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(EUROPE) Germany launches an attack on Poland. They use a fighting style called the "blitzkrieg" or lightening war. This fighting style uses tanks, troops, and airplanes to win a quick victory.
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France and Britain are Germany invaded Poland. They fear Germany will continue to expand. They declare war on Germany in order to stop Germany from expanding.
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(EUROPE) Invades Norway and Denmark to the North; France, Belgium, and Holland to the West; the Balkans to the Southeast. Hitler conquers all of these areas except for a portion of France that remains free.
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Italy teams up with Germany.
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(EUROPE) Britain is separated from Europe by a body of water called the English Channel. In order to invade Britain, Hitler knew he needed to first control the skies. He used the German Air Force - the Luftwaffe - to bomb military AND civilian sites. Britain had a really advanced radar system that allowed them to track German planes. This allowed Britain to warn civilians of the bombing and to used their own air force to fight them off. The bombings lasted for 3 months.
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(AFRICA) Remember how European countries had colonies in Africa? Now they will start to fight over those colonies as part of the war. Native Africans will be used as part of the army.
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Japan joins Germany and Italy in the war. They officially become the three Axis powers.
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(PACIFIC) Japan attacks the US by bombing Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
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The US joins France and Britain in order to fight against Japan, Germany, and Italy.
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(PACIFIC) In order to get to Japan, America had to win over the islands the dot the Pacific. These islands served as refueling centers for Japanese and American ships. America hopped from island to island, fighting their way to Japan.
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(AFRICA) Fighting in Africa ends when the Axis powers surrender in Tunisia. The Allies win in Africa.
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(EUROPE) The Allies push North from Africa and invade Italy. They liberate (free) Rome. Now the Allies have a foothold in Southern Europe. From Rome, the Allies can send planes to attack Germany.
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(EUROPE) The Allies invade the beaches of France. The Allies fought their way past hidden underwater mines, treacherous barbed wire, and horrible machine gunfire. Within 3 months, the Allies have 2 million soldiers in France. This allows the Allies to attack Europe from the West.
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(EUROPE) The Soviet Union attacks from the east. They push into Poland and liberate (free) the Polish capital of Warsaw.
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(EUROPE) The allies surround Germany from the west, south, and east. After Hitler kills himself, Germany surrenders.
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(PACIFIC) The US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. When the massive loss of civilian life didn't force Japan to surrender, America dropped a second atomic bomb three days later, this time on Nagasaki, Japan.
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