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On this day, Adolf Hitler giave himself a boost in power as he re-forms the Nazis party. He made himself leader and declared this new position at the Muich beer hall.
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Nazi supporters at a campaign rally in Waldenburg, Germany. In a speech, Hitler attacks the Weimar Republic and pledges to dissolve the parliamentary system
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Hitler finally receives a position of major power as he is declared chancellor. This allows him to dictate the future of Germany and provides a basis for his ultimate rule.
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A long awaited death of German President, Paul von Hindenburg, comes to an ending. Hitler soon has his Nazis Party pass laws making him a Führer and Reich Chancellor with the authority of the leader of Germany.
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In a so-called defensive movement dictated by Adolf Hitler, German troops invaded Poland, bombed polish airfields, and attacked Poland's navy. France and Britain believed that this was an offensive movement and declared war on Germany starting WW2.
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The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Germany in 1945.
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The back of the French army was broken. Hitler would gain control over western Europe as a result of this significant defeat. This battle also initiated Russia into the war as an enemy of Hitler.
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Another front of the second world war opened up in Africa. Here, German troops fought British troops to conquest each other's colonies and territory in the war.
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German mobile killing squads, called special duty units (Einsatzgruppen), are assigned to kill Jews during the invasion of the Soviet Union. They end up being taken out of operation due to what many called, "psychological burdens".
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Operation Barbarossa, original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, was a code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war.
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As Germany begins to invade the USSR, they draw the USSR into WW2. As this occurs, a new front is opened, the Eastern Front.
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the Germans code-named it ‘Operation Typhoon’ – started on October 2nd, 1941. The capture of Moscow, Russia’s capital, was seen as vital to the success of ‘Operation Barbarossa‘. Hitler believed that once the heart – Moscow – had been cut out of Russia, the whole nation would collapse. However, due to the harsh weather and unfamiliarity with the city, Hitler's troops were defeated and forced out of Russia.
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A fleet of 360 Japanese war plans desends onto the Pearl Harbor naval base in a viscious attack. This attack initiates America into the USA.
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Hitler and his officers finalize the Final Solution which entails the mass killing of Jews in extermination chambers in concentration camps.
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The surrender of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad was the first major German surrender. Both the German leadership and the population of occupied Europe realized the Third Reich was now on the defensive.
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On the beaches of Normandy in France, Allied forces crossed the English channel and began the liberation of western Europe from Nazis Forces. This was one of the most prominent battles fought in WW2.
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Ending in may 2, 1945 the Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European front in World War II.
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On this day, Hitler commited suicide.
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Known as VE day, this moment in history marked the ending of Hitler's war in Europe. This day signifies the end of 6 horrific, miserable years of war.
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The first nazis concentration camp, Majdanek camp in Poland, was found and liberated by soviets.
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After relentlessly bombing Japan, they would still not surrender. Truman decided to use the atomic bomb to spare the American lives that would have been lost should we have chosen to invade Japan on foot. On August 6, 1945, US pilots dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The USSR declared war on Japan three days later, and the US dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The Japanese finally surrendered.
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After the atomic bombing of japan, Japan was in no condition to fight in the war and was forced to formally surrender to the US. This was a final act of the complete end of WW2.
