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Invasion of Manchuria
During 1931 Japan had invaded Manchuria without declarations of war, breaching the rules of the League of Nations. Japan had a highly developed industry, but the land was scarce of natural resources. Japan turned to Manchuria for oil, rubber and lumber in order to make up for the lack of resources in Japan. China's immediate responde was to plead to the League of Nations for them to help drive Japan out of China. -
Hitler made Chancellor of Germany
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed as the chancellor of Germany by President Paul Von Hindenburg. This appointment was made in an effort to keep Hitler and the Nazi Party “in check”; however, it would have disastrous results for Germany and the entire European continent. -
The Munich Pact
The Munich Pact was an agreement made and signed by Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom in Munich, Germany. This pact showed the acceptance by the United Kingdom and France from Adolf Hitler's demand for territory that the Czechoslovak Sudetenland would belong to Germany. Britian and France believed that it was the only was to prevent another war. -
Kristallnacht "Night of Broken Glass"
The name refers to the wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms which took place on November 9 and 10, 1938, throughout Germany, annexed Austria, and in areas of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia recently occupied by German troops. -
Invasion of Poland
The first attack of the war took place on September 1, 1939, as German aircraft bombarded the Polish town of Wielun, killing nearly 1,200. Within days, the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany and began mobilizing their armies and preparing their civilians. Germany's invasion on Poland is what led to the start of WW2. -
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was an important battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. As part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack led to the United States entry into World War II. -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan death march was a 5 day march where the Japanese assembled about 78,000 prisoners (12,000 U.S. and 66,000 Filipino). They began marching up the east coast of Bataan.Through propaganda, the anger that came from the Bataan Death March started a new fire and motivated the americans to fight for their country and lives lost. -
Battle of Midway
On June 4, 1942, US aircraft flying from USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Yorktown attacked and sunk four Japanese carriers, forcing Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to withdrawal from invasion of Midway Island which would provide a base for attacking Hawaii. The Battle of Midway marked the turning point of World War II in the Pacific. -
D-Day/ Battle of Normandy
On June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. With a huge force of over 150,000 soldiers, the Allies attacked and gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II in Europe. -
The Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, fought over the winter months of 1944 – 1945, was the last major Nazi offensive against the Allies in World War Two. The battle was a last ditch attempt by Hitler to split the Allies in two in their drive towards Germany and destroy their ability to supply themselves.It was important because it showed that the Germans were pretty much defeated -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta conferees confirmed the policy adopted at the Casablanca Conference of demanding Germany's unconditional surrender. Plans were made for dividing Germany into four zones of occupation (American, British, French, and Soviet) under a unified control commission in Berlin, for war crimes trials, and for a study of the reparations question. -
V E Day
May 8th 1945, was the date the Allies celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Reich, formally recognising the end of the Second World War in Europe. -
Hiroshima Bombing
On August 6, 1945, the United States used a massive, atomic weapon against Hiroshima, Japan. This atomic bomb, the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT, flattened the city, killing tens of thousands of civilians. -
V J Day
In 1945 the End of World War II was celebrated on Victory in Japan (VJ) Day.There was much joy and celebration around the world when on 15th August 1945 US President Harry S Truman declared the day as Victory in Japan Day, at a White House press conference. President Truman announced that the Japanese Government had agreed to comply in full with the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan.
