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Japan invades China, initiating
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Germany incorporates Austria in the Anschluss.
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Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including the key Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany
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France and Great Britain guarantee the integrity of the borders of the Polish state.
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Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
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Germany invaded Poland
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The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east.
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The Soviet Union forces Romania to cede the eastern province of Bessarabia and the northern half of Bukovina to the Soviet Ukraine.
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Pearl Harbor
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complete surprise by the Japanese Navy and the first wave begins their initial strike. This force is made up of 50 medium bombers, 43 A6M Zero fighters and 40 Kate torpedo bombers. Targets are the battleships hunkered down in the harbor and airfields used by the USAAF.
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The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina, and Singapore are under Japanese occupation.
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As expected, Germany and Italy side with Japan and officially declare war on the United States
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The Japanese 48th Division makes substantial progress against American forces, working their way towards the capital city of Manila.
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The first of thirty-one US fighter aircraft arrive at Henderson Field.
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The Germans launch a massive tank offensive near Kursk in the Soviet Union. The Soviets blunt the attack within a week and begin an offensive initiative of their own.
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US and British troops land on Sicily. By mid-August, the Allies control Sicily.
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This article is about the first day of the Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)
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Finland concludes an armistice with the Soviet Union, leaving the Axis partnership.
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US troops land in the Philippines.
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is a holiday to celebrate the end of World War II and the French people's freedom
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After finishing his introductory statement General MacArthur directed the representatives of Japan to sign the two Instruments of Surrender, one each for the Allied and Japanese governments.
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Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
