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The Fascist Grand Council passes a vote of no confidence in Benito Mussolini
The Fascist Grand Council passes a vote of no confidence in Benito Mussolini. He is arrested. Martial law is declared in Italy the next day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhPahus7sZE -
Honoring their treaty with Poland
Honoring their treaty with Poland, France and Great Britain enter the war against Germany. -
Czechoslovakia surrenders
Czechoslovakia surrenders after Adolf Hitler annexes the country into the Third Reich. Although the Czechs had warmly welcomed the Germans when they entered the Sudetenland months earlier, they stood silently in despair when the Nazis entered Prague. -
Germany's Adolf Hitler signs the order for an assault
Germany's Adolf Hitler signs the order for an assault on Poland. After the Germans stage a phony raid on a Gleiwitz radio station, they blame the Polish for the "unprovoked attack." -
Without declaring war, Germany invades Poland
Without declaring war, Germany invades Poland. The coordinated air-and-land attack is conducted with such brutal efficiency that "blitzkrieg" becomes a feared offensive tactic. -
Japan, engaged in war with China
Japan, engaged in war with China, declares its neutrality in the European War. -
As war broke out in Europe,
As war broke out in Europe, American sentiment heavily favored isolationism. With the nation still skeptical of Allied propaganda after it had lured the U.S. into the first World War, the United States declares its neutrality in the European War. -
Warsaw, Poland, surrenders to German forces
Warsaw, Poland, surrenders to German forces. Poland is partitioned by Germany and Russia. -
Canada declares
Canada declares war on Germany. -
In the first attack on British territory
In the first attack on British territory, the Germans hit the Brits at the Firth of Forth. They damage cruisers South-Hampton and Edinburgh and the destroyer Mohawk. -
The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for its aggression against Finland. -
The 1940 Olympic Games
The 1940 Olympic Games, to be held in Finland, are cancelled. -
The British drop the first bombs
The British drop the first bombs on German soil as the RAF hits the seaplane base at Hornum. -
Germany
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The Germans
The Germans cross the French border. -
Germans ride into Prague
Germans ride into Prague as people watch silently in the street. March 15, 1939 -
Germany invades Belgium
Germany invades Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Because of the failure of his appeasement policies, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigns. Forming a coalition government, Winston Churchill replaces him. Standing alone, Churchill soon began conferring with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt for aid to the British cause. -
Leaving behind weapons and supplies at Dunkirk
Leaving behind weapons and supplies at Dunkirk, the British evacuate over 338,000 soldiers from France. -
Italy joins the war
Italy joins the war as an ally of Germany. -
The London Blitz starts as Germany
The London Blitz starts as Germany, attempting to weaken the country's resolve, bombs the British capital. -
Close to 16 million American men between the ages of 21 and 36 are required to register at one of 6,500 draft boards across the country
Close to 16 million American men between the ages of 21 and 36 are required to register at one of 6,500 draft boards across the country. Nearly 50 million men would register during the war. -
The Italians
The Italians invade Greece. -
The Lend-Lease program
The Lend-Lease program is introduced into U.S. Congress. -
Despite opposition from isolationists
Despite opposition from isolationists, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease act to provide aid to Great Britain. -
The first all-black unit of the U.S. Air Corps
The first all-black unit of the U.S. Air Corps — the 99th Pursuit Squadron — is activated. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. -
Japan and Russia
Japan and Russia sign a neutrality pact. -
France accepts German armistice terms
France accepts German armistice terms, establishing the Vichy Government under Marshal Petain. -
The Battle of Britain begins
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On its first mission
On its first mission, the German battleship Bismarck is hunted down and sunk. -
The Germans
The Germans march into Paris. -
Unleashing its "Barbarossa" plan
Unleashing its "Barbarossa" plan, Germany invades the Soviet Union without declaring war. Despite massing troops at the border, the Germans encounter little opposition. Hitler is now fighting a two-front war. -
Under threat of a forced march on Washington
Under threat of a forced march on Washington, Roosevelt signs Executive Order 8802. It combats discrimination against blacks and women in the hiring practices of defense jobs. It is the first federal gesture toward civil rights since Reconstruction. -
ermany and Italy declare the end of the Yugoslav nation
ermany and Italy declare the end of the Yugoslav nation -
With Luftwaffe raids
With Luftwaffe raids, Germany hits Moscow for the first time. -
A British airborne attack sinks French vessels
A British airborne attack sinks French vessels at Oran and Mers-el-Kebir to prevent them from passing into German possession. -
The U.S. extends aid
The U.S. extends aid to the Soviet Union. -
The Germans reach the gates of Moscow
