WWII Timeline

Mussolini Takes Over Italy's Government

Oct 28, 1922

First Mussolini gets in good terms with the Roman Catholic Church because he wasn't very popular with the people. He gained some respect as Prime Minister in 1922. He passes the Acerbo Law to get a majority of Fascists in parliment. He also creates a diarchy which splits the power between him and King Victor Emmanuel. MORE INFO
References:
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 'Mussolini's Dictatorship'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.

Beer Hall Putsch

Nov 8, 1923

The Weimar Republic decides to admit to France that they had in a way started WWI. Nationalists of Germany did not like this decision so they began joining Hitler in the south. As the Nazi party grows, Hitler pushes to take over the Weimar Government that had been created after WWI. MORE INFO
References:
Ushmm.org,. 'Beer Hall Putsch (Munich Putsch)'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Beer Hall Putsch Of 1923'.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Aug 27, 1928

This pact was signed by 65 countries. These countries were agreeing to never use war as a resolution. This created a sense of false security meaning old enemies were now friends.
MORE INFO
References:
Inter-wars.weebly.com,. 'Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 - Inter-War Period: Causes Of WWII'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Long Term Causes Of World War Two'.

U.S. Stock Market Crash

Oct 29, 1929

The crash of the Stock Market in the U.S. didn't just affect them. It even affected Germany because their economy was based on U.S. loans. This ended up leading to the Great Deprssion. Also it created high rates of unemplyment and bankruptcy. MORE INFO
References:
Faggart, Evan. 'How Central Banks Could Cause A Bitcoin Bubble -Coin Brief'. Coin Brief. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Wall Street Crash Of 1929 And Its Aftermath'.

Japan Invades Manchuria

Sep 19, 1931

Japan had been having increasing population and Manchuria had lots of space and rich land. What really drove the Japan army to invade was the word-wide depression. The government claims it's army went rogue and would not listen to them, The League did nothing about the invasion even though China asked for help. MORE INFO
References:
Talkingproud.us,. 'Japanese Race Thru Asia'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Manchuria 1931'.

Nazi's reach a political majority in Germany

Jul 1, 1932

Hilter uses communist Marianus van der Lubbe's fire to get rid of the Socialist and Communist right to vote on the election. Hitler claimed that this was a start of a communist takeover. Otherwise he would not have become chancellor. MORE INFO
References:
Jewishvirtuallibrary.org,. 'Adolf Hitler | Jewish Virtual Library'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Nazi Germany - Dictatorship'.

Hitler becomes Germany's Chancellor

Jan 30, 1933

Hitler gets rid of the votes of the Socialist and Communist parties in the election. He does this because they are against the Nazi party and they take up 50% of the parliment. Hitler then passes the Enabling Acts which give him total power. MORE INFO
References:
HubPages,. 'Did Adolf Hitler Become Chancellor Of Germany In A Legal & Constitutional Way?'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations

Feb 24, 1933

Japan decides to withdraw from the League because a report by the League states that Japan give up Manchuria and that Manchuria not go back to China, but to become it's own country.Japan then inhabited a place near Manchuria called Jehol and they claim it was given to them.MORE INFO
References:
Japanfocus.org,. 'Japan's Pan-Asianism And The Legitimacy Of Imperial World Order, 1931-1945 | The Asia-Pacific Journal'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Manchuria 1931'.

First Anti-Semitic Law is passed in Germany

Apr 17, 1933

Hitler begins to blame the lose of WWI and all of Germany's faults on the Jews. This leads to the Star of David being put on Jewish stores. Also the SA police were outside to make sure no Germans would go inside. MORE INFO
References:
Ushmm.org,. 'Anti-Jewish Legislation In Prewar Germany'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Jews In Nazi Germany'.

The night of the long knives (Rohm Purge)

Jun 30, 1934

This night was very helpful to Hitler's worries. As well as the SA leaders being removed, Hitler's army gave an oath of allegiance. The SA still exsisted and was led by one of Hitler's followers, Ernst Rohm. Rohm was eventually removed from his position because Hitler saw him as a threat. MORE INFO
References:
Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Triumph Of Hitler: Night Of The Long Knives'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Night Of The Long Knives'.

