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Germany Attacks Poland
Hitler attacked Poland at dawn. German aircraft and artillery bombed Warsaw, Poland’s capital, while the German tanks and troops crossed the Polish border. Europe at War. (1939, September 2). The Leader Post, p. 1. -
France and Great Britain declare war on Germany.
Poland was defeated before France and Britain could send their troops to respond to Germany’s attack. Hitler took the western half of Poland in which there were a lot of Germans living. Adolf Hitler's Declaration of War Against Poland 1939 (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZnVtF22QhU -
French Surrender
The French leaders surrender to the Germans. Germany took control of Paris and the northern part of the country. The southern part of the country was left to a puppet government. Charles de Gaulle set up a government-in-exile in London, from where he called on the French to join him against the Germans, through a radio broadcast. “It is the bounden duty of all Frenchmen who still bear arms to continue the struggle.” -General Charles de Gaulle -
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Battle of Britain
Germans bombed London during the nights and Londoners would seek shelter in subways, that served as air-raid shelters, as well as in smaller air-raid shelters or basements they’d build at home. RAF Triumphs in Biggest Air Battles of War. (1940, January 1). Daily Herald, p. 1. -
The U.S. Decoding Japan's Messages
Americans had cracked one of the codes that the Japanese used in sending secret messages. They found out about Japan’s plans for Southeast Asia.
The United States sent aid to the Chinese, supporting resistance against the Japanese. -
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Tobruk, the British Force and the Afrika Korps
A German tank force, Afrika Korps, attacked the British forces and the British were retreated east to Tobruk, Libya. The British began driving Rommel, and the tank force he was commanding, back from Tobruk. -
Operation Barbarossa Begins
German tanks and aircraft began the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had the largest army in the world but its troops were not well equipped or well trained, they were not prepared. New York Times, May 7, 1941, p. 1; June 23, 1941, p. 1; July 3, 1941, p. 1;August 14, 1941, p. 1; October 4, 1941; October 10, 1941, p. 2. -
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Cutting Off Oil Shipments
Roosevelt cut off oil shipments to Japan because Japan overran Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. -
Germany and the Soviet Union
The Germans were around the outskirts of Moscow and the Soviets counterattacked. The Germans were not equipped for cold temperature, they were wearing the summer uniform and they had to retreat due to the cold weather (Napoleon - 130 years before).Hitler gave orders to his troops that they couldn’t retreat so the German troops went in 125 miles west of Moscow.
500,000 German lives were lost. -
Day of Infamy
More than 2,300 Americans were killed, over 1,100 were wounded, 19 ships were sunk or damaged by the Japanese when they attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. America declared war on Japan and its allies. Roosevelt, F. (1941, December 7). Pearl Harbor Speech. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/fdr-harbor/ -
Japanese Bombing
The Japanese launched bombing raids on British colonies in Hong Kong and American-controlled Guam and Wake Island. The Japanese invaded Thailand. -
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Final Solution
Hitler grew impatient waiting for Jews to die from starvation or disease so he turned to a new plan called the “Final Solution” in which they would commit genocide. Elie Wiesel, quotes in Night. -
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Americans Bomb Tokyo
16 B-25 bombed Tokyo and several other Japanese cities, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle. -
Battle of Midway
Commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester Nimitz, allowed the Japanese to begin their assault on Midway Island. American planes attacked the Japanese planes and 332 Japanese planes, all four aircraft carriers, and one support ship were all destroyed by American pilots. -
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Battle of Midway
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End of Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was over. -
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Battle of Guadalcanal
MacArthur wanted to “island-hop” past Japanese strongholds instead of storming each island. The Americans knew that the Japanese were building a huge air base on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. U.S. Marines and Australians landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.
Both sides fought on the island until, after six months, the Battle of Guadalcanal was over. The GI War by Ralph G. Martin -
Operation Overlord
The invasion of Normandy began, known as D-Day. British, American, French and Canadian troops fought the Germans in the beaches of Normandy. American Experience D-Day: Letters from the Front. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dday/sfeature/sf_letters.html -
The Battle of the Bulge
German tanks broke through the Americans’ defenses. The Allies pushed the Germans back and the Germans retreated. -
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Yalta Conference
At the Yalta Conference, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Stalin made important decisions about the progress of the war and what was to be done after the war. -
Okinawa
The American troops moved to Okinawa, where they fought the Japanese. -
Germany Surrenders
The war in Europe ended. Germany signed surrender in Berlin. V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) was celebrated by the Allies. -
Bombing Hiroshima
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Between 70,000 and 80,000 people died in the attack. RG 77, MED Records, Top Secret Documents, File no. 5b (copy from microfilm) -
Bombing Nagasaki
Americans dropped another bomb, this time in Nagasaki. More than 70,000 people were killed. -
Japan Surrenders
The Japanese surrender to General Douglas MacArthur in Missouri, the American battleship, in Tokyo Bay.
