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Germany Invades Poland
Germany's invasion of Poland started World War II. They attacked by land and air, demonstrating their "Blitzkreig", or "lightning war" strategy. Polish forces, though 1 million strong, were severely unequiped and ill-prepared to defend against the Nazis. The Nazis immediately began setting up "security" forces to fight against the minorities. -
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WWII
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Auschwitz Established
Auschwitz was the biggest of the many concentration camps. The Nazis created these concentration camps as a part of their "Final Solution", their plan to exterminate the Jews and other minorities. The Nazis treated their prisoners with extreme cruelty; they staved, gased, and murdered thousands of jews and members of other minorities. -
Battle of Britain Begins
The Battle of Britain was the Nazi attack on Britain, primarily using their skilled airforce, the Luftwaffe. They continuously bombed British cities, causing severe damage. -
Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was the incident that prompted US involvment in WWII. Japanese forces flew over the Hawiian Naval base and released countless bombs, damaging aircraft carriers and killing hundreds of Americans. The goal of the Japanese military was to critically damage American forces before declaring war on them. -
Executive order 9066
Executive Order 9066 forced thousands of Japanese Americans into internment camps.The government feared that many Japanese Americans would remain loyal to Japan and aid them in their attack against America. The internment camps were poorly built and surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. -
Battle of Stalingrad Begins
The Battle of Stalingrad is considered by many to be the turning point of WWII. The Russians refused to allow Stalingrad to be taken, as the namesake of their leader as well as a crucial center for communications and oil fields. The Germans were ill-prepared for the harsh Russian winter; the temperatures fell well below zero, and their food and ammunition supplies ran low. However, the Germans had strict orders to not retreat, and to fight to the death, but on February 2, 1943 they surrendered. -
Tehran Conference
At the Tehran Conference, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joeseph Stalin met in Iran to discuss strategy and possible peace agreements. -
D-Day
D-Day was the day that Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. By invading France, Germany was forced to fight the war on two fronts. D-Day began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference occured just three months before the end of the war. The "Big Three" discussed dividing up Germany into zones of occupation, trying war criminals, and the creation of the United Nations. -
US Bombs Hiroshima
The US used their powerful atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945. It immediately killed thousands of Japanese citizens and killed thousands more through radiation poisoning in later years. Three days later, the US drops a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, warranting Japanese surrender.