The Germans reach the gates of Moscow. Civilians flee the "Bolshoi Trap" amid panic and looting. -
Soviet Premier Josef Stalin remains in Moscow
Soviet Premier Josef Stalin remains in Moscow, vowing that the city "will be defended to the last." -
A German U-boat torpedoes and sinks the U.S.S. Reuben
A German U-boat torpedoes and sinks the U.S.S. Reuben James off the Icelandic coast. It is the first U.S. Navy vessel sunk by enemy action in WWII. -
Roosevelt extend
Roosevelt extends Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union. -
At 7:55 AM on a Sunday
At 7:55 AM on a Sunday, hundreds of Japanese warplanes, launched from aircraft carriers far out at sea, attack the American Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, based on a plan by Isoroku Yamamoto. Eight battleships, including the U.S.S. Arizona, three light cruisers, three destroyers and four other naval vessels are either sunk or damaged. One hundred-sixty-four American aircraft, mostly on the ground, are destroyed. And 2,403 Americans are killed. On the day that President Roosevelt -
The U.S. declares
The U.S. declares war on Japan. -
Germany and Italy declare war
Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S. -
As more than 40,000 Japanese troops come ashore north of Manila
As more than 40,000 Japanese troops come ashore north of Manila, American general Douglas MacArthur orders a retreat to Bataan. -
Manila is declared an open city
Manila is declared an open city as the army departs. -
Silhouetted against the lights of Manhattan, eight unarmed vessels are sunk by a German U-boat
Silhouetted against the lights of Manhattan, eight unarmed vessels are sunk by a German U-boat. By the end of January, U-Boats would sink 25 tankers along the East Coast, continuing a fierce struggle for supremacy of the seas called the "Battle of the Atlantic" and threatening to choke off America's allies. More than 230 Allied ships and almost 5 million tons of desperately needed materiel went to the bottom of the sea in the first six months of 1942. -
The Wannsee Conference in Germany establishes the "Final Solution
The Wannsee Conference in Germany establishes the "Final Solution" for Jews in Europe. The plan would attempt to exterminate an estimated 11 million people. -
Philip Johnston proposes to the Marines that the Navajo Indians be used to transmit military messages through a secure code.
Philip Johnston proposes to the Marines that the Navajo Indians be used to transmit military messages through a secure code. The code talkers would develop an unbreakable code. -
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066. Its neutral tone authorizes the War Department to designate
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066. Its neutral tone authorizes the War Department to designate "military areas" and then exclude anyone from them whom it felt to be a danger. But it has a specific target: the more than 110,000 Japanese-Americans, living along the West Coast. They were about to be forced from their homes and moved inland. -
The Battle of the Bismarck Sea is fought for control of New Guinea
The Battle of the Bismarck Sea is fought for control of New Guinea. The decisive American victory forces the Japanese to re-enforce its troops by submarine — a defensive strategy employed to prevent the continued loss of transports and warships. The battle removes a threat to General Douglas MacArthur's invasion plans. -
General Douglas MacArthur
General Douglas MacArthur, under orders from the President, leaves the troops and departs for Australia. -
Given strategic defense of the entire Pacific Ocean
Given strategic defense of the entire Pacific Ocean, General MacArthur is named supreme commander of the Allied Forces. -
B-25 bombers land at McClellan Field near Sacramento
B-25 bombers land at McClellan Field near Sacramento. In preparation for a secret mission, Lt. Col. James Doolittle oversees modifications to the planes, which depart April 1. -
Bataan falls. It is the largest surrender by the U.S. Army
Bataan falls. It is the largest surrender by the U.S. Army — 78,000 American and Filipino troops. What followed would be remembered as the Bataan Death March. -
A listening post in the Aleutian Islands intercepts a radio transmission
A listening post in the Aleutian Islands intercepts a radio transmission that Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto will be touring bases in the South Pacific. -
In the first American raid on the Japanese mainland,
In the first American raid on the Japanese mainland, 16 B-25 carrier-launched bombers led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle strike Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Nagoya and Yokosuka. -
Italy declares war against the Allies
Italy declares war against the Allies. Great Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India and South Africa declare war on Italy. General Hering, the military governor of Paris, declares the French capital an open city to prevent its destruction. -
Notice is posted on the West Coast announcing the planned ouster of all "Japs"
Notice is posted on the West Coast announcing the planned ouster of all "Japs" from the area into assembly centers. -
The first Navajo code talkers are sent to San Diego for training
The first Navajo code talkers are sent to San Diego for training. The 420 deployed to the Pacific would participate in every battle from Guadalcanal to Okinawa. -
Calling for a segregated unit, U.S. President Franklin D.
