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Germany Invaded Poland
Germany blitzed into Poland after signing a Non-Aggression pact with the USSR. Germany gambled that Great Britain and France, due to a history of appeasement, would do nothing in response. Germany was wrong... -
Great Britain and France Declared War on Germany
No longer able to sit by and watch Adolf Hitler's continued conquest of European territory, Great Britain and France finally end appeasement and declare war on Germany. -
United States Declared Neutrality
In the wake of World War II breaking out in Europe, President Roosevelt declares the United States to be neutral. -
Canada Declared War on Germany
Canada, even though independent from Great Britain since 1931, joined its former mother country in WWII. -
"Cash and Carry" Act Passed in the US
The fifth Neutrality Act was passed by the United States, revising previous acts. "Cash and Carry" allowed countries fighing in WWII to purchase weapons for cash, but must transport them on their own ships. -
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Germany invaded most of Western Europe
Demark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France are invaded by Germany and surrender to the Nazis. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk Began
Allied Forces of Great Britain, France, and Canada are evacuted out of France across the English Channel into Great Britain during Operation Dynamo. This continued until June 3, 1940. -
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Battle of Britain
Germany bombed key cities/sites in Great Britain hoping to make it easier to invade Great Britain in what was to be Operation Sea Lion. In September, the invasion was called off and by the end of October, regular bombing of Britain no longer took place. Canadian Pilots were part of the Battle of Britain.
Listen to Churchill and others..
Video & Brief Timeline. -
Ogdensburg Agreement
Established a Joint Permanant Board of Defense between the United States and Canada to discuss military/defense issues of mutual interest. This was between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mackenzie King of Canada. Ogdensburg Agreement -
Destroyers for Bases Program went into effect
The United States would trade 50 destroyes to Great Britain in exchange for 99 year leases on bases in the Caribbean. -
Selective Service Act Passed in the United States
All males between the ages of 26 and 35 must register for the draft even though the United States is not involved in World War II yet. -
US passed the Lend-Lease Act
President Roosevelt passed the Lend-Lease Act to "transfer or lend arms and other goods to any country whose defense was necessary the US defense." The United States would also transport the goods, putting them in an undeclared naval war with Germany. -
Hyde Park Declaration
Allowed for Canada to purchase weapons from the United States and ship them to Great Britain. The United States would also make defense purchases from Canada, which will help end the Canadian dollar shortage problem. -
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Germany attacked and sunk numerous US Ships resulting in policy shifts
Germany attacked and sunk the Robin Moor, USS Kearny, and the USS Reuben James. These attacks resulted in the loss of 126 lives, the freezing of all German & Italian assets by the US, the closing of German & Italian consulates in the US, and FDR permitting merchant ships to arm themselves. Song of Reuben James -
Atlantic Charter was Created
FDR and Churchill met off the coast of Newfoundland to establish goals for the post-war world. These ideas would become the basis of the United Nations. -
Japan Attacked Pearl Harbor
After months of negotiations between the US and Japan, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Aprroximately 2400 Americans were killed and another 1800 were wounded. 21 ships were sunk or damaged and 188 aircraft was destroyed, as well as 158 air craft was damaged. The United States will now be drawn into WWII. Pearl Harbor -
United States Declared War on Japan
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt asked for a declaration of war against Japan. Congress agreed. On December 11, Germany declared war on the United States. War for the United States had finally come. US joined WWII Roosevelt's Speech -
Japan attacked Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a British colony at the time. Canada had sent approximately 2000 troops to defend the island. Japan invaded Hong Kong on December 8 and the Canadian troops that were not killed were taken prisoner. They remained POWs until the end of WWII, where 267 died in POW camps. The invasion lasted 18 days. Invasion of Hong Kong -
Executive Order 9066 Signed
FDR signed Executive Order 9066 into law which authorized the internment of Japanese-Americans. Japanese-Americans were sent to concentration camps for most of the war. Many Japanese-Americans serve with distinction in WWII. President Reagan authorized redress in 1988. Executive Order 9066 -
Canada Extends the War Measures Act to Intern Japanese-Canadians
Canada had reinvoked the War Measure Act in 1939 to intern enemy aliens. After the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Hong Kong, Canada extended the Act to include Japanese-Canadians. Japanese-Canadians remained interned until 1949 and received redress also in 1988. -
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Key US Naval Battles
Interactive Information
The Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway were key battles in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. The US prevented the Japanese Invasion of Australia in the Battle of the Coral Sea. At the Battle of Midway, the smaller US force sunk four of the Japanese Carriers and this became the turning point in the Pacific. The US was now free to begin its Island-Hopping campaign. -
Battle for Guadalcanal began
