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Italy Joins The Axis
The Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan became known as the Axis. Italy joins this alliance in 1939. -
Germany Invades Poland
The Invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany begins at 4:45 a.m. with the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) attacking several targets in Poland. The Luftwaffe launches air attacks against Kraków, Łódź, and Warsaw. By 8:00 a.m., troops of the German Army launched an attack near the Polish town of Mokra. -
Britain Declares Mobilization of the British Armed Forces
The British government declares general mobilization of the British Armed Forces and begins evacuation plans in preparation of German air attacks. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
At 11:15 a.m., British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announces on BBC Radio that the deadline of the final British ultimatum for the withdrawal of German troops from Poland expired at 11:00am and that "consequently this nation is at war with Germany" and at 12:30pm the French Government delivers a similar final ultimatum; which expires at 3:00pm. -
The Battle of the Atlantic Begins
Within hours of the British declaration of War, SS Athenia, a British cruise ship is torpedoed by the German submarine U-30. 112 passengers and crew members are killed. -
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Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Germany in 1945. It was about the struggle during WWII between the Allies and Axis powers to control the supply route for the Allies across the Atlantic Ocean. -
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The Phoney War
The Phoney War was a phase early in World War II that was marked by a lack of major military operations by the Western Allies against the German Reich. The phase was in the months following Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany. -
Canada Declares War On Germany
To assert Canada's independence from the U.K., Canada's political leaders decided to seek the approval of the Canadian Parliament to declare war. -
Canadians Arrive In Europe
The first Canadian troops arrive in Europe. -
Japan Joins The Axis
The alliance of Germany, Italy, Japan during World War II was called the Axis. Japan joins this alliance in 1940. -
Hitler and Mussolini Meet On The Austrian Border
Hitler and Mussolini meet at the Brenner pass on the Austrian border. Mussolini agrees with Hitler that Italy will enter the war "at an opportune moment". -
Germany Invades Denmark and Norway
Germans land in several Norwegian ports and take Oslo and Denmark surrenders. -
The Invasion of Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France Begins
Germany invades Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. -
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Evacuation at Dunkirk
The War Office made the decision to evacuate British forces on 25 May. In the nine days from 27 May-4 June, 338,226 men escaped, including 139,997 French, Polish and Belgian troops, together with a small number of Dutch soldiers, aboard 861 vessels (of which 243 were sunk during the operation). British Fighter Command lost 106 aircraft dogfighting over Dunkirk, and the Luftwaffe lost about 135. Between 30,000 and 40,000 French soldiers were left behind and forced to surrender to the Germans. -
Italy Declares War
Italy declares war on France and the United Kingdom. -
France Surrenders To Hitler
The Franco-German armistice is signed. -
Germany Bombs British Channel Islands
The Luftwaffe bombs the demilitarised British Channel Islands. In Guernsey, 33 are killed and 67 injured, in Jersey, 9 are killed and many are injured. -
The British Attack the French Navy
The British attack and destroy the French navy, fearing that it would fall into German hands. -
The Battle of Britain Begins
The Battle of Britain begins with Luftwaffe raids on channel shipping. -
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Battle of Britain
The German Luftwaffe started a massive bombing campaign, aimed at destroying harbours and shipping facilities in southern England. -
Germany Invades USSR
Germany invades the Soviet Union with Operation Barbarossa, a three-pronged operation aimed at Leningrad, Moscow, and the southern oil fields of the Caucasus. -
Japan Bombs Pearl Harbour
Japanese planes bombed the US naval base in Pearl Harbour, on the island of Hawaii, destroying half the fleet. Canada declares war on Japan. -
United States Declares War On Japan
The United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and New Zealand declare war on Japan. -
Canadian Soldiers Defeated In Japan's Invasion of Hong Kong
Hong Kong surrenders to Japan and Canadian soldiers are defeated by the Japanese. All 1975 Canadians were either killed or taken prisoner by the Japanese. Of the 555 who perished, nearly half died as prisoners during the three and a half years they were imprisoned. -
American Troops Arrive In Europe
The first American forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland. -
The Dieppe Raid
5,000 Canadian, 1,000 British and 50 Americans participate in raid on Dieppe, France. Canadians took 3,367 casualties including 907 killed -
Battle of the Barents Sea
In the Battle of the Barents Sea, the British win a strategic victory, leading Hitler to largely abandon the use of surface raiders in favor of U boats. -
Italy Surrenders
The Italian government surrendered on September 3 1943 but the Germans immediately seized control. -
D-Day
Canadian troops join British and Americans in Allied invasion of Normandy in northern France. They quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history. -
Germany Surrenders
While the Allies invaded Germany from the west, the Soviet Union attacked from the east, facing certain defeat, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies at the Western Allied Headquarters in Rheims, France at 2:41 a.m -
United States Drops Atomic Bomb On Hiroshima
The United States dropped an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The destruction unleashed by the bomb had never been experienced before. Some 70 000 residents of Hiroshima were killed. Another 130 000 were wounded, many of them severely burned by radiation or injured by collapsing buildings. -
United States Drops Atomic Bomb On Nagasaki
A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki by the United States, killing 40 000 people. -
Japan Surrenders
Emperor Hirohito of Japan, realizing the impact of the bombs the USA dropped in their country, issues a radio broadcast announcing Japan's surrender in the war.
