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Hitler Becomes Chancellor
Germany's economy was in ruins after the defeat they faced in the Great War that they saw the solution to the problem in Hitler. In 1932, the Nazis won 230 governmental seats and became a prominent political force. However, Hitler demanded the right to be Chancellor. President Hindenburg was reluctant to it but von Papen believed it was best for Hitler to work within the government rather than on the outside with a secret agenda. Hindenburg agreed to the plan and appointed Hitler as chancellor. -
Nuremberg Laws in Effect Against Jews
Hitler enforced and made laws that allowed Germany military or officers to treat Jews however they wanted to. The law stated that it was legal to beat, kill and rape Jews. Furthermore, it stripped Jews of their German citizenship and it was considered illegal for any Jewish person to marry individuals of German blood. Lastly, they were tagged with the David Star to identify them (as if they were objects that hold no value) and slowly rid them of their humanity. -
Italy into Ethiopia
The second Italo-Ethiopian war was a colonial war between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ethiopian Empire (known as Abyssinia). Benito Mussolini, the authoritarian leader of Italy, wanted to invade Ethiopia to boost his country's national prestige after the failed attempt to colonize the former country in the late 1890's and the incident at the Wal-Wal Oasis. Mussolini refused League of Nations arbitration in dispute (it was ineffective) and proceeded to attack and establish control of Ethiopia. -
Italy, Germany & Japan signed Anti-Comintern Pact, against Russia
The anti-comintern pact was disguised as an effort to fight the influence of the Third International, also called Communist International (Comintern). In secret, the pact stated that if any of the signatories become involved in a war against the Soviet Union, the other party would stay neutral. These countries also agreed that they would not become involved in political treaties or pacts with the Soviet Union and if the latter declared war, the countries would protect their common interest. -
Anschluss - Germany takes over Austria with no fighting.
Hitler wanted all German-speaking nations in Europe to be a part of Germany. To this end, he had designs on re-uniting Germany with his native homeland, Austria. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, however, Germany and Austria were forbidden to be unified. -
Full Invasion and Takeover of Czechoslovakia
Hitler invaded Sudentenland in Czechoslovakia unopposed because of the Munich Agreement he signed with Chamberlain. He was appeased that land because the Allies did not want to start another war and he wanted to take control over the land in Czechoslovakia since millions of Germans lived there. Plus, Sudentenland was home to many resources of Czechoslovakia (66 percent of coal, 70 percent of its iron and steel, and 70 percent of its electrical power.) -
German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, which stated that the two countries will take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin agreed with the pact as it ensured his nation will be on peaceful terms with Nazi Germany and give him the time needed to mobilize his army. However, Hitler used the pact to make sure Germany he could easily invade Poland. -
Germany invades Poland with Blitzkrieg warfare
The “blitzkrieg” strategy: bombing early on to destroy Poland's railroads, communication lines, air capacity and massive land invasion with more than 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes. The army broke through Polish defence because the German army struck the border and advanced on Warsaw (German units from East Prussia, Silesia and Slovakia in the south, and from Pomerania.) -
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the long struggle between the Convoy System and the Wolf Packs of German submarines. Submarines would hunt down ships in packs and surround them to sink the convoys with the purpose of ridding the resources travelling to Europe. By 1943, Britain found ways to better track German communications and U-boat movements while Canada sent ships to help protect British ports. In recognition of their role, the Allies put the entire northwest Atlantic under Canadian control. -
Britain Declares war on Germany
On September 1, 1939 German troops swarmed across the Polish border known as the lightening war. Britain and France had promised defend Poland in case of an attack. As a result, the two countries sent ultimatums to Hitler demanding his withdrawal from Poland but he did not respond. Prime Minister Chamberlain then declared war on Germany and World War II had begun. However, Britain was little help and the German army gained support by the USSR when they invaded (secret clause in the pact.) -
Canada Declares war on Germany
On September 7th, Parliament met in special session to decide whether they would join after Britain declared war. Then, on September 9th, it agreed to support Britain and France. Thus, on September 10th, King George VI announced that Canada had declared war on Germany. -
Battle of Britain
It was the first military campaign (long military strategic plan) fought wholly in the air. The Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against the German Air Force (Luftwaffe.) Hitler wanted to launch his armies over the English Channel, but had to eliminate the RAF first. The latter were successful in defending Britain despite months of attacks on air bases, military posts and civilian population by the German Air Force. -
Invasion of Soviet Union
