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Germany invades Poland
German troops invade Poland. England and France declare war on Germany. Soviets invade Poland from East. -
Destroyer for Bases deal
U.S. transfers 50 old destroyers to Britain in exchange for use of eight British Atlantic bases. -
US enacts draft bill
Registration of all men between 21 and 35. Limit of 900,000 men in time of peace. -
Atlantic Charter
Joint declaration released by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. -
Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. It completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. -
FDR signs Delaration of War on Japan
FDR signs Delaration of War on Japan entering the United States into World War 2. -
US At War
Germany and the Axis Powers declare war on the United States. -
First bombing in Germany
The first bombing in Germany happens bringing the war home for Germans. -
Guadalcanal
Americans take first island in start of island-hopping strategy. -
US Troops Land In Africa
Under the leadership of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. troops land in Africa. -
Chuchill and Roosevelt Plan
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt meet in Casablanca in North Africa to plan attacks on all fronts, to invade Sicily and Italy, to send forces to the Pacific, and to better aid the Soviet Union. -
Rome Falls
Rome falls to Allied forces. -
D-Day
The first of nearly 3 million Allied soldiers arrive in Normandy, on the northern shores of France. -
Germany surrenders to the western Allies
German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northwestern France. -
Franklin Roosevelt Died
President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia. -
Mussolini Dies
Italian insurgents capture Mussolini, murder him, and mutilate his body. -
Hitler commits suicide
Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. -
Hiroshima
180,000 killed, wounded, or missing after atomic bomb is dropped. Two days later Soviet Union enters war against Japan. -
Nagasaki
Second bomb is dropped after Japanese delay surrender. 80,000 killed or missing. -
V-J Day
Japan surrenders with one term: the emperor must retain his throne.
