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The Surrender of Germany
Location – Reims, France.
Theatre of War – Europe.
Involved Parties – Germany, Soviet Union, France, Britain, America, other Allies and the countries effected by Nazi rule.
Description – After the suicide of Hitler, Germany was left caught between a rock and a hard place, with the Western Allied forces (such as the Americans, British, French, ANZACS, Canadians) to the West and the Soviets to the East. -
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German Invasion of Poland
Location - East Germany, Poland.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Germany, Soviet Union, Poland, Slovak Republic.
Description - After many desperate attempts at avoiding another war by France and Britain, appeasement was deemed to be a failure after Nazi Germany invades Poland. With the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, Germany was able to conquer Poland in a matter of weeks.
Outcome - German/Soviet Victory, Poland is now under their control, the start of WW2. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
Location - N/A.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Britain, France, Germany, Poland.
Description - Following the German Invasion of Poland, Britain and France both declare war of Germany on the same day.
Outcome - WW2 begins formally. -
Winston Churchill Becomes the Prime Minister of Britain
Location - Britain.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Britain.
Description - Following the resignation of former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, unprepared for the prospect of having to fight a war against the might of Nazi Germany, a more renowned and capable leader in the face of war was appointed in his place; Sir Winston Churchill.
Outcome - Britain has a new leader -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk / Operation Dynamo
Location - Dunkirk, Northern Coast of France.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - UK, Germany, Belgium, France, Poland.
Description - On the 10th of May, Germany launched its attacks on the western countries of Europe. Heavily using blitzkrieg tactics, and with a vastly superior force, Germany overtook Europe with lightning speed. -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk / Operation Dynamo (Continued 1)
They would soon invade France as well, penetrating their borders and outmanoeuvring them, resulting in the northern and southern forces being cut off from each other. The Allied armies would then be trapped near the town of Dunkirk, surrounded on all sides, yet reluctant to abandon their battle just yet. Fortunately for the Allies, Hitler was persuaded by the commander of the Luftwaffe to simply let the air force pick them off instead of invading. -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk / Operation Dynamo (Continued 2)
Knowing that holding off the Germans would be impossible, the British launched Operation Dynamo, that called upon hundreds of civilian vessels of all shapes and sizes to brave the hostile seas and evacuate the troops. Over 338,000 soldiers were rescued from the beach.
Outcome - Thousands of French troops were abandoned, massive supplies of vehicles, weapons and ammunition were also abandoned, France would fall 10 days later. -
Italy Joins the Axis Powers in the War
Location - Italy.
Theatre of War - Europe
Involved Parties - Italy, UK, France, Germany.
Description - Mussolini joined the war on this day, declaring war on Britain and France, although at this point France had pretty much already fell to the Nazi's. In spite of the Allies attempts to persuade him into neutrality, he would succumb to his ego. This move would, however, serve only to heighten the unspoken discord between Hitler and Mussolini.
Outcome - Another player in the war (Axis) -
France Signs an Armistice with Germany
Location - France.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Paris, Germany.
Description - After Germany's successful invasion of France, France was forced to propose an armistice with the Germans. As Hitler arrived to sign the paper, it was evident to the French that Hitlers intentions were to humiliate the French in revenge of their lose during the First World War. Yet in spite of this they still declared the opposite on the armistice. -
France signs the Armistice with Germany (Continued)
France was then divided into two zones, one for German occupation and another for the remaining French. Following this, Germany gains an even greater dominance over Europe, hence France is ousted from fighting the war leaving Britain left as the only one standing against the Nazi's.
Outcome - German victory, French defeat -
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The Battle of Britain
Location - Britain and surrounding territories.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Britain, Germany, Italy.
