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Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany
Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. This was the start of over a decade of terror for European Jews. Hitler had plans to secretly grow the German military, in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. He promises to get the country out of the Great Depression. Later, Hitler takes control over all of Germany. Hitler would soon be known as an instigator in the Second World War. -
Civil War Breaks Out in Spain
The facist side, led by Francisco Franco, were backed by wealthy landowners, the Roman Catholic church, and the Spanish military. The Loyalists were backed by the USA, Great Britian, France, and the Soviet Union. The two sides fought against each other. The fascists won. Facism was starting to trend throughout Europe. I think facism played a largerole in WWII. -
Hitler Invades Poland
Hitler invaded Poland. Great Britian and France were not happy about this. Two days later, on September 3, 1939, they declared war on Germany. They could not ignore Hitler any longer. Great Britian and France asked Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, to help them defeat Hilter. The Soviet Union and Germany had a pact to not invade each other. Eventually this pact was broken. -
Hitler Gains Control of Western Europe
Hitler eventually gained control of most of Western Europe. In 1940, he conquered Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In June of 1940, Hitler also gained control of France. These countries surrendered because their forces were not strong enough to fight against the Nazis. Hitler also tried to bomb and take control of Great Britian, but the British fought back. -
Germany Invades Soviet Union
Hitler's troops invade the Soviet Union and break their previous pact. Winter started, and the Nazis could not take the harsh Soviet winter. The Soviet Red Army combined with the cold weather forced Nazi troops to retreat for the first time in World War II. -
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
Japan attacked the US naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. Nearly 2,300 American soldiers were killed during this surprise attack. Although the US did not want to enter the war, the recent action had forced them to enter. The next day, the US declared war on Japan. Three days after this, Germany and Italy declare war on the US. The USA had officially entered WWII. -
The Holocaust
The Holocaust originally started on January 30, 1933, when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Around 1942, conditions went from bad to worse. Hitler wished to exterminate all Jews from Europe. He forced Jews to pour into mass graves. They had to complete manual labor. Many were killed using toxic gases. The Holocaust was a terrible event that will forever live in our history. I think that the people who survived the Holocaust were strong and perserveering people. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Axis forces tried to take the Soviet city of Stalingrad. The Soviets held out, and did not allow the Germans to take the city. This battle would last for six months, until the German forces finally gave up. -
Nazis Retreat from Stalingrad
During this battle, the Soviets were able to hold on to the city of Stalingrad. This battle lasted six months. The Germans did not respond well to this. The Battle of Stalingrad weakened the German forces in the east. Around this same time, the Allies were winning battles in other areas of the world. I think this discouraged the Nazi forces. -
Allies Take Sicily
Allied forces were able to take the island of Sicily from the Italians. The soldiers got to Sicily on July 9, 1943. They had complete control of the island after 39 days. In September of the same year, Benito Mussolini, leader of Italy, resigned. The new leader abolished facism in Italy. The United States and Italy had agreed to stop fighting. -
D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy
Allied forces reached Normandy, France in June of 1944. The Invasion of Normandy would later be known as D-Day. During this battle, the Allies had many more soldiers than the Nazis. The Allies won this battle and were soon near Paris. The Allied forces had regained the French territory. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Hitler commits suicide on April 30, 1945. The Allied forces were getting stronger, while the Nazi forces were getting weaker. One week after Hitler's suicide, Germany surrendered. -
VE Day
VE Day stands for Victory Earth Day. Although this was not the official end of the war, most of the fighting had stopped. The USA dropped bombs on Japan on a later day, but this day is still thought of as the victory day. Most of the Axis forces had died down. -
Atomic Bombs Dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, the first ever nuclear warfare was used. The USA dropped an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The United States was sure that after the nuclear attack, Japan would surrender. Surprisingly, they did not. In spite of this, the United States dropped a smaller, less powerful bomb over Nagasaki. After six days, Japan surrendered. Had Japan not surrendered, I think the USA would have kept dropping bombs on them.