Hitler openly annouces to his cabinet that he will defy the Treaty of Versailles

Mar 15, 1935

Hitler calls a meeting with his Cabinet. He tells them that instead of following the Treaty of Versailles, he will be re-arming. This lead to a creation of an army with 36 divisions. MORE INFO
References:
Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Triumph Of Hitler: Nazis March Into The Rhineland'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.

Creation of the Nuremberg Laws

Sep 13, 1935

The Nuremburg Laws took rights away from the Jews like no political rights, marriage restrictions, etc.This is what really started the violence against the Jews.After this the regulations on Jews started to grow. MORE INFO
References:
Jewishvirtuallibrary.org,. 'Background & Overview Of The Nuremberg Laws | Jewish Virtual Library'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Jews In Nazi Germany'.

Italy invades Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1935

Italy started to become frantic to get into Africa as Britain and France had.Mussolini wanted to gain African territory that was not already inhabited by other European countries.Ethiopia seemed like a good choice even though in the Battle of Adowa the Ethiopians defeated Mussolini. Somaliland, Eritrea, and Ethiopia(Abyssinia) were taken over eventually.MORE INFO
References:
Users.dickinson.edu,. 'Ethiopiaspeech'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Abyssinia 1935'.

Hitler Militarizes the Rhineland

Mar 7, 1936

Hitler defys the Treaty of Versailles again as the Rhineland was created as a buffer zone. Despite that, he still decides to push his army into it. He does tell his army that if the French's army start to formulate, retreat should be the answer. This did not happen and the League again does nothing. MORE INFO
References:
Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Triumph Of Hitler: Nazis March Into The Rhineland'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Rhineland 1936'.

Rape of Nanking

Dec 30, 1937

Nanking is the English version of the Chinese capital and the Rape of Nanking was the Japanese ransacking Nanking and killing tons and tons of Chinese. By the time 5 months went by, one million Chinese people were under Japanese control. The Chinese had to create a new capital. MORE INFO
References:
Genocide,. 'The Rape Of Nanking And Cambodia 1975'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 'The Japan-China War'. N.p., 2015. Print.

Germany Annexes Austria

Mar 12, 1938

Since Germany and Austria were so destructive in WWI, the Treaty of Versailles stated they cannot be allies again. Hitler basically decided that he had already gone against the Treaty of Versailles so he could just do it again. Of course the League did nothing again. MORE INFO
References:
Ushmm.org,. 'Austria'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Austria And 1938'.

Munich Conference

Sep 30, 1938

Germany, Italy, Britain and France were all represented there but the Czechs and the Russians were not. The four powers agreed that the Sudetenland should be given to Hitler. This angered the Czechs because this was their territory. Also after this, more Czech territory was taken over. MORE INFO
References:
Historytoday.com,. 'The Munich Conference | History Today'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Czech Crisis Of 1938'.

Hitler demands the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Sep 30, 1938

This was before the Munich Conference and this was the first time Hitler had the idea to invade Czech territory. Of course he didn't want to invade so he decided to demand the Sudetenland from the Czech's. They refused. MORE INFO
References:
Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Triumph Of Hitler: Nazis Take Czechoslovakia'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Czech Crisis Of 1938'.

Kristallnacht

Nov 9, 1938

Kristallnacht was the German reaction when a diplomat of the German Embassy was murdered. This was what they claim what attacking the Jews was for, but it was mostly an excuse. Many Jews had to pay fines and others were arrested and sent to concentration camps. MORE INFO
References:
Ushmm.org,. 'Online Exhibition — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Kristallnacht'.

Einstein’s letter to FDR, “The Manhattan Project”

Jul 16, 1939

Einstein had decided to write a letter to the U.S. President when he fled from Germany and came to the U.S. He and Fermi thought that the U.S. should know of the advances of the Axis Powers. Hearing of this, the U.S. decided to create "The Manhattan Project". This was the code name of the creatation an atomic bomb.MORE INFO
References:
Lettersofnote.com,. 'Letters Of Note: Einstein's One Great Mistake'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Ushistory.org,. 2015. 'The Manhattan Project [Ushistory.Org]'.

