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FDR Signs Neutrality Act
May 1st, 1937 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a neutrality act which stated America would be a neutral country. This forbid the sale of wepons from Americans to other countries engaged in war. Also it did not allow the trading of things between Ametricans and countries at war. -
Hitler Takes Sudetenland and Promises Peace
September 29th, 1938 - French and British leaders meet with Hitler to talk about Hitlers demands. Hitler wants Sudetenland and it is given with him so they can obtain "peace with honor". The Czech's weren't told of this and Hitler promised peace and not to mess with the rest of Czechoslovakia. -
Nonaggression Pact signed by Hitler and Stalin
August 23rd, 1939 - The Germans and Soviets came together and signed a nonaggression pact. This allowed the Soviets to strengthen their western front to where it needs to be and the Germans to attack Poland without anyone bothering them. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
September 3rd, 1939 - Britain and France declare war on Germany to honor their friendship to Poland. Charles de Gualle is current French leader and Chamberlain is British leader. The USA is still neutral but Roosevelt makes a note that he is'nt happy with the Germans and hints they may not be so neutral. -
The Soviets Invade Finland
November 30th 1939 - The Soviet Union invaded Finland from 3 fronts. The solidrs of Findland fought hard but were unable to hold off the overwhelming numbers of the Soviets. On March 12th there was a peace treaty that gave Soviets a ton of land. -
Chamberlain Resigns
May 13th 1940 - British Prime minister Neville Chamberlain resigns and leaves Winston Churchill to be the new head of the wartime coalition government. He was very disliked after appeasing the Germans. This is a major change to wartime Britain and could make major changes to what was going on during the war. -
Dunkirk
June 1st, 1940 - This battle was the evacuation of Allied soliders out of Dunkirk, France. French, British and Belgium soliders were cut off by the German army on the beach and were in need of a evacuation. The evacuation was launched on May 26th and luckily the Allied soliders were gone by June 3rd. -
Battle of Britain
January 1st 1945 - The Battle of Britain, code named Sealion, was Hitlers first attacks after defeating France. This was a major aerial battle and it was the largest aerial attack by the luftwaffe. The Allies took a defensive approach to pull out this victory and it was a major step leading to the defeat of Axis forces in Europe. -
Britain gets help from the USA
September 3rd, 1940 - President Roosevelt deals to give Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for land for naval bases in many places. These places include Newfoundland, Bermuda, throught the Caribbean and the South Atlantic. -
Germans Invade Yugoslavia and Greece
April 6th, 1941 - The Yugoslavians didn't want to join the Axis. But under diress they joined unwillingly. This led to the invasion where the Yugoslavians were destroied. Then the Greece people wanted to be neutral but the Germans did not like that so they used force to get the Greek to choose up their side, -
Germans invade Russia
July 22nd, 1941 - The German forces invaded Russia with bad intentions. Hitler directed his men to treat the Russian with absolute cruelty. This gave Stalin inspiration to put the Russian fomous scortched earth strategy to defend against the German soliders. -
Hitler's Great Mistake
July 29th, 1941 - Hitler got very eager to take over Ukraine. He stopped his advance to Moscow and made his two tank armies go to the North and the South. This potentially changed the outcome of this aspect of the war. Hitler's choice was very well disagree'd upon by his generals and it was though to be a terrible idea by most of his men. -
Pearl Harbor
December 7th, 1941 - The Japanese forces surprised the US by attacking the island naval base of Pearl Harbor. Over 350 aircrafts and other equipment were destroied and damaged mainly by Japanes kamikaze attacks. This happening turned the US to fight the in the second world war along side the Allied forces. On this same day congress declared war on Japan and just four days later of December 11th congress declared war on Germany. -
Battan Death March
May 1st, 1942 - The Battan Death March took place in the Philippines and was consider to be later known as a Japanese war crime. Around 75,000 prisoners of war were brutaly abused and even murdered. The men had to march 70 miles to San Fernando ptison camps. On the way they endured many issuse such as sleeping on burning pavement and drinking water with maggots. The Japoanese General was tried and convicted for hid brutal actions. -
Battle of Midway
June of 1942 - After the Japanese army attacked many other pacific islands they hit Midway, a critical U.S. pacific island. The battle lasted four days and the United States damaged and destroied a ton of ships and planes but the Japanese continued on fighting. This battle gave the U.S. control of the Pacific. -
El Alamein
July 1st 1942 - The Allies pushed the German and General Rommel in to tunisia. 300 American troops joined in to make a major push and hold off the Axis. On November 2nd Rommels note to Hitler was intercepted and him man caved in on the fourth of November. This Allied victory got French troops to cooperate with North American forces. -
Battle of Stalingrad
July 17th, 1942 - This battle is when German forced and their allies engaged in attack on the Soviet Union using blitzkreig. Hitler needed to take over Stalingrad because it was a major industrial city on a river. Also it would work as a great flank for the Germans to attack from. Soviet leader Stalin made sure any able man was fighting to defend the city. -
The Axis surrender in Tunisia
May 13th, 1943 - After 250,000 Axis troops of the Third Reich were taken prisonier the remaining troops were ordered to surrender. This was the ending of fighting in North Africa and a major Allied victory. This day the Allies also made a major push against tghe Japanese but were slowed by the weather and terrain but were outnumbering the Japanese by 4 to 1. -
Italy Surrenders
September 3rd, 1943 - Mussolini had been removed from office and a new government was in place. The Italians had surrendered to the US and British. The new Italians had joined the Allies but the German's free'd Mussolini from prison and set him up with a puppet government in Northern Italy. This blocked Allies from advancing through Italy. -
D-Day
June 6th, 1944 - The Allies were led into an invasion of Normandy, France by General Dwight Eisenhower, The armies fought straight through Belgium and France and then marched their way into Germany while the Soviets fought from the eastern front. The Germans finally surrendered on May 7th of 1945. -
Battle of the Bulge
December 16th, 1944 - The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive. It was Germany's last hope to turn the tables to delay their loss in the war. The plowed through the first Allied line of defense but were slowed down by the armies of Eisenhower and Patton and the Germans were defeated yet again. -
Yalta Conference
February 15th, 1945 - The Yalta conference was a meeting between Allied leaders, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. This meeting was to determine what to do with post WWII Germany. The men didn't want to be as strict as Versailles but still needed to take some action. -
Iwo Jima
February 19th 1945 - Iwo Jima was the longest aerial attacks. The Americans pounded the Japanese but the Japanesees undergrounds forts were lightly touched. The US sent around 110,00 marines and 880 ships to attack the Japanese. The ground troops rarely saw Japanese soliders because they attacked from underground. The americans best hope was grenades, napalm and liquid gas. -
V E-Day
May 8th, 1945 - This marks the date of the end of fighting in Europe. After millions of deaths finally Nazi Germany and the Third Reich were defeated. Hitler had commited suicide in his Berlin bunker. The Germans unconditionally surrendered on May 7th and fighting in Europe was done. -
Hiroshima
August 6th, 1945 - The Japanese army kept pushing the fight even a while after the war in Europe had ended. President Truman was faced with a major decision, he ended up having to use the new technology of an atomic bomb to end the quickly and reduce the death number of American soliders. So on August 6th, 1945 the Enola Gay droped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The Bomb killed around 78,000 and injured another 100,000. -
End of World War II
August 14th, 1945 - The Japanese were bombed twice and they were completly wiped out they had no other option but to unconditionally surrender to the Allies. This marked the end of the Second World War.
