, the Allies pushed Germany back, making them retreat. -
The Yalta Conference
The US, the UK, and the Soviet Union represented by Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin came together to discuss Europe’s postwar reorganization. -
Okinawa
US troops moved onto the island of Okinawa, 350 miles from southern Japan, and fought the Japanese who were defending their homeland. -
Germany Surrenders
The Third Reich from the German military surrendered unconditionally to General Eisenhower, who accepted their surrender. -
Hiroshima
The B-29 Enola Gay dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima, killing between 70,000 and 80,000 people. -
Nagasaki
The US dropped a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki, and again, about 70,000 people were killed. -
War Ends
The Japanese finally surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur, and the war ended.