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Hitler invades Poland
Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939, and as a result, France and Britain declared war on Germany. Once Germany conquered Poland, it then pursued France. -
Period: to
WWII
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France falls to Germany
The fall of France led to the Nazis invading most of North Africa and the rest of Europe. Britain, led by Winston Churchill, was the only country not taken over. -
Battle of Britain
Germany began a campaign against the United Kingdom to bring down its air force and cause negotiation. It was the first campaign to ever be fought entirely by air forces. It lasted from the summer to the autumn of 1940, and ended in Germany's first defeat and is considered one of the major turning points of the war. -
Pearl Harbor
Also known "The Day of Infamy". The base of Pearl Harbor ,on Hawaiian island of Oahu, detered Japanese aggression in the Pacific. Constructed over a year earlier by Japanese admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, “Operation Hawaii“ was carried out on Sunday to catch as many ships in port as possible. Luckily, when the 184 bombers struck, the aircraft carriers and a battle ship were missing. However, 2,403 innocent lives were still lost, and the U.S. now entered into World War II. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
A major naval battle in the Pacific between the Imperial Japanese Navy an Allied naval/air forces from the U.S. and Australia. It was the first time aircraft carriers engaged each other, and the first naval battle in history where neither side's ships sighted/fired directly at the other. -
Battle of Midway
Japanese armies crossed Southeast Asia, the East Indies and the Philippines. The turning point of this war of the pacific, fought on land, at sea, and in the air, was on June, 1942 at the Battle of Midway. This battle, which is highly considered as the most important battle fought in the Pacific campaign, lasted four days, and was fought between aircrafts based on giant aircraft carriers. The U.S. destroyed hundreds of Japanese planes, regaining much needed control over the Pacific. -
Stalingrad
Germany sent four million troops into Russia, especially Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad. Over two and half million Russians were killed, wounded or captured within one month. However, winter hit the Germans hard, giving Russia the help it needed. Stalin sent two million soldiers after the Germans. With the railroads stopped, and1,800 miles from home, the Germans had no food supply, and no help. They were almost completely destroyed. This was the turning point towards German decline. -
D-Day
U.S. and Allied troops are led by General Dwight Eisenhower in an invasion of Normandy, France. The soldiers charged into heavy gunfire, resulting in massive casualties, yet also success. They continued on through France and Belgium, continueing into Germany. With Russian troops fighting in from the east, the germans were surrounded. -
Hitler commits suicide
Most believe that Hitlor killed himself by gunshot in his bunker, and his wife Eva commited suicide with him by taking poison. As ordered by Hitler prior to his death, their bodies were taken out of the house and into the garden, burned, and stowed. They were later cremated. Some argue that both Hitler and his wife used poison due to lack of physical evidence from the fulfillment of these orders. -
Germany Surrenders
With Hitler dead, Germany and the nazi's have no choice but to surrender. -
Hiroshima
Even after the war with Germany ended, the Japanese continued to fight. In order to end the war quickly and to prevent more U.S. casualties, The Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima under Truman's orders. It killed about 78,000 people and injured 100,000 more.