Description - After the fall of France and the growing ego and strength of Hitler and the German forces, it was obvious to the UK that, in Churchill's words; "The Battle of Britain is about to begin". Outnumbered, the Royal Air Force still managed to hold the Luftwaffe off, due some tactical errors. -
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The Battle of Britain (Continued 1)
Such errors included over-confidence, changing operational objectives/priorities, and miscalculating their own losses, their ability to produce more aircraft and, indeed, the strength of the RAF. In fact, one of the top ten ace pilots of the Battle was an Australian by the name of Pat Hughes. Overall, suffering from 537 losses, the RAF still managed to hold off the Luftwaffe, a British Victory that brought the war to a stalemate. -
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The Battle of Britain (Continued 2)
Prime minister Churchill would address this victory in a speech made famous by one particular quote; "Never before in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few."
Outcome - British Victory -
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Operation Sea Lion
Location - Britain, France, Belgium.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Germany, Italy, Britain/Allies.
Description - Operation Sea Lion was the proposed invasion method for Britain. However, due to the Luftwaffe's failed attempts at gaining air superiority during the Battle of Britain, the Operation was cancelled, and the scheduled troops reassigned for Operation Barbarossa.
Outcome - No Action taken due to cancellation. -
The Signing of the Tripartite Pact
Location - Berlin, Germany.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Germany, Italy, Japan.
Description - The Axis Powers formally joined in alliance. Additionally the pact was made to indirectly deter America, currently neutral in the war, from joining the Allies. This pact recognised that Germany and Italy were to establish "a new order in Europe", whilst Japan was granted rule over "Greater East Asia". Furthermore, Hungary would later sign also.
Outcome - Reinforced the Axis Powers' Unity -
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The Siege of Tobruk
Location - Tobruk, Libya.
Theatre of War - North Africa.
Involved Parties - Germany, Italy, Britain, Australia, India.
Description - During 1941, Italian and German troops besieged Australian, British and some Indian defenders in the Egyptian town of Tobruk. Holding this particular town and its harbour was of pivotal tactical importance, as it forced the enemy through thousands of miles of desert to get to them. -
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The Siege of Tobruk (Continued)
Assisted by the "Tobruk Ferry" (Consisting of ships from the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy), the defenders, mostly Australians, earned themselves the title "The Rats of Tobruk" by Nazi propaganda, which they happily donned with ironic pride. After many months of stoic defence, the Axis forces eventually pulled out.
Outcome - Allied Victory -
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Operation Barbarossa (Continued 1)
If successful, this would mean assistance from Japan through Russia, huge amounts of resources, potential labourers, a huge amount of territory, and much more. On top of the invasion force for the Germans was gargantuan, with over 3 million soldiers, and at this point in time the German's military effectiveness was at its' peak, in training, dedication and overall combat prowess. -
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Operation Barbarossa (Continued 3)
The second being that the Hitler's intention was to conquer the Soviet Union, not to liberate it from the deeply feared Stalin Regime, which worked very much against the Germans. The third and final being that the Germans ended up fighting in the Russian winter, said to be unconquerable, and with such an army failing to conquer it, it very well may have been proven right. -
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Operation Barbarossa
Location - Eastern/Northern Europe.
Theatre of War - Europe.
Involved Parties - Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Finland, Slovak Republic.
Description - Known to be the turning point of World War II, Operation Barbarossa was launched as an all out invasion of the Soviet Union, in open defiance of the non-aggression pact between the two nations. Whilst an extraordinarily ambitious task, it wasn't unthought out for Hitler, it was more of a tactical risk. -
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Operation Barbarossa (Continued 2)
Which made for the assembled force to be the finest assembled in the 20th century, and perhaps one of the finest ever assembled. However three main reasons meant that German victory in this scenario was impossible. The first being that due to their power, they were cocky and hence rather severely underestimated their foe. -
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Operation Barbarossa (Continued 4)
In the end, Operation Barbarossa failed, and its ambitions crumbled with it. And with such a large portion of the German forces disabled, and the fact that Germany was now fighting the war on two fronts, the tide of war swung heavily in the Allies favour.
Outcome - Soviet victory, Soviet Union enters the war on the side of the Allies, Germany weakened, the Allies are starting to win the war. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbour
Location – Pearl Harbour Military Base, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
Theatre of War – Pacific Region.
Involved Parties – America, Japan.
