WW2 Timeline

  • The Neutrality Act of 1939

    Lifted the ban on trade with belligerent nations, and instituted the "cash-and-carry" terms for trade with belligerent nations.
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    The North Africa Campaign

    The series of battles over control of parts of North Africa with the goal of control of the Suez Canal, which was vital to Britain's colonial empire.
  • The Lend-Lease Act

    Allowed the US to lead or lease war supplies to nations deemed "vital" to defending the US.
  • The Bombing of Pearl Harbor

    The Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at pearl harbor with the goal of crippling the US pacific fleet.
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    The Battle of the Coral Sea

    The US Fleet forced a Japanese invasion force to flee that had been heading for Port Moresby, a strategic point in the war.
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    The Battle of Midway

    An attack by the Japanese on the US-held island of Midway, thwarted by US naval intelligence, led to the destruction of multiple of Japan's carriers and most of their best naval pilots
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    The Battle of Guadalcanal

    The first offensive attack by the US on the Japanese since joining the war.
  • D-Day

    The beginning of the Allied push into mainland Europe which began with the landings at Normandy taking place on D-Day.
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    The Battle of the Bulge

    The last major German offensive in Western Europe.
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    The Battle of Okinawa

    The last major battle of World War 2, the goal of the US was to capture the island, which was to be used as the staging ground for the land invasion of mainland Japan.
  • The Dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima

    The first use of the atomic bomb in World History, 135,000 casualties.
  • The Dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki

    The second atomic bomb dropped by the US after the Japanese did not surrender from the first bomb dropped three days prior. 64,000 casualties