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Hitler named Chancellor of Germany
On January 30th, 1933 Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. He was named chancellor because conservatives thought they could use Hitler for their own purposes. -
Italy attacks Ethiopia
In the 1890's, Ethiopia successfully defended itself from Italian conquest. In 1935, Mussolini wanted revenge, so he ordered a massive fleet to invade Ethiopia. This time, Italy did not fail. -
German Troops Move into Rhineland
In 1936, Germany marches into Rhineland. Britain made appeasement to avoid war -
A Civil War Begins in Spain
Spain had almost always been a monarchy until 1931. Their new Republic was ruled by liberals and socialists was under attack by fascist army leaders. -
Japan Invades China
In 1937, a war started between the chinese and the japanese. Unfortunately for the Chinese, Japan was better trained and better equipped. -
German Reich Grows
Hitler announces his plans to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich -
Night of Broken Glass
In anger, a Jewish youth shot a german diplomat for deporting his father to Poland after living in Germany for 27 years. The german government responded by launch a violent attack on Jewish neighborhoods. -
Hitler and Stalin Sign Non-aggression Pact
Hitler and Stalin sign a non-aggression pact, claiming that the two countries would not use military action against one another. -
Germany invades Poland
In 1939, over a million german soldiers swept through Poland with the intentions of invading it. Hitler claimed it was a defensive action. -
Fall of France
In 1940, Hitler started take over countries like Luxembourg, Netherlands and Belgium as a strategy to distract larger countries, leaving them vulnerable to attack, such as France. -
Britain Fights Back
After being under attack by Italian forces in Egypt, Britain fights back, turning into a disaster for the Italians. Britain took 500 miles of North Africa and took over 100,000 Italian prisoners. -
Battle of Britain
Britain was able to defend itself against the German advance, stunned, Hitler calls off all attacks. -
Germany Invades Soviet Union
On June 22, 1941, Germany started to invade the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was not prepared, and retreated while burning everything down behind them. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
In 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, which was a Naval base located in Hawaii. This was one of the largest reasons why the US joined the war. -
Battle of Stalingrad
As the Germans slowly marched their way into the soviet union, stalin ordered to defend Stalingrad at all costs. Eventually the German soldiers surrendered to the Soviets. -
The Final Solution
Hitler got impatient with waiting for Jews to starve to death, so he made up a plan to kill them with much more efficiency. He ordered camps to be built designed just to kill Jews. -
The Invasion of Italy
Although Stalin urged the US and Britain to invade France, but instead they decided to invade Italy. US and British troops landed in Sicily on July 10, 1943. -
The Storming of Normandy
On June 6th, 1944 the allied powers stormed the coast of Normandy. Many lives were lost but the allied powers were successful. This day is also known as D-day. -
Germany Surrenders
After six long years of fighting, Germany surrenders to the Allied powers and WW2 in Europe is ended. This day is also known as V-E day, which stands for victory in Europe. -
Japan Surrenders
Shortly after the war in Europe ends, Japan surrenders and ends WW2 as a whole. This day is known as V-J day, which stands for victory in Japan.
