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German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
This pact stated that Germany and the Soviet Union would maintain a civil and neighborly relationship. This was helpful for Germany because they didnt have to worry about the Soviets attacking him from the east. -
Germany attacks Poland
This attack was going against Germany's and Poland's nonaggression pact. Germany used the blitzkrieg tactic. This was the event that started WWII. -
British rescue the French at Dunkirk
The British sent 850 various ships across the English Channel to Dunkirk, France to rescue 338,000 soldiers from the German invasion. Said to be the greatest naval rescues in history. -
Italy joins the war
Mussolini, the leader of Italy, joined Hitler and the Axis Powers and declared war on France and Britain. He saw an easy victory for the Axis Powers -
France falls
France surrenders to German forces. France is then split into two sections, the North and South. The North is German controlled, while Henri Petain, the prime minister of France, ruled a puppet government controlled by Germany. -
Battle of Britain
The Luftwaffe, Germany's air force, continously bombed major cities in Britain in hopes of getting Britain to sign a peace treaty with Germany. The British held up and the Germans retreated. This was Germany's first major defeat and showed the allies that Hitler's defensives could be blocked. -
Axis Powers attack North Africa
The axis powers want control of Egypt's (British contolled) Suez Canal because it has access to oil fields in the Middle East. The Axis powers and British forces go back and forth, pushing each other back and moving forwards over and over again. In the end Hitler brings in Erwin Rommel and he helped push the British back across the desert. -
Balkans
Hitler becomes active in the Balkans and plans to use them to attack the Soviet Union in the spring. He has bases built in Southeastern Europe. -
Germany attacks the Soviet Union
Germany invades the USSR and pushes 500 miles in. The Soviets use the Scorched Earth Policy and burn everything that could be useful to the enemy. Germany fails in Leningrad and moves on to the capitol, Moscow, but fails there because of the harsh Russian winter. -
Siege of Leningrad
German troops encircled the city of Leningrad and cut off all resources going into the city starving the 1,000,000 residents inside. The siege lasted until January 1944. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese see Pearl Harbor as a threat to their plan to make an empire in the pacific. The Japanese army make false statements of hope of continued peace in Japan and the US. During this they are planning to bomb Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On December 7th, 1941 the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor with a surprise attack. The Japanese bombers took out 18 ships in the pacific fleet, basically the whole fleet. 2400 Americans were killed and 1000 were wounded. -
FDR's speech after the attack on Pearl Harbor
FDR, the president of the US, made an address to congress and the US the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This speech is famous throughout history. He tells of the attack and other attacks that followed it and at the end he asked the congress to declare war on Japan. This is the US' official involvement in WWII. -
Stalingrad
Germany launches an attack on Stalingrad and the Luftwaffe bombs the city nightly.Stalin demands to hold the city at any cost, and the Soviets launch a counter attack. A German general says to retreat, Hitler says no. After Satlingrad the Soviets had started moving the Germans westward. 1 million Soviet soldiers died and 240,000 German soldiers died. 99% of Stalingrad was destroyed and the Germans controlled 90% of the city. -
Invasion of Italy
FDR and Churchill meet at Casablanca, Morocco and decide to attack Sicily. The allies attack Sicily and Mussolini falls from power, then Italy falls in September. Mussolini is arrested and executed. -
D-Day
D-Day or also known as Operation Overlord was said to be the greatest land and sea attack in history. British, US, French and Canadian forces attacked the Normandy beaches. The allies were successful in their attack and were able to liberate France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Allies planned to attack Germany from both the east and west. Hitler was able to break through the American line at Ardennes which resulted in the Battle of the Bulge. Germany ended up surrendering due to lack of supplies and they had endured many casualities.. -
Japanese Empire Starts to crumble
The US begins to take back a lot of the islands and areas that the Japanese had conquered for their empire in the pacific. Japan starts to lose, retreating, and becomes desperate. -
Okinawa
Yet again like Iwo Jima this island was very close to Japan and was an easy access to a mainland attack on Japan. The Japanese feared the US was getting too close and fought fiercely to defend the island. -
Iwo Jima
The US wanted the island of Iwo Jima to use it to attack mainland Japan. The battle between the US and Japanese was very bloody and violent. The US got the island but lost a lot of men in the process. -
Yalta Conference
A conference between the US, Britain, and Soviet Union to decide on a peace treaty for the end of the war. The US asked the USSR to help them and invade Japan, in return the USSR would get land and influence in that part of Asia, but the US planned on bombing that region so the USSR would end up getting nothing. -
Germany's Surrender (V-E day)
The day before, May 7, Dwight Eisenhower accepted an unofficial surrender from Germany, but on the 8th US president, Harry Truman accepeted Germany's surrender. Hitler and his wife had killed themselves back in April of 1945 as well. -
Hiroshima
a b-29 bomber dropped the bomb "little boy" over the city of Hiroshima, in Japan. -
Nagasaki
a b-29 bomber dropped the bomb "fat man" over the city of Nagasaki, in Japan. -
Nurembourg Trials
After the war officially ended the allies put Nazis on trial for war crimes and crimes committed during the holocaust.They sentenced twelve Nazis to death, these bodies were burned at Dachau. -
Occupation of Germany
Germany was divided into four zones. The British, US, Poland, and USSR all got a zone and were instructed to not build up their military or a fascist government.