-
Battle of Britain
This was a several month fight over Britain for air superiority for an invasion into the British Isles. In the end, the German loses were too great and air raids over the country were stopped. -
Start of Vichy France
After the military defeat of France, members of the government made an agreement with Hitler to keep part of France as an atonymous state controlled by the Axis. -
Japan joins the Axis
An Axis was formed in addition to the Rome-Berlin pact to form a three nation group. It joined Japan to the pact because they also had anti-communist leanings, and had control of much of the Pacific and would be a great asset to Hitler. -
German Invasion of U.S.S.R.
On June 22, Hitler initiated Operation Barbosa, the largest operation undertaken by the Germans during the entire war. They invaded a surprised Soviet Union who was still abiding by the Non-Agression Treaty. -
Shoot on Sight
In September of 1941, FDR announced shoot on site of German ships in response to the Greer incident, in which the USS Greer was attacked and damaged by a German U-Boat. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise attack in the early hours of December 7th, leading to a loss of life, as well as a few battleships, including the famed Arizona. It caused outrage thoughout the country, and led to the declaration of war on Japan. -
Germany and Italy declare war on the US
Following the US declaration of war on Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the US. -
Americans kicked out of Philippines
At dawn, 75,000 American and Filipino soldiers surrendered at Bataan against the orders of General MacArthur. -
Bataan Death March
Upon the surrender of Filipino and American troops, a march was imposed to move the 75,000 soldiers to camps 60 miles to the north. Along the way, thousands died from starvation, dehydration, injuries, infections, and torture. -
Battle of Coral Sea
The battle of the Coral Sea was the first Naval Battle in history in which none of the ships sighted or fired on each other. The allies repelled the attack, and weakened the airplane force that would contribute to a win at Midway. -
Battle of Midway
This is considered the turning point of the war, where the US started winning in the Pacific theatre. It consisted of a large fleet, the same one that attacked Pearl Harbor, attacking the small island of Midway in order to preserve a protective sphere around Japan. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
This was a major land offensive, in which they captured the island as well as the airfield, and held out against several assaults on the island by Japanese forces. It was part of the islandhopping campaign. -
Eisenhower lands in North Africa
Operation Torch began in early November, and was part of a plan to slowly push the Axis back behind their lines and into Germany, enclosing them from all sides. -
End of the Battle of Stalingrad
The battle ended with a two pronged move which encircled the German 6th army, which slowly died during the winter of 1942, and was forced to surrender. -
Capture of Rome
After the Allied invasion of Italy in late 1943, they managed to reach Rome and liberate it from German control. The capture came just 2 days before the Nomandy invasion. -
D-Day
D-Day, also known as Operation Overlord, consisted of a large force of joint American, British, and Canadian troops who landed on 5 beaches on the north coast of France at Normandy. It was the reintroduction of Allied Forces into the European theatre. -
MacArthur returns to the Philippines
After several years off the island, MacArthur led a raid on the Philippines and recaptured the southern islands. He then made a speech to the people about how he would not stop until all Japanese forces were expelled from the island. -
Battle of the Bulge
This was a German offensive against the Allied Invasion, in which the Allies line was pushed into a bulge in the Ardennes region of Belgium. The Allies evuntually flatened out the bulge, and went on to win the war, as this was the last attack move made by the Germans. -
US flag raised on Mt. Suribachi
During their island hopping strategy, the US made a landing on Iwo Jima. On the island was a dormant volcano, which the Marines climbed and raised a flag on. It is one of the most famous pictures from the war, and is the model for the Marine Corps memorial in Washington D.C.. -
Truman Takes Office
On April 12th, FDR died of cerebral hemoraging, leaving his new Vice-President, Harry Truman, as the President. -
Hitler commits suicide
On April 30th, with the Allies closing in from all sides, Hitler and his new wife, Eva Braun commited suicide, either through gunshot or poison. His remains were then burned in petrol. -
V-E day
Victory in Europe day is celebrated on May 8th, as the day that Allied forces captured Berlin and ended all war in Europe. -
Hiroshima
In early August, the worlds first Atomic Bomb was dropped on the industrial port of Hiroshima, killing over 80,000 people immediately, and between 90 and 140,000 people overall due to radiation. -
Nagasaki
Near the end of the war, President Truman ordered the dropping of a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki. It led to a Japanese surrender at the hands of such devastating weapons. -
V-J Day
Victory over Japan day is August 15, when Japanese forces informally surrendered to American Forces. -
Formal Surrender of Japan
Japan formally surendered to American Forces aboard the USS Missouri, ending the war in the Pacific except in farflung holdouts of the Pacific Islands. -
Japanese Ambassadors arrive in D.C. to discuss Pacific Island violations.
A conference was held in Washington D.C. so that violations in the Pacific could be dealt with. Japan was ordered to end any more war and the US was allowed to occupy the islands if they needed to. It was all part of a plan to ensure that no more conflicts would occur with Japan
