World War II By marshallj17 Sep 18, 1931 Japan invades Manchuria. Period: Oct 2, 1935 to May 1, 1936 Fascist Italy invades, conquers, and annexes Ethiopia Nov 25, 1936 Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact, directed against the Soviet Union and the international Communist movement. Jul 7, 1937 Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific. Aug 23, 1939 Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence. Sep 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe. Sep 3, 1939 Honoring their guarantee of Poland’s borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany. Jun 10, 1940 Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21. Sep 27, 1940 Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact. Mar 1, 1941 Bulgaria joins the Axis. Dec 7, 1941 Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. Attack on Pearl Harbor - Footage and Aftermath Dec 11, 1941 Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States. Jun 6, 1944 British and US troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans. Apr 30, 1945 Hitler commits suicide. Aug 6, 1945 The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Aug 9, 1945 The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Sep 2, 1945 Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
