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German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
The Germans and the Soviets agree to sign a pact stating that they will not attack one another. The pact also eliminated German influence in Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Bessarabia. Along with this, the pact enssured that the Soviets would get half of Poland. -
Invasion of Poland
On this day, Hitler launched his suprise invasion of Poland using the blitzkrieg strategy. Tha attack started when German airplanes bombed Poland, then tanks carried soldiers across the border. The capitol, Warsaw, crumbled under the asult. The invasion of Poland by Hitler and the Germans marked the official start of Worl War II. -
The Phony War
After the invasion of Poland, France and Britain declared war on Germany. They placed armies at the Maginto Line and waited for the Germans to attack, but nothing happened. They waited for seven months and still nothing happened. The Germans called it "sitzkrieg" or "sitting war." The war ended on April 9, 1940, when Hitler invaded Denmark and Norway. Two hours later Denmark fell and two months later, Norway surrendered. -
France Battles Back
By now, the Germans had trapped the Allied forces around the northern french city of Lille. When Belgium surrendered, the Allies escaped to Dunkirk. For the next month, British ships set across the English Channel to rescue the troops. They managed to save 338,000 soldiers home safely. -
Charles de Gaulle's Broadcast
Charles de Gaulle, a french general that left France after its fall and went to London to set up a government commited to reconquering France, delivered a broadcast from England. It called on the people of France to resist and organize a free french military. -
France Falls
A few weeks before, Mussolini joined forces with Hitler and had declared war on Britain and France. Italy attacked France from the south and by the 14th, Paris had fallen. On the 22nd, France surrendered. The Germans took the northern part of the country and left the south part to be led by a puppet government. -
Battle of Britain
Hitler wanted to invade Great Britain so he came up with Operation Sea Lion, which was to knock out the Royal Air Force then land soldiers on England's shores. Britain was outnumbered in planes, especialy after the Germans targeted airfields and aircraft factories. After this, they focused on the cities, mainly London. The british used radar and a stolen enigma to foresee german attacks. After a while, the Germans gave up daylight raids and started night bombings instead. At night, Londoners... -
Battle of Britain (continued)
...would go to the subway to wait out the attacks. This continued untill My 10, 1941, at which point Hitler, stunned at the british resistance, called off the attacks. -
Hitler Invades the Soviet Union
Hitler planned to invade the Soviet Union using the blitzkrieg invasion. The Soviet army was large but neither well equiped nor well trained. The germans pushed 500 miles into the Soviet Union, and as the russians retreated, they burned and destroyed everything. The Germans were able to surround Leningrad. When the winter came, the germans were forced to retreat after loosing 500,000 soldiers. -
Pearl Harbor
Early in the morning, the Japanese bombarded the American naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They dropped bombs from airplanes and sunk or severly damaged 18 ships. There were nearly 1,000 casualties along with the 2,400 deaths. Until this point, the U.S. had chosen to stay out of the war; but his attack instigated us to join on the side if the Allies. -
U.S. Joins the War
One day after the japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president of the United States, gave a speech stating that he had gotten permission from Congress to officialy join the war on the side of the Allies. -
Bataan Death March
The Battle of BAtaan ended on April 9 when the United States surrendered to the Japanese. At this point, 75,000 soldiers, both Filipino and American, became prisoners of war. The japanese made groups of 100 prisoners and began marching them towards Camp O'Donnell sixty five miles away. On the way, they killed between 7,000 and 10,000 soldiers. After Camp O'Donnell, the remaining prisoners were moved to Cabanatuan. Then they were stuffed into cargo ships as the americans attacked them. By the ... -
Bataan Death March (continued)
... time the Japanese surrendered, two thirds of the U.S. prisoners had died. -
The Battle of Midway
