World War 2

By kristenwoodruff

  • Neutrality Act

    The Neutrality Acts were passed by Congress because of the outrages in Europe and Asia that led to World War 2.

  • Rise of Facism and Nazism

    The Nazis became the strongest power in Germany. Their leader was Adolf Hitler. He got rid of the Parliament, took over, and turned Germany into a facist state. Facism is a form of authoritarian nationalism.

  • Germany's Expansion and Annexation of Austria

    Germany gained new territory before the Second World War began. Hitler annexed Austria, his native country, and made it part of the Reich.

  • Signing of the Non-Aggression Pact (Germany and USSR)

    Before the war broke out, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Non-Agression Pact. This shocked the world, because the two countries were enemies. In the pact, they agreed to not take military action toward each other for 10 years.

  • Blitzkrieg Attack on Poland

    Germany attacked Poland. The Germans called this attack Operation White. The attack began when the Blitzkrieg went after the Polish military. By the end of the month, Poland had surrendered.

  • Lend-Lease Act

    This act was the primary way that the U.S. military helped foreign nations during the war.

  • Battle of Britain

    This battle was started by the German Air Force. They dropped bombs on the UK through summer and autumn.

  • Bombing of Pearl Harbor

    Japanese planes dropped bombs on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The bombing killed thousands of people and destroyed American ships.

  • Invasion of Africa by Eisenhower

    Eisenhower proved himself on North African and Italian battlefields. Because of this, he was made the supreme commander of the invasion of northwestern Europe, also known as Operation Overlord.

  • Battle of Midway

    This battle was a crucial and decisive naval battle in the war.

  • Battle of Stalingrad

    In this battle, Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city Stalingrad.

  • Transition of the U.S. home front to war production

    Full industrial and agricultural war production was achieved in 1943. They were able to meet the allied needs for materials and food. War production never slowed down, but emphasis was no longer put on war mobilization.

  • D-Day

    This was the day of the Normandy landings. This caused the allied efforts to get mainland Europe out of Nazi control.

  • Liberation of Majdanek

    The Majdanek extermination camp was located in Lublin. It was liberated by Soviet troops and was one of the first camps to be liberated.

  • The Battle of the Bulge

    This major campaign was launched by Germany. They used the forested areas of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg toward the end of the war.

  • Battle of Iwo Jima

    This was an American attack on Iwo Jima. They attacked because they needed a base near the Japanese coast. Following a bombardment, U.S. divisions landed on the island.

  • Battle of Okinawa

    This battle was the largest amphibious attack in the pacific during the war. It was fought on the Ryukyu islands of Okinawa. The battle was 82 days long.

  • V-E Day

    This was Victory in Europe day. This day was celebrated to mark Nazi Germany's surrender of its armed forces.

  • Bombing of Hiroshima and Nogaski

    An atomic bomb called Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6. Another bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nogaski 3 days later.

  • V-J Day

    This was Victory over Japan day. This day started being celebrated when Japan surrendered to the allies, ending World War II.