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Nazi Invasion of Poland
Nazis invade Poland.The invasion of Poland marked the start of World War II in Europe as Poland's western allies, the United Kingdom and France, on September 3 declared war on Germany.Following the German-staged attack on 1 September 1939, German forces invaded Poland's western, southern and northern borders. Defending the long borders, the Polish armies were soon forced to withdraw east. -
Troops
The West Prussian SS commander reports the successful ‘elimination’ of 4000 incurable mental patients in Poland.Japanese troops launch an attack against the eastern side of the Santa Rosa-Natib defence line on Bataan, making some gains, although US-Filipino counter-attacks forces them back to their start-line. -
Troops
German troops enter Romania.As early as 1937, Romania had come under the control of a fascist government that bore great resemblance to that of Germany's, including similar anti-Jewish laws. Romania's king, Carol II, dissolved the government a year later because of a failing economy and installed Romania's Orthodox Patriarch as prime minister. -
Nazi
Greece surrenders to the Nazis.The last thing that Hitler wants is to be bogged down in Greece when he is trying to build up his forces to invade Russia. But he cannot leave his southern flank exposed, nor can he allow his partner to suffer such a humiliation. Metaxas knows the Greek army is no match for the German war machine and tries desperately to avert an invasion, hoping instead that Hitler will negotiate a truce on the Albanian front between Greece and Italy. -
Japanese invade Burma
It began only a few days after the surprise bomb attack at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii devastated the US fleet and signaled the expansion of the conflict across the Pacific and through Southeast Asia.Depleted by the need to fight on fronts closer to home during World War II, few British and Indian army units had been left to defend the colony. They were, however, later joined by Chinese forces loyal to Chiang Kai-shek . -
British surrender at Singapore.
he Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in South East Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East". The fighting in Singapore lasted from 8 to 15 February 1942.It resulted in the fall of Singapore to the Japanese, and the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history -
Execution
Hitler orders the execution of all captured British commandos.The Commando Order was an order issued by Adolf Hitler on 18 October 1942 stating that all Allied commandos encountered by German forces in Europe and Africa should be killed immediately, even if in uniform or if they attempted to surrender.Any commando or small group of commandos or a similar unit, agents, and saboteurs not in uniform, who fell into the hands of the German military forces
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Allies bomb Rome.
The bombing of Rome in World War II took place on several occasions in 1943 and 1944, primarily by Allied and to a smaller degree by Axis aircraft, before the city was freed from Axis occupation by the Allies on June 4, 1944. Pope Pius XII was initially unsuccessful in attempting to have Rome declared an open city, through negotiations with President Roosevelt via Cardinal Francis Spellman,Rome was eventually declared an open city. -
Last use of gas chambers at Auschwitz.
- Last use of gas chambers at Auschwitz.The gas chamber was put into operation in autumn 1941. The last killings were carried out in December 1942 when the Sonderkommando, which had removed the corpses of the first mass graves in Birkenau, was gassed.
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The first bomb dropped on Japan
First atomic bomb dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan.With the advent of the nuclear age, new dilemmas in the art of warfare arose. The war in Europe had concluded in May. The Pacific war would receive full attention from the United States War Department. As late as May 1945, the U.S. was engaged in heavy fighting with the Japanese at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In these most bloody conflicts, the United States had sustained more than 75,000 casualties.
