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German Invasion of Poland
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German troops attack Poland with the intention of taking back lands they believed belonged to Germany. Marks the star of the Second World War. -
France and Britain Declare War On Germany
The United Kingdom declares war on Germany. George VI of Great Britain gives a speech addressing his subjects on the matter. -
France is Defeated
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France signs an armistice with Germany, a partial surrender. The Nazis now control northern and western France, while Italy the southeast, leaving the rest of the unnoccupied to the Vichy Government (free French) -
German Bombings in Britain-Churchill's Election.
Germans begin an air raid throughout British cities, including London. Winston Churchill is elected as head of the Conservative Party. -
Lend Lease Act & Other Things
The United States’ President Roosevelt signs the Lend Lease Act which allows the Allies to purchase equipment and postpone payment until after the war is over. Hitler orders the prison camp Auschwitz to be expanded. England suffers casualties in Portsmouth and Buckingham Palace is hit in a London bombing. -
German Invasion of Russia
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Operation Barbarossa takes place. German troops set foot in Russia, breaking the Non-Agression Pact with the Soviets. During the time Germany fought in Russia it was when the army suffered the greatest. Between 1941 and 1944 95% of the German casualties happened during the invasion. -
Oil Cut-Off
President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to cut off completely their oil shortage to Japan, since it was evident they were fighting on different sides. -
Japan Invades Pearl Harbor, USA Joins War
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The Japanese Navy attacked the American naval base located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 2,300 were killed, and 1100 were wounded. This triggered the direct involvement of the United States in WW2. That same day, Japan conquered Hong Kong, Thailand and Wake Island. -
Wannsee Conference & "Final Solution"
Nazi Offiicials, lawyers, and other important representatives discuss the "final solution to the Jewish question" in Wannsee, a Berlin suburb. ending in the conclusion to annihilate the entire Jewish population. More gas chambers are built, more inmates are sent to death camps, and the plan is being carried out. -
Bombing of Tokyo
American Lit. Colonel James H Doolittle commanded 16 planes to bomb different Japanese cities, although no major destruction was caused. The found out, however, that Japan could be weakened by an attack. -
Battle of Midway (June 4-7)
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Lasted 4 whole days. Very bloody and merciless fighting went on, USA managed to beat Japan by not too much. They won a crucial goegraphical advantage. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
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Firts stop in the USA's Island Hopping plan. 6-month-long brutal battle, probably the most gruesome in the Pacific Front. Circumstances differed from any battle in the European front, the island had tropical weather and humid conditions along with thick jungle. -
D-Day
source Also known as "Operation Overlord" 2,700 lives were lost. The Allies arrived at the beaches at Normandy with the intention of pushing back Germany further to their mainland and clear France. -
Battle of the Bulge
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Germany advanced against American forces in the Ardennes region between Belgium France and Luxembourg. Although USA was not aware of the attack when it begun, the Allies managed to push the Germans back. Eventually they had no option but to retreat. -
Yalta Conference, (February 4-11)
Codenamed "Argonaut Conference". Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin gather in Livadia Palace nearby Yalta, Crimea with the purpose of discussing the fate of war-torn Europe after it all came to an end. -
Battle of Okinawa
Considered to be the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War, the Allies followed the Island-Hopping Plan, and fought to take Okinawa as it was an important geographic advantage regarding the plan to strike mainland Japan. Merciless fighting took place, as well as numerous kamikaze attacks from the Japanese army. -
Nazi Germany Surrenders
sourceAfter losing the Battle of Berlin, Hitler and Mussolini's death as well as the realization that all was lost for the Third Reich, General Alfred Jodul signs the unconditional surrender papers for the entirety of the German forces to the Allied Powers. News of Nazii Germany's surrender spread to the rest of the world the next day. USA and European nations celebrate May 8th and 9th (because of time-zone differences) as V-E Day, or Victory for Europe day. -
Hiroshima Bombing
American plane B-29 "Enola Gay" drop the uranium atomic bomb "Little Boy" over Japanese city Hiroshima. -
Nagasaki Bombing
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Round two of atomic bombing from America, plutonium weapon "Fat Man" is dropped over Nagasaki. -
Japan Surrenders
After two nuclear bombings from America and a Soviet invasion in Manchukuo, the Japanese Government orders the Supremce Council for the Direction of the War to agree to the Allies' terms stated in the Potsdam Declaration. This marked the end of the Second World War.
