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Kristallnacht
With the Nazi rise to power in 1933, the party ordered anti-Jewish boycotts, staged book burnings, and enacted anti-Jewish legislation. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws defined Jews by blood and ordered the total separation of "Aryans" and "non-Aryans." On November 9, 1938, the Nazis destroyed synagogues and the shop windows of Jewish-owned stores throughout Germany and Austria (Kristallnacht). -
Period: to
World War Two
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Germany and Russia Sign Agreement
The Russians and the Germans sign a non-aggression pact. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin agree not to invade each other's borders. The two leaders secretly plan to divide Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe between them. -
Germany Invades Poland
On September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland. Germany was expanding its territory and Poland was its target. -
Blitzkrieg
The literal meaning of "Blitzkrieg" is "lightening war." This tactic was used by the Germans. Their hope was to attack Poland and France at the same time, giving them the element of suprise. -
Italy Declares War on France and Great Britain
On June 10, 1940 Italy declared war on France and Great Britain. Italians that lived in England from ages 16-70 were deported. -
U.S. Studies Nuclear Weapons
In the early 1900s Nuclear power was unfeasable. During the time of World War 2, President Roosevelt created a committee to study nuclear capabilities. This committee was called the National Defense -
Lend-Lease Act Passed
March: President Franklin Roosevelt convinces a largely isolationist Congress to pass the Lend-Lease Act, allowing the U.S. to sell or lend war materials to "any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States." -
Stalingrad
On June 22, 1941, four million troops poured over the Russian border. Within one month, over two and half million Russians had been killed, wounded or captured. The Germans made advances into Russia – into portions of Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad. -
Manhattan Project
Albert Einstein persuaded fellow American Scientists to set up funding for research on the Atomic Bomb. This was known as the Manhattan Project. Around this time German and British scientists were working on simliar projects. -
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. More than twothousand US soldiers died in this attack. Two thirds of the of the people that diee, died in the first fifteen minutes. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway, fought over and near the tiny U.S. mid-Pacific base at Midway atoll, represents the strategic high water mark of Japan's Pacific Ocean war. Prior to this action, Japan possessed general naval superiority over the United States and could usually choose where and when to attack. After Midway, the two opposing fleets were essentially equals, and the United States soon took the offensive. -
Assasination Attempt on Adolf Hitler
Throughtout World War Two, there were many Assination attempts on Adolf Hitler. Over twenty. They were attempted by Americans and Prusssians alike. Each time they failed. Exact dates are unknown, however the attempts went from 1943 to 1944 -
Germany Attacks Soviets
On 4 July 1943, Germany attacked Soviet forces around the Kursk Bulge. Within a week, German forces had exhausted themselves against the Soviets' deeply echeloned and well-constructed defences and, for the first time in the war, Hitler cancelled the operation before it had achieved tactical or operational success. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. -
Holocaust
The Holocaust was the sistimatic kiling of Jews in Europe during the time of WW2. In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe stood at over nine million. By 1945, close to two out of every three European Jews had been killed as part of the "Final Solution", the Nazi policy to murder the Jews of Europe. -
Mussolini Killed
Mussonlini and his mistress were arrested on April 27, 1945. They were executed a day later. -
Death of Adolf Hitler
On Apri 30 1945, nearly 68 years to this day, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. The moment he decided to take his life, Germanu surrendered and the Berlin Wall fell. That was it for him. He fell on his sword. -
V E Day
Although May 7 was when German powers were falling, May 8 marks the formal celebration date for V E Day. This is the day when the Alied Powers saw hope for winning the War. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945 the US bombed Hiroshima, Japan. They not only bombed the island, but used an atomic bomb. An atomic bomb is 200 times more powerful than any bomb used to date. Three days after Hiroshima, the US used the atom bomb against Nagasaki. -
Japan Surrenders
On September 2, 1945 Japan formally surrenders. This is after they were bombed by the United States.
