World War II

The Invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

a joint attack on Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union that began World War II.

The Battle of Britain

Jul 10, 1940

The Battle of Britain was between Britain's Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe Nazi Germany’s air force and was the first battle in history fought solely in the air.

The Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II.

The Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

A battle between the United States and Japan during World War II. Its important because it stopped the growth of Japan in the Pacific and put the United States in a position to begin shrinking the Japanese empire.

The Battle of Stalingrad

Jul 17, 1942

The Soviet Union won the Battle of Stalingrad against a German offensive that attempted to take the city of Stalingrad during World War II.

Operation Torch

Nov 8, 1942

Operation Torch was a World War II Allied invasion of French North Africa from November 8–16, 1942.

Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program

1943

an international group established in 1943 that worked under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections to help protect cultural property during and after World War II.

The Battle of Kursk

Jul 5, 1943

unsuccessful German assault on the Soviet salient around the city of Kursk, in western Russia, during World War II.

D-Day (June 6th, 1944)

Jun 6, 1944

More than 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy, France, as part of the largest seaborne invasion in history.

The Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

The Battle of the Bulge was a surprise German counteroffensive in World War II that took place in the Ardennes Forest

The Battle of Iwo Jima

Feb 19, 1945

Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen.

The Battle of Okinawa

Mar 26, 1945

The Battle of Okinawa was a major World War II battle that took place on the island of Okinawa from April 1 to June 22, 1945

The Death of FDR

Apr 12, 1945

On April 12, while sitting for a portrait, he collapsed and died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

The Death of Adolf Hitler

Apr 30, 1945

Hitler killed himself in the Führerbunker beneath the city streets of Berlin.

Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

Aug 6, 1945

On the morning of August 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

Atomic Bombing Nagasaki

Aug 9, 1945

The bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki with the Fat Man plutonium bomb device on August 9, 1945, caused terrible human devastation and helped end World War II.