Nazi invasion of Poland

Aug 1, 1939

Germany had been rearming their forces and they finally have started to outnumber other countries power. Poland didn't have a huge military so it was all to easy for the Germans expansion. Hitler planned for a short, quick takeover and he got it even though the victory wasn't easily won. MORE INFO
References:
Ushmm.org,. 'Invasion Of Poland, Fall 1939'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Attack On Poland'.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Aug 23, 1939

There were two parts to this agreement. For the economic part, Germany would exchange manufactured goods for raw materials from the Soviets. The other pact was a nonaggression pact. This stated that for the next ten years, the two countries would not invade one another. MORE INFO
References:
Estonia.usembassy.gov,. 'Speeches And Articles | Embassy Of The United States Tallinn, Estonia'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Ushmm.org,. 2015. 'German-Soviet Pact'.

Evacuation of Dunkirk

May 27, 1940

The Evacuation of Dunkirk was a rescue mission. The British and the French armies were trapped by the Germans on beaches and were an easy target. Operation Dynamo was a plan to get the men off he beaches and make them less of an easy target. Small boats came, took the men to bigger boats, and took them to a port in Britain. MORE INFO
References:
Rania.co.uk,. 'Rania - A Dunkirk Little Ship'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Dunkirk'.

Battle of Britain

Jun 10, 1940

The first attack was the Luftwaffe trying to take over the Straight of Dover to take over Britain. This didn't end up working well because Britain had radar which showed the planes coming. Britain's Royal Air Force takes down the Germans because of greater numbers and easier supply access. MORE INFO
References:
Bbc.co.uk,. 'BBC - History - The Battle Of Britain (Pictures, Video, Facts & News)'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 'Battle Of Britain'. N.p., 2015. Print.

France Surrenders

Jun 17, 1940

The French government surrendered to Hitler. The people of France, did not agree to this decision. They did not agree with the new government that Hitler set up for them as well. Many pushed for a resistance to form and eventually it did. It took awhile, but it finally become organized and ready to resist the Germans. MORE INFO
References:
Stevenlehrer.com,. 'Paris'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The French Resistance'.

The Tripartite Pact

Sep 27, 1940

Hitler decides to create a pact with Japan and Italy. The pact became known as the Anti-Comintern Pact but eventually this was renamed the Tripartite Pact. This pact stated that these contries were to assist each other in any way that they could including: economically, militarly, etc. MORE INFO
References:
Pacificwar.org.au,. 'Increasing Tensions Between The United States And Japan'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Encyclopedia Britannica,. 'Anti-Comintern Pact'. N.p., 2013. Print.

Lend Lease Act

Mar 11, 1941

This act stated that the US could aid other countries. This was basically a way of helping the Allies but not being caught up in war. The US was giving supplies to the Soviet Union, China, and Britain. MORE INFO
References:
Archives.gov,. 'Documents Related To FDR And Churchill'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
HISTORY.com,. 'Lend-Lease Act - World War II - HISTORY.Com'. N.p., 2015. Print.

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

This is considered the turning point in the war. HItler decides to defy the Non-aggression pact he had signed with the Soviet Union and attacks.Them invading the Soviet Union creates the Battle of Stalingrad eventually. This was just the beginning. MORE INFO
References:
Encyclopedia Britannica,. 'Operation Barbarossa | European History'. N.p., 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 'Operation Barbarossa'. N.p., 2015. Print.

Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

This is the event that brings the US into the war. Japan decides to bomb Pearl Harbor for two hours. Some planes of the Japanese were taken down by the US's defenses but damage was still inflicted. Most of the US ships in Pearl Harbor had high damage but some even sunk. MORE INFO
References:
Encyclopedia Britannica,. 'Pearl Harbor Attack | Japanese-United States History'. N.p., 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 'Pearl Harbor 1941'. N.p., 2015. Print.

Creation of the United Nations

Jan 1, 1942

The United Nations started out as a secret meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill. In that first meeting, they decided their basic points were that all countries would be democratic, engage in trade freely with each other,share in world prosperitym, and reduce weaponry. MORE INFO
References:
Burns, David. 'Eleanor Roosevelt'. Fasttrackteaching.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 'The United Nations'. N.p., 2015. Print.

