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The japanese attack Pearl Harbor
Japanese expansionism in the Pacific and Asia. The economic sanctions and embargo's placed on Japan by the U.S. and others threatened to dry up oil and other raw materials needed to power the Japanese Military machine. The movement of the U.S. Fleet to Pearl Harbor from San Diego California was viewed as a threat by the Japanese Government. The attack on Pearl Harbor was an effort by the Japanese Govt. to deal a decisive blow to the U.S. in order that the Japanese could invade Southern Pacific -
The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II.
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Germany and Italy declare war on the United States United States formally declares declares war on Germany and Italy.
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11 - 13 Dec. - Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States.
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5 May - The Battle of the Coral Sea between the US and Japanese navies
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8 Nov - British and U.S. troops win back North Africa
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British and U.S. troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans. This day is known as D-Day
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6 Aug. - The first atomic bomb is dropped by The United States on Hiroshima killing 78,000 citizens
At 2:45 a.m. on Monday, August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, took off from Tinian, a North Pacific island in the Marianas, 1,500 miles south of Japan. The twelve-man crew (picture) were on board to make sure this secret mission went smoothly. Colonel Paul Tibbets, the pilot, nicknamed the B-29 the "Enola Gay" after his mother. Just before take-off, the plane's nickname was painted on its side. -
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
While the people of Japan tried to comprehend the devastation in Hiroshima, the United States was preparing a second bombing mission. The second run was not delayed in order to give Japan time to surrender, but was waiting only for a sufficient amount of plutonium-239 for the atomic bomb. On August 9, 1945 only three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, another B-29, Bock's Car (picture of crew), left Tinian at 3:49 a.m. -
Japan surrendered to the Allies after almost six years of war. V-J Day (Victory in Japan)
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Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
