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Hitler invades Poland
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Period: to
World War Two
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Britain and France declare war on Germany
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Period: to
Phony war
Britain saw no military action -
Rationing introduced in britain
rationing is a fixed limited amount of essential foods and other goods that allowed fair distribution when supply was restricted. -
Period: to
Hitler invades and occupies Denmark and Norway
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Churchill became Prime Minister
He replaced Neville Chamberlain. -
Blitzkrieg began - Germany invaded France Belgium and Holland
Blitzkrieg means "lightning war". -
Dunkirk retreat and evacuation
British troops were forced to retreat, pursued through northern France by Germans - ended up on beaches of Dunkirk. Government called on civilian help and many small vessels helped to rescue 338,000 men (inc 140,000 Frenchmen) -
Italy joins war on German side
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French armistice with Germany
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Period: to
Battle of Britain
German airforce, the Luftwaffe, bombs British ports in July. Following month, airaids concentrate on airfields. The Blitz, the bombing of London, starts in September, followed by night bombing capmpaign, on London, Coventry and other major cities. RAF defends using fighter aircraft, and by Oct 31st, German rasids had ceased. -
Tripartate pact
Alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan - the Axis powers -
British success in North Africa against Italians
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Italy and Germany invade Yugoslavia
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Operation Barbarossa
Hitler invaded Russia despite their non agreesion pact. Stalin immediately allied with Britain. The USA offered aid to the USSR -
Japan attack Pearl Harbour
Japan bombed the USA fleet staioned in the Haiwiaiin islands. A pre-emptive strike to knock out USA influence, and for Japan to take over British Dutch and French colonies in SE Asia. -
USA and Britain declare war on Japan
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Battle of Midway
Major naval battle won by USA against Japan -
Battle of El Alamein
General Montgomery's forces defeat the German / Italian armies and push them across the North African desert -
Battle of Stalingrad
Russians defeat Germans at great cost of lives on both sides -
Allies take Sicily
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Axis defeat in North Africa
British and American forces defeat Germans and Italians in North Africa -
Allies invade Sicily
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Italy surrenders
Mussolini imprisoned and new Italian government switches sides and joins Allies, but Germans retained control of Italian army, and free Mussolini who then heads a puppet government in Northern Italy -
Allies meet in Tehran
Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill meet in Tehran to plan rest of the war, and post-war settlements -
Siege of Leningrad lifted
Russians finally break German grip of Leningrad after 880 days -
Liberation of Rome
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D-Day
Allies invade France and mass troop landings on Normany beaches, under command of General Eisenhower -
Japanese evicted from Burma
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Paris liberated
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V2 flying bombs launched first time
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Battle of the Bulge begins
Germany fought back against Allies in Ardennes forest region of Belgium, but are eventually overcome -
Allies cross the Rhine
Important symbolic landmark event as Germany is pushed back into its own territory as Russian also squeeze them from the East -
Death of Roosevelt
Replaced by President Truman -
Mussolini captured and executed
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Russians reach Berlin
Red flag flown over the Reichstag -
Death of Hitler
Hitler commits suicide in his bunker. -
German forces in Italy surrender
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German final surrender
Allies accept unconditional surrender of Admiral Donitz, Hitler's nominated syuccessor -
VE day
Victory in Europe day is celebrated. -
Churchill loses election
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Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Japan refused to surrender despite threat of massive destruction -
Russia declares war on Japan
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Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
Second atomic bomb dropped on Japanese port of Nagasaki, obliterating it. -
Japan surrenders
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Formal end of WW2
US general McArthur accepts unconditional surrender of japan, to formally end the war