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Gemany invades Poland, inciting Polands allies Britain and France to declare War on Germany.
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Working in concert with Hitler, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin orders the invasion of Poland, securing a share of Polish territory.
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Warsaw surrenders to German troops. Poland holds out for another 9 days before capitulating.
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British cruisers defeat a German pocket battleship at the battle of the River Plate, the first major naval engagement of WWII.
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Germany invades Norway, ending a 6 month period limited land operations called the Phony War.
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Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister. The same day, Germany invades Belgium.
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The battle of Britain pits German bombers against British fighters in a thwarted German prelude to invasion
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Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, starting war with the US sensning weakness, Hitler declares war on America 4 days later.
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Following Germany's Operation Barbarossa, an invasion of the Soviet Union, the Axis launches a campaign to capture the capital city of Moscow before winter sets in. In preparation, the Soviets fortify the city and bring in reinforcements. After a series of gains and losses on both sides during harsh weather, the Germans are eventually beaten back and forced to retreat.
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German and Finnish soldiers begin a nearly 900-day siege and blockade of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), the second-biggest Soviet city and a major center of industry. With supplies, water, electricity and transportation cut off, 1.3 million people are evacuated. As the Red Army finally begins to break through the blockade, the siege ends and the city is freed, but approximately 800,000 civilians die, most from hunger.