The Wannsee Conference and the “Final Solution”

Jan 20, 1942

The Wannsee Conference was held to decide what to do with the Jews and this became considered the "Final Solution." Reinhard Heydrich was the chairman of the meeting. The decisions made by Nazi's and non-Nazi's here led to the Holocaust. MORE INFO References:
Ushmm.org,. 'Wannsee Conference And The "Final Solution"'. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Wannsee Conference'.

Bataan Death March

Apr 9, 1942

After the US surrendered the Bataan Peninsula,the Americans and the Filipino's were made to walk 65 miles to prison camps. The March took about 5 days to complete for each group of 100 men. On top of that, the Japanese were cruel and harsh. MORE INFO
References:
NY Daily News,. 2015. 'Oldest Survivor Of Bataan Death March Dies At 105'.
HISTORY.com,. 2015. 'Bataan Death March - World War II - HISTORY.Com'.

Doolittle Raid

Apr 18, 1942

Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle led 16 planes to bomb Tokyo and other cities in Japan. This was payback from the U.S. for Pearl Harbor. The attack did little damage on Japan but the Japanese thought to attack Midway next as that was where they thought the planes had come from. MORE INFO
References:
Nationalmuseum.af.mil,. 2015. 'Factsheets : Doolittle Raid'.
Tokyo, Doolittle. 2015. 'Doolittle Leads Air Raid On Tokyo - Apr 18, 1942 - HISTORY.Com'. HISTORY.Com.

Battle of Midway

Jun 1, 1942

This was the last time the U.S. was on the defensive. The Battle of Midway was very successful for them as they sunk 4 of Japan's aircraft carriers. Chester Nimitz led this naval battle and pulled out a victory. Japan's navy never recovered after this battle. MORE INFO
References:
Encyclopedia Britannica,. 2014. 'Battle Of Midway | World War II'.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Battle Of Midway'.

Battle of Stalingrad

Jul 17, 1942

This battle has been considered the turning point in the war. Hitler had conquered almost all of Europe, the next step was the Soviet Union. During the battle, the Russians were surronded and fighting for their lives. The Nazi's didn't even get to Moscow before they were stopped and drove out of the Soviet Union. MORE INFO
References:
Encyclopedia Britannica,. 2014. 'Battle Of Stalingrad | World War II'.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Battle Of Stalingrad'.

Operation Torch

Nov 1, 1942

This was Patton's idea to take over Morocco and Algeria from the "underbelly" of Italy. This was the first time the British and the Americans worked together. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the Germans were vulnerable. MORE INFO
References:
Kids.britannica.com,. 2015. 'Torch, Operation: American Troops Land Near Algiers --�Kids Encyclopedia | Children's Homework Help | Kids Online Dictionary | Britannica'.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Operation Torch'.

Island Hopping (date for Buna-Gona Campaign)

Nov 16, 1942

General Macarthur came up with the idea to take one island at a time or "island-hopping." Guadalcanal was the first island that Macarthur and Nimitz conquered. This led to the surrender of the Japanese as islands were taken back. MORE INFO
References:
U-s-history.com,. 2015. 'Island Hopping'.

Operation Overlord and D-Day

Jun 6, 1944

Operation Overlord was the Allies plan to take over Europe. This was the first time anyone had jumped out of a plane behind enemy lines. This was led by General Dwight Eisenhower. The attack began on D-day at the Normandy Landing which was where they landed on the beaches. MORE INFO
References:
Imperial War Museums,. 2015. 'The 10 Things You Need To Know About D-Day'.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Operation Overlord'.

Operation Valkyrie

Jul 20, 1944

Operation Valkyrie started out as Hitler's plan but then Stauffenberg tricks Hitler. Stauffenberg is working with Hitler, but he is actually against him and wants to take over Germany. During a meeting, he brings a bomb in a breifcase and tries to assasinate Hitler. The assasination attempt failed. MORE INFO
References:
Visser, Yuri. 2013. 'De 43 Hondenlevens Van Adolf Hitler'. Historiek.Net | Geschiedenis.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Operation Valkyrie'.

Discovery of Majdanek

Jul 23, 1944

Majdanek was a death camp outside of Lublin, Poland. The camp was completely out in the open and wasn't hidden in any way like the others were. The camp held war prisoners and Polish men who were arrested. As apart of the "Final Solution", the Jews were sent there as well. This was one of the first camps the Russians liberated. MORE INFO
References:
Ww2today.com,. 2015. '11 August 1944: Report On The Majdanek Death Camp Is “Unbelievable”'.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'Majdanek'.

Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

This was the last offensive attack on the Allies by the Nazi's. Hitler was attempting to drive the Allies into two and cut off their supplies. Hitler believed the Alliance could be broken by a Nazi victory. The Germans had run out of supplies because of D-day, so the Germans quickly had to abandon their vehicles and the Allies won. MORE INFO
References:
Militaryeducation.org,. 2015. '10 Bloodiest Battles Of World War II'.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Battle Of The Bulge'.

Hitler’s Suicide

Apr 30, 1945

As Hitler sat in his bunker under the Reich Chancellery building, he finds out that Himmler, head of the SS, had been talking about a surrender with the Allies. Then the pressures of the war pushed him and Eva,his newly wed-wife, to kill themselves. MORE INFO
References:
Barclay, Shelly, and Shelly Barclay. 2010. 'Operation Myth: The Soviet Union's Investigation Of Adolf Hilter's Death - Historic Mysteries'. Historic Mysteries.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 2015. 'The Death Of Adolf Hitler'.

V-E Day

May 8, 1945

V-E Day, also known as victory in Europe Day, was the day that the Allies took full control. This was the official end of WWII. This was the day that the Allies decided would be the celebration of the people and the people celebrated. MORE INFO
References:
Nationalww2museum.org,. 2015. 'The National WWII Museum | New Orleans: Learn: For Students: WWII At A Glance: Remembering V-E Day'.
HISTORY.com,. 2015. 'V-J Day - World War II - HISTORY.Com'.

Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Aug 6, 1945

The U.S. attacks the city of Hiroshima in Japan with an atomic bomb. Three days later another atomic bomb was fired on Nagasaki. These were the first atomic bombs deplyed and they did lots of damage. This is when the Emperor of Japan, Hirohito, surrendered out of WWII. MORE INFO
References:
Teachinghistory.org,. 2015. 'The Atomic Bomb: Hiroshima And Nagasaki | Teachinghistory.Org'.
HISTORY.com,. 2015. 'Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki - World War II - HISTORY.Com'.

The Nuremberg Trials

Aug 8, 1945

The 13 trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany to decide punishment to Nazi officials and high-ranking military officers. They were being charged with crime against peace and crime against humanity. Hitler was not held accountable at these trials because he commited suicide before they were carried out. MORE INFO
References:
Nuremberg.law.harvard.edu,. 2015. 'Nuremberg Trials Project -- Introduction'.
HISTORY.com,. 2015. 'Nuremberg Trials - World War II - HISTORY.Com'.

V-J Day

Sep 2, 1945

V-J Day stands for "Victoryover Japan day". August 14 was when Japan unconditionally annouced their surrender to the Allies. On September 2, however, they officailly surrender. MORE INFO
References:
Mnhs.org,. 2015. 'VJ Day : VJ Day | Minnesota's Greatest Generation'.
HISTORY.com,. 2015. 'V-J Day - World War II - HISTORY.Com'.

The Japanese War Crime Trials

May 3, 1946

28 Japanese military and government officials were taken to trial for commiting war crimes/crimes against humanity.3 of these men were ruled not guilty and the other 25 were sentanced to death or life in prison. MORE INFO
References:
My.vanderbilt.edu,. 2015. 'Chapter 11: Justice For The Unspeakable? The Enduring Legacy Of The War Crimes Trials At Nuremberg And Tokyo | Michael Bess | Vanderbilt University'.
begins, Japanese. 2015. 'Japanese War Crimes Trial Begins - May 03, 1946 - HISTORY.Com

The beginning of the Cold War

Feb 4, 1947

The beginning of the Cold War began because of the tension between the Soviet Union and the U.S. from WWII. The U.S. didn't like the communism or Stalin's ruling. The Soviet Union resented the U.S. because they refused to help the USSR. MORE INFO
References:
Dvorkin, Alex. 2015. 'Is This The Beginning Of A New Cold War?'. Marketintelligencecenter.Com.
begins, Japanese. 2015. 'Japanese War Crimes Trial Begins - May 03, 1946 - HISTORY.Com'. HISTORY.Com.