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Germany invades Poland
This marks the start of WW2. One of Hitler's first tasks when taking power in Germany was to sign a nonagressive pact with Poland. He did this because he felt like it would defer the possibility of a French-Polish military alliance against Germany -
Battle of France
Also known as the fall of France, this occurred when Germany took control over France. The battle consisted of two major operations where the Germans quickly defeated the French. The battle lasted a month and a half -
Hitler Invades Russia
The Germans invaded the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, and looked poised to take Moscow by October that year. Many battles occurred in Russia during this time. At least 25 million Russians were killed during these months. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked the United States without warning. The attack lasted over an hour, consisting of two waves. A total of 2,335 U.S. men were killed during this attack. The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. -
US Declares War on Japan
The United States, along with Britain, formally declare war on the Empire of Japan. The destruction done on Pearl Harbor was too great for the United States to ignore. Roosevelt gave a ten minute speech to the world announcing the declaration of war. -
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States.
On this day, Adolf Hitler declares war on the United States, bringing America, which had been neutral, into the European conflict. The bombing of Pearl Harbor surprised even Germany. On December 8, Japanese Ambassador Oshima went to German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop to nail the Germans down on a formal declaration of war against America. Several days later, Germany declared war on the United States. -
Midway
Midway is considered the turning point against the Japanese in the Pacific. During the Battle of Midway the Japanese lost 4 of there major carriers i.e; Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and the Soryu. The lost of these carriers broke the back of the offensive and expansion capability of the Japanese Navy which they never recovered from. Many consider Midway as the time when Japan started losing the war. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This is the turning point in the war for Germany. Germany and its allies invaded Russia; fighting for several months. After these few months, Germany was never able to fully recover from the invasion. -
Normandy invasion
The United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Free French Forces,Poland, Australia, Belgian, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, and Czechoslovak came together to defeat Germany -
Atomic Bombs
In order to get back at Japan for the destruction of Pearl Harbor, the United States created two atomic bombs. These bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing around 346,000.