US Marine Corps began their Island-hopping here on Guadalcanal. This battle will last for five months. The US will lose 7000 men and the Japanese lost 31,000. -
Dieppe Raid Fails
Allies had decided to launch an attack on the French Coast to test new equipment and gain experience for further attacks. 4963 Canadian troops, 1000 British Commandos, and 50 US Rangers landed in France. It was a disaster and within just hours of landing, the raid was called off, but with heavy casualties. 907 Canadians were KIA and 1856 taken prisoner. Dieppe..who is to blame? -
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Operation Torch
Operation Torch Allied Invasion of North Africa, including the United States took place. Gen. Eisenhower (US) & Gen. Montgomery (GB) defeated Gen. Rommel capturing more than 250,000 German troops and preventing Germany from reaching the Suez Canal and middle eastern oil supplies. -
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Invasion of Italy and war in Italy
Italy
Allied forces invaded Italy beginning in Sicily. On July 25th, Mussolini was removed from power by King Victor Emmanuel III and put in jail. The Allies captured 120,000 Axis soldiers, but allowed over 100,000 to be evacuated during Operation Husky. Fighting continued until April 1945. -
Battle of Tarawa
Tarawa This was one of the shortest battles in the Pacific, but none the less, still bloody. In three days of heavy fighting, there were 3,000 American casualities and out of 4836 Japanese defenders, 17 survived. Tarawa was necessary for the retaking of the Philippines. -
Canadian troops defeat Germans at Battle of Ortona, Italy
Battle of OrtonaCanadian troops began their fight in Italy by easily driving up the peninsula from the Southern tip of Sicily in an attempt to drive German soldiers back to Germany. German forces made a stand at Ortona to try to protect Rome from falling. Canadian troops distinguished themselves at Ortona by defeating elite German soldiers and capturing the city on December 27. This was one of Canada’s greatest achievements in the war. 6000 dead; 20,000 wounded. -
Operation Overlord Began
D-Day
The surprise Allied invasion of Normandy, France began on D-Day. The United States, Great Britain, and Canada were all assigned specific beaches to attack. The United States attacked Utah & Omaha and the Canadians attacked Juno. Canada was first to reach their objective that day. Casualty figures were high here for the Allied powers: 10,000 wounded; 2500 KIA. The heaviest losses were at Omaha Beach attacked by the US. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf The Japanese tried to prevent the US from retaking the Philippines. The US lost six ships and destroyed 27 Japanese ships even though the Japanese implemented the use of Kamikaze pilots. -
Canadian Conscription Crisis
Prime Minister King was forced to go back on his promise of no conscription for Canada in WWII. Churchill was asking Canada for more troops and Canadians were no longer volunteering in large numbers. Conscription was not initiated right away due to the violence it had caused in WWI. -
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Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge The Germans launched their last major offensive against the Allied powers, creating a bulge in the Allied lines. The Allies were able to push back and caused a major blow to Germany. Their casualty figures were over 100,000 and used up most of the last of their reserves. Allies suffered 79,000 casualties. The Allies were now pushing Germany east. -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima US Marines attacked Iwo Jima in order to secure air fields. These air fields would be important to attack mainland Japan, but it came at a heavy cost. The US suffered 26,000 casualties and the Japanese lost almost all of the 22,000 soldiers on Iwo Jima (200 survived). The Marines had a 75% casualty rate. -
Allies first crossed the Rhine River
Allies crossed the Rhine River pushing into Germany while the Soviet Army pushed Germany back in the East. This would lead to the eventual surrender of Germany. -
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Battle of Okinawa
OkinawaThe Battle of Okinawa was fought both on the land and at sea. Okinawa was a critical island for Japan due to its close proximity and in order to protect their mainland. The US needed Okinawa for air bases as well as a staging ground for a mainland invasion of Japan, if needed. Heavy casualites were inflicted on both sides here: 50,000 US & over 100,000 Japanese. -
Germany's forces in the Netherlands surrender to Canadian troops
German troops in the Netherlands surrender to the Canadian Army. This was seen as appropriate to Canada and the Netherlands because the Dutch royal family was in exile in Canada in WWII. -
Germany Surrenders
Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe. They signed the official surrender the next day, May 8th, which is known as V-E Day. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
US President Truman authorized the usage of the atomic bomb, "little boy," on Hiroshima. The Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing 70,000 instantly and 100,000s later from radiation. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
The second and final atomic bomb, "fat man," was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. 40,000 civilians were killed instantly and 100,000s more will die from the effects of radiation. A third atomic bomb was set to be used on August 19th had the Japanese not surrendered. -
Japan Surrendered
Emperor Hirohito surrendered to the Allied powers, ending World War II. -
Japan Signed the Instrument of Surrender
Japan officially signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri, a ship that was in Pearl Harbor the day it was attacked. Japan was only allowed one concession, Emperor Hirohito remained in power.
