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Hitler made chancellor of Germany
Hitler became popular through the German peoples frustration with the bad economy and harsh Treaty of Versailles from the ending of WWI. When Hitler became chancellor he united the nation and created the powerful Nazi Germany. -
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Japan invaded China in order to gain land and natural resources. The depression hit Japan hard and they had an over crowding problem which more land would solve. The League of Nations made Manchuria its own nation and Japan was forced to leave Manchuria. The caused Japan to leave the League of Nations and later join Germany and Italy. -
Munich Pact
Pact made by French and British prime ministers with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It was made to avoid war and gave Czechoslovak over to German conquest in order to do that. Just under a year later Britain had to declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland. -
Kristallnacht
On this night German Nazis burned Jewish synagogues, vandalized Jewish property and caused over 100 Jew's deaths. Around 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. After this, the condition of Jews in Germany became increasingly worse and the holocaust began. -
Invasion of Poland
This marked the start of WWII. Germany executed a massive invasion on Poland claiming it was a defensive move. This pushed Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Germany had also signed a pact with the Soviet Union promising to split Poland's land between the two countries. -
Dunkirk
Advancing German troops trapped French and Britich forces on the beaches of Dunkirk. 338,000 soldiers were ferried by small boats to large ships that took them to safety. The Germans failed to launch a full-scale attack on the beaches and the troops were able to escape. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
After Japan's invasion of China, the U.S. cut off shipments of raw materials to Japan and aided China. Japan responded by planning to invade the territories of Southeast Asia. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was supposed to eliminate the U.S. Pacific Fleet. However, the bombing just united the nation and made it committed to victory in WWII. -
Bataan Death March
The death march took place after the Battle of Bataan ended with Japonese victory against American and Filipino troops. The already weakened and starvng troops were captured and marched to a POW camp. 7,000 to 10,000 men died along the way to the camp with two-thirds more dying in the camp before the war was over. -
Battle of Midway
Battle fought over the mid-pacific U.S. base which the Japanese were trying to capture. The U.S. set a ambush that succeeded in stopping the Japanese's plan. Although the Japanese had naval superiority over the U.S., this battle made them equal with the heavy loses inflicted on the Japanese. The U.S. was the able to take offensive actions against the Japanese after this battle. -
D-Day
The largest amphibious attack in histor was the invasion of Normandy Beaches in France by Allied forces. This was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. France was taken back and the followoing spring Germany was defeated. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's last offensive attack. Germany planned to split the Allied armies, but only succeede in pushing back the Allied front. This made the front into the shape of a bulge from which the battle got its name. -
Yalta Conference
During the this meeting, between the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, they decided to demand Germany surrender unconditionally. The three leaders also made plans for the post-war time. The Soviet-American wartime coorporation made during the conference broke down and led to the cold war later. -
V E Day
VIctory in Europe Day was celebrated on the eigth in the U.S. and Britain and a day later in the Soviet Union. The eight was the day that Germany finally surrendered, however, the fighting in the Soviet Union lasted another day resulting in a later celebration. On this day 13,000 British POWs were released and returned to Great Britain. -
The bombing of Hiroshima
The first atomic bomb to be used during a war was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It killed 80,000 people in the civilian town and thousands died later from the radiation exposure. This led to Japan's unconditional surrender and the end of WWII. -
V J Day
Victory over Japan day was the day that Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. This brought the six years of WWII to a close a few months after Germany surrendered.