Description – After disintegrating negotiations between Japan and the US, an imminent attack was suspected by US members of parliament as a possibility, however no advance in security measures or otherwise action was taken in prevention of it. On top of the fact that it was a Sunday morning, thus many of the soldiers were allowed to attend religious ceremonies. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbour (Continued 2)
However, America is not known for being the calmest on the trigger finger, and thus the following day the US would declare war with Japan with only a single member of parliament voting against it. America had now joined the war.
Outcome – Japanese victory, the US Pacific Fleet is devastated, USA has joined the war on the side of the Allies, Britain has gained a powerful ally -
The US and Britain Declare War on Japan
Location - Britain, America.
Theatre of War - N/A.
Involved Parties - Britain, Japan, America.
Description - Both America and the US declare war on Japan on this day for separate reasons. The US in response to the devastation Pearl Harbour bombings, and Britain in response to Japanese attacks on Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong. In the following days Italy and Germany would declare war on America in response.
Outcome - America enters the war. -
Japan takes Singapore
Location – Singapore.
Theatre of War – Asia/Pacific.
Involved Parties – Britain, Japan, Singapore.
Description – Singapore was a major British outpost in the Asia Pacific region and was the centre of their command of the area. Although it was directly in the path of the advancing Japanese army. The attacks started on the eve of the Pearl Harbour bombing, and lasted through until February. -
Japan takes Singapore (Continued)
The British may have stood a chance against this attack, were it not for the terrible tactics and miscalculations, including poor communication between various authorities, the loss of pivotal costal cannons, and much more, which inevitably brought their defeat. Their surrender was recorded by Japanese camera’s and 62,000 soldiers were taken prisoner.
Outcome – Japanese victory, Britain loses its foothold in the Asia-Pacific Region. -
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The Battle of Midway
Location – Midway Atoll, USA.
Theatre of War – Pacific.
Involved Parties – Japan, America.
Description – Widely known to be a hugely influential battle, the Battle of Midway was a naval engagement between the feared Japanese Naval Fleet and the surviving American aircraft carriers that evaded any damage during the attack on Pearl Harbour. -
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The Battle of Midway (Continued 1)
Japan saw the Americans to be a growing threat, and thus planned to destroy their fleet of aircraft carriers before their strength could rival their own, and thus they planned a surprise attack by luring the fleet out to the Island of Midway, northwest of Hawaii. However, what the Japanese didn’t know was that American intelligence had recently cracked the Japanese coding, and could intercept the orders that their troops were getting. -
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The Battle of Midway (Continued 2)
Hence, the American’s planned a counter-surprise attack and decimated the Japanese fleet. Only one Japanese ship out of the four survived, only to be hunted down later, and only small casualties inflicted on the Americans. The Battle was a great victory for the Americans, and marked the beginning of their counter-offence in response to Japanese Imperialism.
Outcome – American victory, massive blow dealt to Japanese forces. -
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The First Battle of El Alamein (Continued 2)
However, Rommel’s ranks were starting to fall victim to the hands of exhaustion, and with the British now reorganised and rearmed by American aid, the war in North Africa was bought to a standstill in Egypt.
Outcome – Stalemate. -
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The First Battle of El Alamein
Location – El Alamein, Egypt
Theatre of War – North Africa
Involved Parties – Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, India.
Description – A turning point for the war in North Africa, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, otherwise known as “the Desert Fox” led German forces against the British in a bid to seize control of Northern Africa. Initially, British had driven Rommel into a defensive position in Libya. -
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The First Battle of El Alamein (Continued 1)
However, after heavy use of artillery attacks, as well as air and tank assaults, Rommel forced a British retreat of such magnitude and swiftness that the British left a great deal of ordinance and vehicles behind, which Rommel managed to take full advantage of. Rommel managed to push the British back to Egypt, where they rendezvoused with the remains of the preceding Italian troops, saving them from complete annihilation at the hands of the British. -
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The Battle of Stalingrad (Continued 4)
Outcome – Soviet Victory, the Soviet Union begins to be re-taken. -
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The Battle of Stalingrad
Location – Stalingrad (Now Volgograd) and Western Soviet Union.
