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Hitler Blitzkrieged Poland
On September 1, 1939, Hitler and the Nazi army blitzkrieged Poland. At this point in time, Germany was not allowed to have an army, so this attack on Poland was illegal for Germany. France decided to take action instead of appeasing to Germany's violent actions. Therefore France declared war on Germany, but Poland was already taken by the Nazis by the end of September. This event ultimately started WWII. -
Germany Invades France
Despite the Maginot Line, Hitler was able to conquer France with unexpected tactics. France was confident in their defenses since they had a series of forts and the Ardennes Forest along their border. Hitler and his army went through the Ardennes, a treacherous forest with many mountains, to get to France. Germany ripped through France towards the English Channel, forcing French soldiers to flee to England. After the invasion, Hitler controlled Northern France and collaborated with Vichy France. -
Battle of Britain
Shortly after Germany conquered France, Hitler and his army went after Great Britain. Germany's airforce, called Luftwaffe, bombed Britain for several days and nights, but Britian did not surrender. Their use of radar technology and their famous motto, "keep calm and carry on," saved them from falling to the Nazis. After about two months of bombing, Hitler gave up on his Operation Sea Lion. This became a very historic event for the British Air Force. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the U.S. suffered a surprise attack from Japan. Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii in 2 explosive waves. This attack was a direct result of U.S. trying to eliminate Japan's war effort in Southeast Asia, especially when the U.S. placed an embargo on oil, steel, and rubber imports. When Japan attacked they specifically aimed for aircraft carriers and battleships, and damaged many aircrafts. This assault also spurred U.S. involvement in World War II. -
U.S. Declares War on Japan
Click to view FDR's Speech
Due to the epic attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked congress to declare war on Japan. After congress did this, the U.S. mobilized for war. In one year, the military doubled in size, and the first Women's Army Corps formed. Several companies started creating war supplies, including Ford, who produced B-24 bombers. The U.S. was about to face a giant war. -
The Battle of Midway
Japan attacked another vital U.S. naval base in the Central Pacific, called Midway, on June 4, 1942. If Japan had taken over Midway, U.S. would lose lots of artillery and be forced back to the mainland. Luckily, Admiral Chester Nimitz knew that the Japanese had plans for MIdway, so the U.S. was prepared. The U.S. did a lot of damage to the Japanese navy and won the battle. This proved to be a turning point in the war since the U.S. went on the offensive after the Battle of Midway. -
German Army Attacks Stalingrad
On July 17, 1942, the Nazi Army invaded the Soviet city of Stalingrad. This was an unexpected invasion because Germany and the Soviet Union had agreed on a non-aggression pact, meaning Hitler violated this agreement. Due to the frigid weather conditions and the Soviet Army's strength, the Nazis retreated back toward Germany. This failed invasion ended Hitler's realistic plans of dominating Europe. It also put the Soviet Union on the offensive, creating a turning point in the War. -
D-Day - Operation Overlord
On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in France. With a fleet of over 4400 ships, the Allies sailed to five different beaches (Utah, Juno, Omaha, Gold, and Sword). Every beach besides Omaha provided light pressure to Allied forces, partially due to the decoy army and deception plan under General Patton. Omaha, however, was an extremely deadly beach with pillboxes and land mines. In the end, the Allies forces took back France. -
The Third Reich Ends
On May 7th, 1945, Hitler's "Thousand Year Reich" had ended. Germany surrendered in a French schoolouse that had served as Eisenhower's headquarters during the war. The day of this surrender became known as V-E Day. Neither Hitler nor FDR lived to see this important event. Since the war in Europe was over, the U.S. could focus on it's war with Japan. -
First Atomic Bombs Dropped
The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Japan after 3 years of developing this high-end technology. This bomb, called little boy, was dropped on Hiroshima at around 9 am. A 2nd atomic bomb, called fat man, was dropped on Nagasaki a few days later. These bombs killed almost 100,000 people and scared the Japanese. This event ultimately led Japan to surrender.
