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Hitler annexed Austria then demanded the liberation of German people in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
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Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier of France and Mussolini of Italy met in Munich and agreed that Hitler should have the Sudetenland.
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Britain had begun re-arming and a highly secret radar early warning system was installed along the east coast. Conscription was introduced and assurances were given to Poland, who was being threatened by the Fuhrer.
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Hitler and Stalin signed a non-aggression pact which included secret clauses for the division of Poland.
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The months following Britain's declaration of war are referred to as the 'phoney war' because Britain saw no military action.
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Despite the assurances given by Hitler in the Treaty of Munich, he marched into Czechoslovakia and occupied the country.
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Adolf Hitler invaded Poland
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Britain and France declared war on Germany. Neville Chamberlain broadcasted the announcement that the country was at war.
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Hitler invaded and occupied Denmark and Norway to safeguard supply routes of Swedish ore and also to establish a Norwegian base from which to break the British naval blockade on Germany.
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Italian forces in North Africa were routed by the British led by General Wavell.
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General Alexander was given a directive form Churchill ordering that his main directive was to be the destruction of the German-Italian army.
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Hitler launched his blitzkrieg (lightning war) against Holland and Belgium. Rotterdam was bombed almost to extinction. Both countries were occupied.
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Neville Chamberlain resigned after pressure from Labor members for a more active prosecution of the war and Winston Churchill became the new head of the wartime coalition government.
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The British commander-in-chief, General Gort, had been forced to retreat to the coast at Dunkirk. The troops waited, under merciless fire, to be taken off the beaches. More than 338,000 men were rescued.
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Italy entered the war on the side of the Axis powers. Italy's motive for entering the war was the hope of rich pickings from the spoils of war.
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The French, Marshall Petain, signed an armistice with Germany taking France, which had been devastated, out of the war and into German occupation.
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The Battle of Britain comprised of 4 phases: 1) Hitler sent Luftwaffe bombers to attack Britain ports. 2) The attacks on shipping continued but bombing raids were focused on RAF airfields. 3) The Blitz. 4) Night Bombing
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This pact of mutual alliance was signed by Germany, Italy and Japan.
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German and Italian troops attacked Yugoslavia, Greece and the island of Crete.
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Hitler sent 3 million soldiers and 3,500 tanks into Russia.
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The Japanese, who were already waging war against the Chinese, attacked the U.S. pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a preliminary to taking British, French and Dutch colonies in South East Asia.
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Britain and the U.S. declared war on Japan.
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The Japanese captured Singapore from Britain
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The USA defeated the Japanese navy at the Battle of Midway.
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The Russians won their first victory against Germany at the Battle of Stalingrad.
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British and American forces landed in the NW of Africa and assumed control of French Morocco and Algeria.
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Montgomery attacked the German-Italian army in North Africa with a massive bombardment followed by an armored attacked.
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Allie powers invaded Sicily
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The allied troops had won the island of Sicily.
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Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met to coordinate plans for a simultaneous squeeze on Germany.
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The Allie forces managed to defeat the Axis forces in North America.
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Mussolini had been thrown out of office and the new government of Italy surrendered to the British and the USA. They then agreed to join the allies.
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The siege of Leningrad was lifted by the Soviet Army.
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Although Italy had surrendered in September, it was only now that the allies were able to liberate Rome from the Germans.
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British forces, with help from guerrilla-fighting Chindits led by Orde Wingate, evicted Japanese from Burma.
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Germany launched its final defensive through the Ardennes region of Belgium. They were beaten back by the allies.
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The allies launched an attack on Germany's forces in Normandy, Western France.
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The French capital of Paris was liberated from the Germans.
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The first V2 flying bombs killed three people in London.
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The Allies crossed the Rhine while Soviet forces were approaching Berlin from the East.
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President Roosevelt died, he was succeeded by President Truman.
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The Russians reached Berlin shortly before the U.S. forces.
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Italian partisans captured Mussolini and executed him.
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The German leader, committed suicide in his bombproof shelter together with his mistress, Eva Braun, who he made his wife at the last minute.
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German forces in Italy surrendered to the Allies.
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German forces in north west Germany, Holland and Denmark surrendered to Montgomery on Luneburg Heath.
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Admiral Donitz, offered an unconditional surrender to the allies.
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Victory in Europe was celebrated
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Winston Churchill lost the election to Clement Atlee's Labor Party.
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The Japanese generals refused to surrender. The US dropped an atomic bomb on the island of Hiroshima.
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Russia declared war on Japan and invaded Japanese-ruled Manchuria.
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The US dropped an atomic bomb on the island of Nagasaki as the Japanese had not surrendered following Hiroshima.
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The Japanese unconditionally surrendered to the allies ending the second world war.
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US general, Douglas MacArthur, accepted Japan's surrender thus formally ending the second world war.