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Nazis invade Poland
Germany invades Poland, provoking both Britain and France to declare war. The Soviet Union also invades Poland to the East. -
Period: to
World War II
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The Germans Invade Russia
The Axis armies managed to pull together 3,000,000 troops to invade Russia. Russia had only 2,000,000, and the Germans managed to gain lots of ground with force of sheer numbers. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
In an attempt to cripple the Navy's power in the Pacific, the Japanese launched a surprise aerial strike on U.S. ships anchored in Pearl Harbor. This would be one of the reasons the United States enters the war. -
The United States enter WWII
The day after Japan attacked Pearl harbor, Roosevelt declared war on the Axis armies and gave his famous "day that will live in infamy" speech. -
The Final Solution is decided
The German "final solution of the Jewish question", the Holocaust, began. The concentration camps were built only after the decision to eradicate all Jews was made. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
The battle between the Red Army and Germany over Stalingrad was one of the largest battles on the eastern front. The winter stopped the German army completely, and the Russians destroyed the German Sixth Army. -
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Jews in the Warsaw ghetto armed themselves and started an uprising, knowing that the Jews being taken to Aushwitz were being murdered. The uprising lasted into May before the Nazis were able to put down the poorly armed resistance. -
D-day Invasion
Operation Neptune, the assault phase of Operation Overlord, began on D-day. It consisted of a large group of plans to drop troops into Germany at night, while an enormous group of ships and boats landed on the beach. -
The Battle of the Bulge
A huge German attack that was supposed to cut the Allied army in half. Eventually airstrikes on German supply lines ended the battle. -
The first Atomic Bomb dropped on Japan
The new atomic bomb developed by America, named "Little Boy", is dropped on Hiroshima. Approximately 90,000 to 166,000 people died.