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Germany invades Polan
This day we witness Hitler's military strategy, blitzkrieg. German forces bombed Poland on land and from the air, this started World War II. -
Neutrality Act of 1939
on November 4 the Neutrality Act of 1939 was passed, allowing for arms trade with belligerent nations on a cash-and-carry basis, thus in effect ending the arms embargo. Furthermore, the Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1937 were repealed, American citizens and ships were barred from entering war zones designated by the President, and the National Munitions Control Board was charged with issuing licenses for all arms import & exports. Arms trade without a license, could land you 2 years in a prison. -
Battle of Britain
On September 15, 1940 Germany launched a large bombing attack on the city of London. They felt that they were closing in on victory. The British Royal Air force took to the sky and scattered the German bombers. They shot down a number of German planes. It was clear from this battle that Britain was not defeated and that Germany was not being successful. Although Germany would continue bombing London and other targets in Great Britain for a long time, the raids began to slow as they realized they -
Stalingrad
Four million troops poured over the Russian border. Within one month, over two and half million Russians had been killed, wounded or captured. The Germans made tremendous advances into Russia – into portions of Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is United States' largest naval base. On December 7th, the Japanese bombed it. Many ships, and planes were destryoed. Over 2,400 lives were lost due to the b ombing, The next day after the bombing, the United States joined WWII on the allies side. -
Battle of Midway
Many consider this battle as the "Turning Point of the Pacific". The United States destroyed 4 of japan's largest carriers, and many of their fighter/bomber planes. The ships were not that important in fighting over seas anymore, the planes were. -
D-Day
On this day, Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy. It marked the start of the Allies' invasion of Western Europe and paved the way for an Alied victory. This was another key turning point, which resulted in the end of World War II in Europe. -
Germany surrenders to the Allies
On April 30th, Hitler committed suicide. He knew that Germany was going to lose the war and he didn't want to endure any of the punishments he would have faced. With Hitler gone, Germany was downfalling rapidly. Several days after Hitler's death, Germany surrended to the allies, ending WWII witht that country. -
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
With Germany gone, all that's left is japan. United States used it's "secret weapon" to suprise Japan. On this day, they dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Majority of the city was utterly destroyed, many civilians died or were severely injured. -
Japan Surrenders
On Sunday, September 2, more than 250 Allied warships lay at anchor in Tokyo Bay. The flags of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union, and China fluttered above the deck of the Missouri. Just after 9 a.m. Tokyo time, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed on behalf of the Japanese government. General Yoshijiro Umezu then signed for the Japanese armed forces, and his aides wept as he made his signature.
