World War II Timeline

Anschluss of Austria

1938

Arguably the beginning of WWII, Hitler wanted all German speaking people to be together.

Germany Invades Poland (WWII Begins)

Sep 1, 1939

The Nazis attack the capital of the Polish, and force the surrender of Warsaw. They officially control Poland.

Britain and France Declare War on Germany

Sep 3, 1939

Germany Invades Norway and Denmark

Apr 9, 1940

Blitzkrieg

May 10, 1940

Lightning war against Rotterdam

Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

Japan launches surprise attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor.

Franklin Declares War on Japan

Dec 8, 1941

Germany and France Declare War on the US

Dec 11, 1941

Battle of Midway

Jun 7, 1942

Turning point

D-Day

Jun 6, 1944

Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy, France, in a highly calculated effort to liberate Western Europe from Nazi control.

Hitler Commits Suicide

Apr 30, 1945

Germany Surrenders

May 7, 1945

Hiroshima Bomb

Aug 6, 1945

US drops atomic bomb in Hiroshima, taking a total of 135,000 lives.

Nagasaki Bomb

Aug 9, 1945

The US drops another atomic bomb, this time on the city of Nagasaki, killing an estimated 80,000 people.

Japan Surrenders

Sep 2, 1945

Ending World War II