World War II/Holocaust By colindresf Jul 16, 1937 Japan invades China Apr 16, 1938 Nazis order Jews to register wealth and property Sep 16, 1938 Jews are prohibited from all legal practices Oct 16, 1938 Nazi troops occupy the Sudetenland Sep 16, 1939 Start of War/ Germany invades Poland Oct 16, 1939 Forced labor decree issued for Polish Jews aged 14 to 60 Jun 16, 1940 Germany troops marched into Paris Jun 16, 1940 Italy enters the war Jun 16, 1940 France signs an armistice with Hitler Sep 16, 1941 The first test use of Zyklon-B gas at Auschwitz Dec 16, 1941 Japan bombs Pearl Harbor Dec 16, 1941 Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States Jun 16, 1942 SS leader Heydrich dies from wounds caused by Czech Underground agents Dec 16, 1942 Sterilization experiments on women at Birkenau begin Dec 16, 1942 The first transport of Jews from Germany arrives at Auschwitz Jan 16, 1943 First resistance by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto Nov 16, 1943 Soviet troops liberate Kiev Oct 16, 1944 Last use of the gas chambers at Auschwitz Jan 16, 1945 Russian troops liberate Auschwitz, an estimated 2,000,000 have been murdered there Apr 16, 1945 Mussolini is killed attempting to escape to Switzerland Apr 16, 1945 Hitler and wife Eva Braun commit suicide May 16, 1945 The war in Europe is officially over May 16, 1945 Germany surrenders to the western Allies Aug 16, 1945 The US drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima Sep 16, 1945 Japan formally surrenders ending the World War 2