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Germany invades Poland
In August 1939, Hitler and Joseph Stalin signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. Hitler had been planning to invade Poland, which had the support of Great Britain and France. This pact with Stalin ensured that Hitler would not be attacked by the Soviet Union when he invaded Poland, and made them allies. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland from the west. France and Great Britain almost immediately declared war on Germany, and WWII was officially under way (World War II). -
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WWII Major Events
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Blitzkrieg, Fall of France
Hitler launches a blitzkrieg--a "lightning" war designed to quickly overwhelm--against Holland and Belgium.Then German moved on France. The German war machine swept through the French defensive lines and then to the coast, which trapped the French and British armies. However the Allies were able to evacuate 300,000 troops from Dunkirk. France is defeated and on June 22, 1940 they sign an armistice with Germany. -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
Despite the pact with the Soviet Union, Germany launched operation "Barbossa" and invaded the Soviets on June, 22 1941. This was the largest German military operation of the war. At first the invasion went well, but the sieges on Leningrad and Moscow stalled. The winter hit, and devastated the German army. They launched another attack in the spring, but were defeated around Stalingrad. This was Germany's first major defeat of the war (Stalingrad). -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. In two hours, the Japanese destroyed nearly 20 American naval ships, including eight huge battleships, and about 200 planes. Over 2,000 Americans were killed. The next day, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, and we did. Soon after we entered WWII (Pearl Harbor). -
Roosevelt signs Order 9066
On February 19, Roosevelt signed Executive order 9066. This order, also known as the Japanese-American Internment order, placed all American citizens with Japanese heritage in camps across the U.S. As our veterans mentioned there was one in Missoula. However, we know these people were loyal as Yokiche and his battalion confirmed with their heroics ( -
Battle of the Midway
During the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto wanted to lure the US Navy into a Pacific battle to destroy the fleet.He planned an invasion of Midway Island near Hawaii. However, the U.S. uncoded Japanese radio messages, and the U.S. was able to counter the attack. On June 4, 1942, US airplanes off of battleships sunk four Japanese carriers, which forced the Japanese to retreat (Hickman). -
Teheran Conference
On November 28, 1943, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin met in Teheran, Iran. They were there to discuss the war and future plans. These three representated the main Allies and it was the first time that all three leaders were in the same place at the same time. Operation Overlord (D-day) and DRagoon were discussed (Today in History). -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944, the Allies landed 160,000 troops on a 50 mile section of beaches of Normandy. The heavily defended coastline was a key step to defeating Germany. General Eisenhower of the U.S. said D-Day was an effort in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” The Allied forces used over 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft in the invasion, and by the end of the day, Allied forces had gained part of the beach. Over than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed in the battle (D-Day). -
Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, Hitler took a gamble hoping to make the Allies surrender. The goal was to split the Allied forces using a blitzkrieg attack through the Ardennes, More than a quarter million troops and 3 armies attacked the Allies in the Ardennes in the bloodiest battle of the war in the west. A German fuel shortage and Lieutenant Patton's heroics were vital in the Allied victory (Battle of the Bulge). Both Yokiche and Bud fought in this battle. -
Germany surrenders
On this day, May 1st, 1945, Germany surrendered. The day before, Hitler commited suicide along with his wife. This day will always be remembered for the heros who fought in it, including the veterans we had in class.