The Japanese wanted to draw the U.S. Pacific fleet into a battle where they could overwhelm and destroy it. To accomplish this they planned an invasion of Midway Island. Using decrypted Japanese radio intercepts, the Allies were able to counter attack. U.S. aircrafts were abe to attack four japanese carriers, forcing them to withdrawl. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler wanted to seize Stalingrad because it was a major industrial center. The Luftwaffe went on nightly bombing raids, but Stalin told the troops not to retreat. By November the germans controlled 90% of the ruined city. On the 19th the Soviet troops launched a counter attack and cut off the german's supplies, but Hitler refused to retreat. By Feb. 2, the german soldiers were so frostbitten and hungry that they were forced to surrender. The Battle of Stalingrad put Germany on the defensive. -
El Alamein
The Allies improved their army with new divisions and generals. They also improved their relations between the army and the Desert Air Force so that they could have more unified attacks. The Axis Powers tried to attack but the Allies held their ground, waiting for reinforcements. The Axis knew that a major attack was inevitable, and their chances didn't look too good with a lack of fuel and trasport. The Aliies attacked in two parts. After slowly moving forward, the Allies won on Nov. 4, 1942. -
D-Day Invasion
At 6:30 in the morning British, Canadian and American troops crossed the English Channel to arrive on the beaches of Normandy. They were divided into five groups. Between air, naval, and land battle, the Allies pushed German forces back. The D-Day Invasion gave the Allies the foothold they needed to beat the Axis. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler was facing war from two fronts, with the Allies from the west and the Soviets from the east. He decided to counter attack the Allies and cut off their food supply. The German tanks broke through the weak Americsn defenses in the Ardennes. The Allies were eventualy able to push the Germans back and Hitler surrendered with too many lost men. -
Yalta Conference
Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Josef Stalin, the most influential leaders of the Allied countries meet to discuss post war planning. The war had not officialy ended yet, but they could predict the outcome. They determined that they would only accept unconditional surrender, they would divide Germany into four zones, and the Soviets get eastern Poland. The goal of the conference was to shape post-war Europe. -
Iwo Jima
The island of Iwo Jima was imprtant because it contained two airfields under Japanese control. The battle was short but fierce becasue the Japanese knew that if they lost, it would be crucial. After the first day, the Americans had taken over half the island. Even though the Allies won, they were concerned about how hard the Japanese had fought, and they started to consider dropping the bomb. -
Okinawa
The Allies were moving in close to homeland JApan so the Japanese fought hard to defend Okinawa. The battle started on the northern part of the island and swept south. The Japanese started using kamikazes. They did not do much damage but they did frighten the Allies. When the Allies won the war, it brought us closer to homeland Japan. -
Roosevelt Dies
Franklin D. Roosevelt dies after leading America through the war. He died only weeks before Hitler kills himself and the Germans surrender. Harry Truman takes over for him and later has to make the decision to drop the atomic bomb. -
Hitler Kills Himself
When the Allies crossed the Rhine River into Germany and surrounded Berlin, Hitler hid in an underground headquarters with his wife, Eva Braun. He wrote his final adress to the German people, blamming the Jews for the war. After, he and his wife commit suicide. -
V-E Day
General Eisenhower accepts the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich from the German military. The surrender was officialy signed in Berlin. It is known as "V-E Day" or Victory in Europe Day. -
Postdam Declaration
The U.S., Britain, and China issued the Postdam Declaration which demanded Japan's uncontional surrender. Japan agreed to surrender if they could keep their emperor, but the Allies turned them down. Now the Allies had to think about how to proceed, with either land battle, or the atomic bomb. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Americans dropped the first atomic bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb had never been tested but did prove affective, wiping out the city. Three days later they droppedd "Fat Man" on Nagasaki. These two locations were chosen because they were previously unaffected by other bombings and the target committe wanted locations that would make the biggest effect. -
V-J Day
Shortly after the bombs were dropped the Japanese offered their unconditional surrender. They had suffered extreme casualties and they knew they weren't going to be able to make a come back. After years of fighting and death, the war was finaly over.
