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German Anschluss with Austria
Germany annexed Austria, then Hitler demanded the liberation of German people in Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia -
Treaty of Munich
Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier, and Mussolini met in Munich and decided Hitler should have Sudetenland. The Czechs were not present and did not have a country to protect them -
Britain rearms and reassures Poland
Britain rearms in a highly secret radar early warning system, and reassures Poland after threats from Hitler -
Russia and Germany sign a pact
Hitler and Stalin sign a non-aggression pact which included secret plans for Poland -
Phoney War
Britain sought no military action during these months of the war -
Hitler invades Czechoslovakia
Despite Treaty of Munich, Hitler marched in and occupied the country -
Hitler invades Poland
Hitler invades and takes over Poland -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
Both Britain and France declare war on Germany. Chamberlain made it public -
Hiter invades Denmark and Norway
Hitler invaded these countries to safeguard supply routes and establish a Norwegian base -
Blitzkrieg
Hitler launched blitzkrieg against Holland and Belgium. Rotterdam was also bombed -
Chamberlain resigns
Chamberlain resigned to get a more active prosecution of the war. Winston Churchill became the new head -
Dunkirk
British troops were forced to retreat to the coast at Dunkirk. The troops waited to be taken off the beaches. More than 338,000 men were rescued -
Italy enters war on Axis Powers side
Italy enters the war on the Axis side, with hopes of the rich pickings from the spoils of the war -
France signs armistice with Germany
The French and the Germans signed an armistice with Germany, taking France, which had been devastated out of the war -
Battle of Britain
This consisted of many bombings, and attacks on the RAF. Hitler hoped to destroy the morale of the British people -
Battle of Stalingrad
First Russian victory against Germany -
Allies push into North Africa
British and Americans and took control of Morocco and Algeria -
Battle of El Alamein
German-Italian army attacked in North Africa. First bombarded, then chased 1500 miles across the desert -
Axis surrender in North Africa
The British and American forces defeated the Axis forces in North Africa -
Allies invade Sicily
British and American forces invaded Sicily -
Allies take Sicily
Allied troops won Sicily -
Italy surrenders
Mussolini was thrown out of office, and government of Italy surrendered to the Allied powers, and agreed to join them. Germans took control of Italian army, and used Mussolini as a puppet. No more Allied advancement was made throughout Italy -
Allies meet at Tehran
Allied leaders met to co-ordinate plans for a simultaneous squeeze on Germany, and discuss plans for post-war settlements -
Leningrad relieved
Siege of Leningrad was lifted by the Soviet Army -
Rome liberated
Allies were able to liberate Rome from the Germans -
German forces surrender
Germans surrender in Italy to the Allies -
German forces surrender
German forces in Northwest Europe surrendered to Montgomery on Luneburg Heath. Admiral Donitz wanted to keep fighting the Russians, but was turned down -
Donitz offers unconditional surrender
Donitz offered unconditional surrender to the Allies -
V.E. day
Victory in Europe was celebrated -
Churchill loses election
Churchill lost election to Clement Atlee's Labour Party. They won by a landslide. Citizens did not want to resume to conditions before the war -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Japanese refuse to surrender, Americans dropped atomic bomb on island of Hiroshima -
Russia declares war on Japan
Russia declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
Americans dropped atomic bomb on Nagasaki, for the Japanese did not surrender after Hiroshima -
Japanese surrender
The Japanese unconditionally surrender to the Allies -
MacArthur accepts Japan's surrender
MacArthur accepted Japan's surrender, formally ending WWII