Theatre of War – Europe.
Involved Parties – Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, Romania, Croatia, Hungary.
Description – Stalingrad is widely known to be one of the bloodiest battles ever fought, numbering approximately 2 million dead including civilians, yet it also marked one of the most important as it arguably marked the turning point of the entire war. -
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The Battle of Stalingrad (Continued 1)
At this point, the Nazi forces had extended far into Soviet territory, however this would later serve to work in the Soviets favour. Both sides adopted trench-like urban warfare as the invaders fought furiously against the equally furious Soviet defending force. Each side suffered from heavy losses, yet the Soviets were able to keep resupplying and reinforcing their defences. -
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The Battle of Stalingrad (Continued 2)
The Germans were running low on men and munitions, and as the Russian winter set in the need for resupply grew and grew, yet was unable to be accomplished. A German rescue mission was mounted for the remaining invaders; however, Hitler had ordered them to stand their ground and not attempt the mission. -
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Th Battle of Stalingrad (Continued 3)
This order would prove even more disastrous when the Soviets launched a counter offensive that surrounded the remaining troops, which could have potentially been broken by the Germans were it not for that order. And on February 2nd, 1943 the German army surrendered the remaining 91,000 men. This marked a huge humiliation for Hitler, and a Western push that would begin to push the Germans out of the Soviet Union and turn the war in favour of the Allies. -
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The Second Battle of El Alamein (Continued 2)
Which was launched on the 23rd of October, and saw greater enemy resistance than initially anticipated. None-the-less, on November 1st Operation Supercharge was launched and managed to break through. Rommel saw the battle was lost, and sent word to Hitler, who in turn ordered him to “Stay and die”, although at that point the troops were already retreating.
Outcome – Allied Victory, German forces retreat to Tunisia. -
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The Second Battle of El Alamein
Location – El Alamein and Surrounding Regions, Egypt.
Theatre of War – North Africa.
Involved Parties – Britain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, India, France, South Africa, Greece.
Description – After the war in North Africa was brought to a standstill, Churchill reshuffled the chain of command for the forces in Africa, boosting moral in that he could now assure effective communication between the air force and the ground forces. -
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The Second Battle of El Alamein (Continued 1)
No counter attack was attempted, as the British were simply amassing their troops for their next big move. And Rommel knew that this attack would come, and thus dug in behind a local minefield known as ‘The Devils Garden’. The British attack saw two phases; Operation Lightfoot and Operation Supercharge. Operation Lightfoot was planned to light up the area with artillery fire preceding an infinitary attack to clear paths through the minefield for friendly armour to break through. -
The D-Day Landings
Location – Normandy, France.
Theatre of War – Europe.
Involved Parties – America, Britain, Germany, Canada, Poland.
Description – The D-Day landings marked the beginning of the Battle of Normandy, which would see the liberation of France and what has been called “the beginning of the end” of the war. The operation required massive amounts of planning, including a large-scale deception campaign that painted the invasion target of the Allied attack as Pas-de-Calais. -
The D-Day Landings (Continued 1)
And after a slight weather delay, one of the largest amphibious military assaults was launched. At dawn, paratroopers had already launched behind enemy lines to cut off bridges, roads and other primary traffic points for the German Army, and at 6:30 a.m. over 150,000 troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. -
The D-Day Landings (Continued 2)
Encountering scattered resistance, by days end the troops had secured the beaches, making way for even more troops to be dropped off, and later that week the beaches would be fully secured by the Allies. The Germans suffered confusion amongst their ranks, as the local Field Marshall; Erwin Rommel was on leave, and Hitler hesitated to make structured tactical decisions that meant that reinforcements were delayed getting there. -
The D-Day Landings (Continued 3)
On top of the fact that paratroopers that eliminated main routes, meaning detours were necessary. And on top of strong Naval and Aerial support from the Allies, they would eventually crumble and in August of that year, France would be liberated from German occupation.
