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On September 3, 1939, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, marking the official start of World War II in Europe. This action was taken two days after Germany invaded Poland, violating treaties and honoring the Anglo-Polish and Franco-Polish military alliances. -
Nazi Germany's swift, brutal blitzkrieg attack using tanks and air power, marking the beginning of World War II and leading to Poland's swift defeat and division with the Soviet Union, followed by brutal occupation and the systematic persecution of its people, especially Jews -
On May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany launched a rapid, successful invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, known as Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), using Blitzkrieg tactics. Within six weeks, all four countries were occupied or surrendered, with Luxembourg taken in a day and France signing an armistice on June 22 -
The Battle of Dunkirk (May 26 – June 4, 1940) was a pivotal WWII operation, known as Operation Dynamo or the "Miracle of Dunkirk," where over 338,000 Allied troops were rescued from Northern France. As German forces surrounded them, a hastily assembled fleet of navy vessels and small civilian "little ships" evacuated soldiers to Britain, preventing a total Allied catastrophe. -
The Battle of Britain (Summer/Autumn 1940) was a pivotal WWII air campaign where the Royal Air Force (RAF) defended the UK against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe, preventing German invasion by denying them air superiority and marking Germany's first major defeat, establishing the UK's ability to remain in the war. The RAF, aided by radar and strategic planning, successfully countered German bombing raids targeting airfields and cities, forcing Hitler to postpone his invasion -
The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 established the first peacetime draft in U.S. history, requiring men aged 21-45 to register for potential military service, a system later expanded for World War II, creating the foundation for the ongoing Selective Service System, which remains active today for national emergencies despite the draft ending in 1973, requiring young men to register for potential conscription as a national preparedness measure. -
The Lend-Lease Act (H.R. 1776), passed on March 11, 1941, authorized the U.S. President to sell, transfer, exchange, or lease defense articles to any nation deemed vital to American defense. It allowed for aid to Allies, primarily Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China, without immediate payment, effectively ending U.S. neutrality. -
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise Japanese air raid on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, involving hundreds of planes launching torpedoes and bombs, resulting in over 2,400 American deaths, the destruction or damage of many ships (including battleships), and nearly 300 aircraft. This devastating attack, aimed at crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet, pushed the previously neutral United States to declare war on Japan the next day, officially entering World War II. -
America entered World War II after the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, leading to a joint session of Congress where President Roosevelt delivered his "Day of Infamy" speech, resulting in a declaration of war against Japan the next day; Germany and Italy then declared war on the U.S., fully engaging the nation in the global conflict. Before this, the U.S. had maintained neutrality but supplied Allies through Lend-Lease and engaged in naval conflicts, but the attack -
On December 11, 1941, four days after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, merging the European and Pacific conflicts into a global war. Hitler, seeking to preempt an inevitable U.S. declaration, cited American hostility, while Mussolini quickly followed suit. Congress immediately passed unanimous declarations of war, ending U.S. neutrality -
The Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8, 1942) was the first naval battle fought entirely by aircraft from carriers, where opposing ships never sighted each other, halting Japan's push towards Port Moresby, New Guinea. While a tactical victory for Japan (sinking the US carrier Lexington and damaging Yorktown), it was a strategic Allied victory, as the US and Australia stopped the -
The Battle of Midway (June 4–7, 1942) was a decisive U.S. victory against Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Following intelligence from Station Hypo, the U.S. Navy intercepted a Japanese invasion fleet, sinking four carriers—Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu—and halting Japan's expansion, marking the turning point in the Pacific -
Operation Torch, launched on November 8, 1942, was the Allied invasion of French North Africa during WWII, aimed at trapping German-Italian forces in Tunisia and relieving pressure on the Soviet Union. Over 100,000 U.S. and British troops landed in Morocco and Algeria, overcoming initial Vichy French resistance to secure the region, ultimately forcing a major Axis surrender in May 1943 -
The 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) and subsequent mainland Italy campaign saw over 150,000 British, American, and Canadian troops launch a massive, successful amphibious assault to oust Axis forces. This 38-day campaign secured the Mediterranean, toppled Benito Mussolini, and opened a new front, forcing Germany to defend the "soft underbelly of Europe".
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Day), the largest amphibious invasion in history, landing over 150,000 troops on five Normandy beaches (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword) in France. This pivotal WWII operation broke through German defenses, beginning the successful liberation of Western Europe. -
Nazi concentration camps were discovered by Allied forces primarily in 1944 and 1945, with major sites like Dachau (April 1945), Buchenwald, and others revealing horrific conditions, massive loss of life, and, in some cases, the use of forced labor for industry. These, including their subcamps, often located near civilian areas, uncovered widespread, systematic abuse and murder. -
The Battle of the Somme (July 1–November 18, 1916) was one of World War I's deadliest battles, fought by British and French empires against the German Empire. Intended as a decisive Allied offensive to relieve pressure on Verdun, it resulted in over 1 million casualties (wounded or killed) for minimal territorial gain. -
Held from February 4–11, 1945, the Yalta Conference brought together the "Big Three" leaders—Franklin D. Roosevelt (US), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)—in Crimea to plan the final defeat of Nazi Germany and the post-war reorganization of Europe. Key outcomes included dividing Germany into four occupation zones (including France), agreeing to Soviet entry into the war against Japan in exchange for territorial concessions, and plans for the United Nations. -
Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day), observed on May 8, 1945, marks the formal Allied acceptance of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender, ending World War II in Europe. Celebrations erupted globally, featuring street parties, parades, and church services as citizens celebrated peace after nearly six years of conflict. -
The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, was named "Little Boy," a uranium-based, gun-type fission bomb detonated from a U.S. B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay, causing immense destruction and an estimated 90,000 to 166,000 deaths by the end of that year. It was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare, releasing energy equivalent to about 15 kilotons of TNT and creating a devastating fireball and shockwave -
The bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, was the second use of an atomic bomb in warfare, dropped by the U.S. on the Japanese industrial city, killing an estimated 40,000 to 80,000 people by the end of that year and leading to Japan's surrender, ending World War II. The plutonium bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," detonated with the force of 22,000 tons of TNT, causing massive destruction, fires, and radiation, with long-term health effects for survivors (hibakusha). -
V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day) marks the end of World War II, celebrating Japan's surrender announced on August 15, 1945, and formalized on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Following atomic bombings of Hiroshima/Nagasaki and the Soviet declaration of war, Emperor Hirohito accepted the Potsdam Declaration.