'Operation Barbaross' occurred because Hitler desired to conquer the Soviet Union so that it could be repopulated by Germans and he wanted their resources and land. Although Germany had signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR, the agreement was a tactic to prepare for war. German forces advanced 200 miles in, destroyed 4,000 aircrafts, and hurt 600,000 Red Army troops. But, Hitler's plan to conquer the Soviet Union before winter had failed and that was a turning point in the war. -
Pearl Harbour Attack
It was a surprise aerial attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbour near Hawaii by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked and destroyed 20 American naval vessels, 8 battleships and approximately 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 American solders and sailors died in the attack. It was the Battle of Pearl Harbour that precipitated the entry of the United States into WW2. -
Japanese-Canadian Internment
The Japanese raid on Pearl Harbour triggered war between Canada and Japan which unleashed racism towards Japanese Canadians. White farmers, merchants and political leaders believed they were spies. As a result, the Canadian government stripped Japanese Canadians of their property and used that money to put 21 000 of them into camps located in British Columbia. They were not allowed to travel or get their ‘rights’ back until April. Over 4000 Japanese Canadians were forced to go back to Japan. -
Battle of El Alamein
The Battle of El Alamein was when German forces that were threatening to seize Egypt and the Suez Canal were defeated by the British. Operation Barbarossa had pushed the Russians back; U-boats effecting Britain in the Battle of the Atlantic and western Europe was in the control of the Germans. If Germans got to the Suez Canal, the Allies would not be able to stop them and Hitler would have gained access to Middle Eastern Oil Supplies. -
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Battle Of Stalingrad - Bloodiest Battle in History
It was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad located in Southern Russia. The Soviet was successful in defending city which was known for being Russia's centre of communications and manufacturing. Hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were killed or captured in the months-long siege. Germany’s defeat in the battle prevented Germany from seizing Russian oil fields in Caucasus (turning point for Allies.) -
Dieppe Raid
5000 troops of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, 1000 British commandos, and 50 American Army rangers attacked the French coast port of Dieppe on the English Channel Coast. The purpose was to make a successful raid on German-occupied Dieppe over water, and then to hold the port for a short period of time. However, German defences were on the alert. Less than 10 hours after the landings, the last Allied troops had all been either killed, evacuated, or became prisoners in German hands. -
Battle of Stalingrad
It was fought between the Soviet Union and the Axis powers led by Nazi Germany. Massive amount of casualties were suffered by both sides- the bloodiest battle in human history. On August 23, the Soviet city was extensively bombed by the Luftwaffe. They began a systematic block by block destruction of the city that lasted for five day which killed thousands of civilians. -
Italian Campaign
It was a series of Allied beach landings and battles from Sicily and southern Italy up the Italian mainland towards Germany. The Allies decided to use Italy to attack enemy territory in Europe and to divert German resources from the Eastern Front. The campaign started with Operation Husky: the seaborne invasion of the island of Sicily. The German and Italian forces were unable to prevent the Allied capture of the island, but they succeeded in evacuating most of their troops to the mainland. -
D-Day
Largest amphibious (water) invasion in history. Allied troops- 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces- landed on five beaches along the German occupied coast of France’s Normandy region. Despite intense German opposition and American casualties, the landings succeeded and the liberation of western Europe from Hitler had begun. The Normandy landings are known as the beginning of the end of war in Europe. Despite the success, there were 340 Canadian casualties and 574 wounded. -
Germany Surrenders (VE Day)
By spring of 1945, the Soviets were approaching Berlin from the east and the Western Allies were approaching it from the west. Knowing that defeat was unavoidable, Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker on April 30th. On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, which would come into effect the next day, ending the European conflict of World War II. -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
America decides instead to use atomic bombs on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki because the former wanted to force Japan to surrender quickly to minimize American casualties. An American bomber dropped the world's first deployed atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people. Tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. -
Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
Despite the surrender of Germany, Japan vowed to fight to the bitter end in the Pacific although they had little chance of winning. Japan’s militarist government rejected the Allied demand for surrender who threatened the Japanese with “prompt and utter destruction” if they refused. After Hiroshima, Nagasaki was bombed causing 22.7% of buildings to be destroyed and deaths ranged generally between 50,000 and 100,000.