Outcome – Allied Victory, France is later liberated, Germany begins to crumble. -
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The Battle of the Bulge
Location – Ardennes, Belgium, Luxembourg.
Theatre of War – Europe.
Involved Parties – Britain, Canada, America, Germany.
Description – The last desperate attack from Germany to retake, or at least halt the Allies advance in the West. Three entire German armies, amassing to over a quarter-million troops, utilised their previously successful blitzkrieg tactics and managed to catch the allies off-guard. -
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The Battle of The Bulge (Continued 1)
As the Germans advanced, they nearly annihilated the American 106th Division, however their defeat bought other troops time to set up defences. The Allied front set up took the appearance of a large bulge, hence the name of the battle. The Germans would be fought off due to a costly lack of fuel and the courage of the Allied troops. -
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The Battle of the Bulge (Continued 2)
Hitler’s last-ditch attempt at regaining control of his falling empire had failed, yet the battle proved to be the costliest American action ever taken, numbering to over 100,000 U.S casualties.
Outcome – Hard Fought Allied Victory -
The Surrender of Germany (Continued)
Although German General Alfred Jodl wanted to simply surrender his forces in the West, however faced with the threat of a potential Soviet invasion of Germany, he had no choice but to sign off on the complete and unconditional surrender of Germany.
Outcome – Allied victory, the end of the war in Europe. -
The Death of Benito Mussolini
Location – Dongo, Northern Italy.
Theatre of War – Europe.
Involved Parties – Italy.
Description – Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini, alternatively known as ‘Il Duce’ was watching the fall of his rule. As the Allies pushed up the Italian Peninsula, and under threat of capture from the Americans, British, and Soviets. Thus, weighing up his options, he decided to flee towards the neutral country of Switzerland with his mistress; Miss Clara Petacci. -
The Death of Benito Mussolini (Continued)
However, upon arrival at the border, he discovered that the guarding force at the border had sided with Italian partisans. Thus, he attempted a disguise in a Luftwaffe uniform. However, it proved inadequate and Mussolini and Petacci would be discovered by Partisans and shot. The corpses were publicly displayed in Milan following.
Outcome – Italy loses its leadership, Italy is lost. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Location – Berlin, Germany.
Theatre of War – Europe.
Involved Parties – Germany.
Description – Hitler’s empire was crumbling, in its final hours. And so, he spent almost all of his time remaining in his bunker underneath the Chancellery. Told by his officers that Soviet forces were only a day or so out, he was urged to escape. -
Hitler Commits Suicide (Continued 1)
However, he didn’t want to grant his enemies the satisfaction of killing him, and he instead chose a double suicide, with his wife Eva Braun (whom he had only married a mere two days previous). Thus, he tested the effectiveness of some cyanide capsules on his ‘beloved’ dog Blondi, before he and his wife consumed the tablets themselves. -
Hitler Commits Suicide (Continued 2)
Hitler would then shoot himself for good measure, and later he and his wife would be cremated in the Chancellery garden, as per his orders.
Outcome – Nazi Germany loses its beloved leader. -
V.E. Day
Location – N/A
Theatre of War – Europe.
Involved Parties – All forces that fought in Europe.
Description – Victory in Europe Day marks the day that all German forces laid down their arms, and a final cease-fire issued. More documents were to be signed, and fighting would continue with the Soviets until the following day, however officially the war in Europe was over. -
V.E. Day (Continued)
Outcome – Allied Victory in Western Europe, Soviet victory achieved the following day, approximately 2 million German prisoners are taken by Soviets during this period. -
Atomic Weapon Dropped on Hiroshima (Continued)
And thus, on August 6th, 1945 America became the first ever country to deploy nuclear weaponry in the field of war as the American bomber Enola Gay dropped the 5-tonne nuclear pay-load, code named ‘Little Boy’, on the Japanese City of Hiroshima, instantly killing over 80,000 people and killing tens of thousands more people following extensive wounds and radiation poisoning.
Outcome – Many people killed. -
Atomic Weapon Dropped on Hiroshima
Location – Hiroshima, Japan.
