World War 2 By lsoares Sep 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland, World War 2 begins. Period: Sep 1, 1939 to Sep 2, 1945 World War II Sep 3, 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany. Sep 8, 1939 The US remains neutral but president Roosevelt declares "limited national emergency".Sep 17 - Russia invades Poland May 10, 1940 Germany invades France, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg. Winston Churchill becomes Britain's prime minister. May 27, 1940 Evacuation of British and French forces to Britain at Dunkirk begins. Jun 4, 1940 The evacuation at Dunkirk ends. 338,000 troops were rescued. Churchill declares that Britain will never surrender. Jun 14, 1940 German troops march into Paris Jun 22, 1940 France surrenders Apr 6, 1941 Nazis invade Greece and Yugoslavia. Jun 22, 1941 Germany attacks Soviet Union as Operation Barbarossa begins. Dec 7, 1941 Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor Dec 8, 1941 United States and Britain declare war on Japan. Jan 1, 1942 Declaration of the United Nations signed by 26 Allied nations. Sep 13, 1942 Battle of Stalingrad begins. Nov 8, 1942 Operation Torch begins (U.S. invasion of North Africa). Feb 2, 1943 Germans surrender at Stalingrad in the first big defeat of Hitler's armies. Feb 8, 1943 Soviet troops take Kursk. May 13, 1943 German and Italian troops surrender in North Africa. Jun 5, 1944 Allies enter Rome. Jun 6, 1944 D-Day landings. Aug 25, 1944 Liberation of Paris Mar 7, 1945 Allies take Cologne and establish a bridge across the Rhine at Remagen. Apr 21, 1945 Soviets reach Berlin. Apr 28, 1945 Mussolini is captured and hanged by Italian partisans Apr 30, 1945 Adolf Hitler commits suicide. May 2, 1945 German troops in Italy surrender. Aug 6, 1945 First atomic bomb dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan. Aug 14, 1945 Japanese agree to unconditional surrender. Sep 2, 1945 V-J (Victory over Japan) Day.