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1939 Japan shocked by signing of Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Japan, which joined Germany in the Anti-Comintern Pact of 1936, which was directed against the Soviet Union, was outraged when Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with Stalin. However, in September 1940, Japan joined with Germany and Italy in the Tripartite Pact that created the Axis Powers. -
German invasion of Poland
After the Germans conquered Poland, they began a systematic destruction of Polish intellectuals and the ruling classes, and by the end of World War II had killed a total of three million Poles (in addition to an equal number of Polish Jews). -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
The British and French had given Poland guarantees of military support in the event of an attack by Germany. -
Japan demands rights to resources in French Indochina
In the summer of 1940, as a result of an agreement with the pro-German Vichy government of France, Japan gained access to raw materials from French Indochina. -
France falls to Germany
Invading France on May 10, the Germans made an effective use of mechanized forces and air power to rapidly defeat the French; German troops entered Paris on June 14. -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
For “Operation Barbarossa,” their campaign against the Soviet Union, the Germans assembled the largest invasion force in history, totaling almost 150 divisions (or about three million men), 3,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery pieces, and 2,500 aircraft. In addition, more than 30 divisions of Finnish and Romanian troops supported this massive German force. -
1941 Japan acquires Chinese territory in Second Sino-Japanese War
Japan attacks Chinese territory -
Japanese attack Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks U.S. Naval Military Base,Pearl Harbor -
Japanese conquer Thailand, Philippines, Malaya
Japan manages to conquer Thailand, Philippines and Malaya -
Allies under U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower launch D-Day invasion
The Allies under U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower invade Omaha Beach,France. -
U.S. Air Force begins bombardment of Iwo Jima
Intensive attacks using incendiaries were made against the Japanese positions on Iwo Jima, but the defenders were so well dug into the island’s caves that the bombing raids produced little effect. -
March 1945 Allies cross the Rhine in the Battle of the Bulge
In mid-December 1944, a German counteroffensive halted the Allied drive toward the German frontier at the Rhine River, resulting in the so-called “Battle of the Bulge.” By mid-January 1945, the Germans had been forced to withdraw, and the Allies continued their advance toward the Rhine, which they crossed in March. -
Germany surrenders
Austrian SS chief Ernst Kaltenbrunner oversaw the Nazi concentration camps throughout Europe. Captured by a U.S. patrol shortly after the German surrender, he was indicted on August 29, 1945 by the international military tribunal at Nuremberg on charges of war crimes. Here Katlenbrunner is shown addressing the court during his trial. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed on October 16, 1946. -
United States drops atomic bombs on Japan
The atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima killed 70,000 people immediately; by the end of 1945 an additional 30,000 had died. -
Japan surrenders
The combination of the threat of further U.S. attacks with atomic weapons, together with the Soviet Union’s declaration of war against Japan on August 8, caused the Japanese to surrender.