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On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Germany bombed Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler seeked to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland
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The Red Army brings 465,000 men and 1,000 aircrafts. Helsinki was bombed and 61 FInns were killed in an air raid. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ussr-attacks-finland
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The Germans begin the first in a long series of bombing raids against Great Britain. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-britain-begins
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt is re-elected for an unprecedented third term as president of the U.S. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-re-elected-president
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The German air force launches Operation Castigo, the bombing of Belgrade. 24 divisions and 1,200 tanks drive into Greece. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-yugoslavia-and-greece
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Adolf Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa
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The German army carries out Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s orders to exterminate all Jews and Soviet officials. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/babi-yar-massacre-begins
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360 Japanese warplanes appeared in the clouds about the island of Oahu. A total of 2,400 americans were killed. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pearl-harbor-bombed
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Singapore, the “Gibraltar of the East” and a strategic British stronghold, falls to Japanese forces. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/singapore-falls-to-japan
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75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march
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General Erwin Rommel turns his assault on the British-Allied garrison at Tobruk, Libya, into victory, as his panzer division occupies the North African port. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-surrender-at-tobruk-libya
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With the Soviet line at Kursk protruding into enemy territory, the Germans attempted to attack from different directions. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-kursk
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Allied powers crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/d-day
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After advancing island by island across the Pacific Ocean, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur promises to return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/macarthur-returns
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On this day, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Mist, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-the-bulge
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On this day, Finland, under increasing pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, finally declares war on its former partner, Germany. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/finland-declares-war-on-germany
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Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe day. They were rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe
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During World War II, the U.S. 10th Army overcomes the last major pockets of Japanese resistance on Okinawa Island, ending one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-okinawa-ends
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The final “Big Three” meeting between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain takes place towards the end of World War II. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/potsdam-conference-begins
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The Japanese navy and air force were destroyed. Japanese's cities and economy were devastated. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-surrenders