Theatre of War – Asia Pacific.
Involved Parties – America, Japan.
Description – Victory in Europe had been achieved, however Japan’s war still raged on. Not wanting to risk a potentially costly invasion of Japan, America decided on using their newly developed nuclear weapons to bring the war to a swift end. -
The Soviet Union Declares War on Japan
Location – N/A.
Theatre of War – Asia Pacific.
Involved Parties – Japan, Soviet Union.
Description – The Soviet Union officially declares war on Japan. At this time the first Nuclear bomb had been dropped on Japan, and yet even in the face of this many of the Japanese Supreme War Direction Council still wanted confirmation about the future of Japan before declaring a surrender. -
The Soviet Union Declares War on Japan (Continued)
Japan had not been too worried about the Soviets, thinking an attack was not at all imminent due to their need to defend on their Western front. So, when an army numbering over a million invaded Japanese occupied Manchuria in North-East Japan, they were taken completely by surprise. This assault forced the Japanese Emperor himself; Emperor Hirohito to beg with his council to reconsider their surrender.
Outcome – Japan begins to waver, leaning more towards surrender. -
Atomic Weapon Dropped on Nagasaki
Location – Nagasaki, Japan.
Theatre of War – Asia Pacific.
Involved Parties – Japan, America.
Description – The second nuclear weapon ever used in war, code named ‘Fat Man’, was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing a further 40,000 people. A few days later, Japan would surrender. This display of nuclear force, however, would stop one war, however only serve to start another; the Cold War.
Outcome – Allied Victory, WW2 is over, the nuclear arms race begins. -
The Surrender of the Japanese Empire
Location – USS Missouri, docked in Tokyo Bay, Tokyo, Japan.
Theatre of War – Asia Pacific.
Involved Parties – America, China, Britain, Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, New Zealand.
Description – Japan was in trouble. They had lost their entire naval and air forces, lost Manchuria to the Soviets and Okinawa to the Americans, had been nuked twice, and potentially facing an Allied invasion with ‘Operation Olympic’. -
The Surrender of the Japanese Empire (Continued 2)
After a cryptic response from the US, which caused for some confusion, it was ignored as “peace was preferable to destruction”. Thus, on the morning of September 2nd, over 250 Allied warships entered Tokyo Bay, representing the countries of America, China, Britain, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, and New Zealand. -
The Surrender of the Japanese Empire (Continued 1)
Thus, on the following day of the Nagasaki bombings, Japanese Emperor Hirohito convened with his war council, deciding amongst an emotional discourse that they would accept the surrender “with the understanding that said Declaration does not compromise any demand that prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as the sovereign ruler.” The message of peace would be relayed to America the following day. -
The Surrender of the Japanese Empire (Continued 3)
At approximately 9 a.m. Tokyo time, Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed the document of surrender, their assistants crying as they did so. Humanities most destructive war ever had ended.
Outcome – Allied victory in WW2, the war is over. -
The Birth of the United Nations
Location – San Francisco, USA.
Theatre of War – N/A.
Involved Parties – Allied powers, Including France, America, China, the UK, the Soviet Union and the 46 other states.
Description – Originally an Allied pledge to continue fighting against the Axis powers. However later 50 countries would represent their countries in attending the ‘United Nations Conference on International Organisation’, to collectively draw up the United Nations Charter. -
The Birth of the United Nations (Continued)
The charter would later be signed by those 50 countries, and later Poland, on the 26th of June 1945. The United Nations would officially start on the 24th of October 1945, when the Charter was ratified by almost all the countries that signed it. This day would also become United Nations Day.
Outcome – The United Nations comes into existence. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbour (Continued 1)
So, when the alarm wasn’t sounded for 360 Japanese war planes, due to the fact that a friendly flight of B-17’s was expected, the Americans were caught severely off guard and were hit hard. Approximately 2,400 US soldiers were killed and 1,200 wounded, with massive destruction of the Pacific Fleet, whilst the Japanese only suffered minimal casualties. This attack was originally an opt at keeping America out of the war, intimidating them into submission.