Calling for a segregated unit, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt reverses his policy and changes Japanese-Americans from 4-C (enemy aliens) to 1-A (fit for combat). The 442nd Regimental Combat Team would become the most decorated unit in U.S. history. -
At the Casablanca Conference,
At the Casablanca Conference, Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announce that only an unconditional surrender will be accepted from the Axis Powers. -
German Field Marshal Friedrich von Paulus surrenders at Stalingrad.
German Field Marshal Friedrich von Paulus surrenders at Stalingrad. The war in the East has turned. -
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel sends his Panzer units against the untested U.S. forces in North Africa.
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel sends his Panzer units against the untested U.S. forces in North Africa. The Americans are routed and the Germans pour through the Kasserine Pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV0TtnwbkpQ -
U.S. War and Navy Departments announce that commanders of the forces in Hawaii
U.S. War and Navy Departments announce that commanders of the forces in Hawaii at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack will be court-martialed for dereliction of duty. -
The Soviets win the Battle of Kursk. It is the largest tank battle in history
The Soviets win the Battle of Kursk. It is the largest tank battle in history. The German Luftwaffe also loses the air war and dominion of Russian skies for the first time. -
Allied forces land in Sicily and gain control of the Mediterranean
Allied forces land in Sicily and gain control of the Mediterranean. The precursor to the invasion of Italy would take 38 days to secure. -
Life magazine runs pictures of three dead American soldiers
Life magazine runs pictures of three dead American soldiers. It is the first time such photos are shown to the American public since the attack on Pearl Harbor. -
On the second strike against Schweinfurt
On the second strike against Schweinfurt, 60 Flying Fortresses are shot down and more than 600 men are lost on what is remembered as "Black Thursday." -
Hoping to break the impasse near the Benedictine abbey of Monte Cassino, Allied forces land at Anzio.
Hoping to break the impasse near the Benedictine abbey of Monte Cassino, Allied forces land at Anzio. Despite catching the enemy by surprise, General John P. Lucas takes nine days to strengthen his position rather than dash inland. His army would remain pinned down by the Germans for four miserable months. -
Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany
Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, and then made Fuhrer in 1934, a position that gave him complete control of the state and the military.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kqpZuk1zF8 -
Six weeks after the German offensive in the Ardennes began, the Allies regain all the ground they'd lost.
Six weeks after the German offensive in the Ardennes began, the Allies regain all the ground they'd lost. It had been the biggest battle of the war on the Western Front. More than a million men took part; 19,000 Americans died; 60,000 more had been wounded or captured or listed as "missing." Hitler's enormous gamble ends in disaster. He had lost some 100,000 men and virtually all his tanks and aircraft. -
Nine hundred British and American bombers hit Dresden in two waves, dropping incendiary bombs in hopes of setting off a firestorm.
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World War 2 Normandy
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World War 2 II
[World War 2 II in Colour The Second World War in Colour FULL FILM DOCUMENTARY]](http://World War 2 II in Colour The Second World War in Colour FULL FILM DOCUMENTARY]) -
At the Yalta Conference, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston
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fter 72 days of shelling the island, Marines land on Iwo Jima to capture the Japanese airfield. The intense fighting lasted a month; 6,821 Americans died
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The flag is raised on Mt. Suribachi. Photographer Joe Rosenthal snaps one of the most famous photos of the 20th century.
Firebombing comes to the cities of Japan. Three hundred and thirty four American B-29s roared in low over Tokyo and dropped hundreds of thousands of 70-pound napalm bombs. -
President Roosevelt
President Roosevelt remained focused on the problems at home as he declared American neutrality. -
The U.S. Congress passes the Selective Service Act
The U.S. Congress passes the Selective Service Act. It calls for the first peacetime draft in American history. To serve, men had to be five feet tall, weigh 105 pounds, have correctable vision and at least half their teeth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhPahus7sZE -
Tarawa is secured at high cost
Tarawa is secured at high cost. It would take 10 days to compile and release the casualty list. The total is almost as much as the six months of fighting at Guadalcanal.
