World War II timeline- Ryan Roehler By ryanroehler Period: Jan 1, 1921 to Dec 31, 1946 Time Span of Timeline Jan 6, 1921 Adolf Hitler becomes the leader of the Nazi Party Oct 7, 1922 Benito Mussolini appointed Prime Minister of Italy Dec 6, 1929 Josef Stalin becomes sole dictator of the Soviet Union (USSR) Sep 3, 1931 Japan’s Army seizes Manchuria, China Mar 21, 1933 Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany May 1, 1935 Neutrality Acts passed by US Congress Mar 7, 1936 Hitler sends troops into Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles Dec 9, 1937 Japan’s army pillages Nanjing, China; massacre a quarter of a million people Jan 1, 1938 Nazis begin rounding up Jews for labor camps Aug 28, 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact signed by Hitler and Stalin Sep 1, 1939 Nazis invade Poland; Britain and France declare war on Germany Oct 6, 1940 Germany invades France and forces thems to surrender Jun 22, 1941 Hitler breaks Pact with Stalin’s Russia and invades -USSR which now joins England in fighting the Germans Dec 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor in Hawaii attacked by Japanese Naval and Air forces, US declares war on Japan Dec 9, 1941 Germany and Italy declare war on the US Apr 9, 1942 Philippines fall to Japanese – Bataan Death March Jun 4, 1942 Battle of Midway, turning point of war in the Pacific Jun 14, 1943 British and US forces defeat German and Italian armies in North Africa Jul 25, 1943 Italy surrenders, Mussolini dismissed as Prime Minister Jun 6, 1944 D-Day invasion of France at Normandy by Allies Dec 15, 1944 Battle of the Bulge – last offensive of German Forces Mar 8, 1945 V-E Day, war ends in Europe Aug 6, 1945 U.S drops first atomic bomb on Hiroshima Aug 10, 1945 U.S drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki Aug 14, 1945 V-J Day, Japan surrenders to Allied Forces May 3, 1946 War Crimes Trials held in Nuremburg, Germany; Manila, Philippines and Tokyo, Japan
