WWII Europe and Pacific Battles

Germany invades Poland

Sep 1, 1939

SourceGermany invades Poland with a surprise attack. Tanks and troops trucks were surrounding Polish borders. They also threw bombs on Polands capital Warsaw. The Jews in Poland were scared of what was going to happen next.
"The Nazi Occupation of Poland." The Nazi Occupation of Poland. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.

Declared War

Sep 3, 1939

France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. This marked the begining of WWII.

Germans invades France

Jun 22, 1940

Germans had already taken Paris and the French leaders surrender. They took control of the Northern part of the country especially. This made the allies scared of the Germans and needed to stop them from expanding.

Battle of Britain

Oct 1, 1940

Source Germans were avoiding RAFs attacks. Hitler after the Battle of Britain decided to call off his attacks. This made the Allies see that Hitler could be stopped.
"The Battle of Britain, 1940." The Battle of Britain, 1940. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.

Americans Aid Chinese

Oct 1, 1940

Americans had cracked a code that was used by Japanese to send secret messages. this helped the US know Japan's plans. The US sent aid to the chinese resistance. The allies started to see the Japanese were powerful and they needed to be stopped.

Afrika Korps- Erwin Rommel

Mar 1, 1941

SourceHitler had to save axis powers, he send a tank force, the Afrika Korps (under the command of Erwin Rommel. Then Rommel's Afrika Korps attacked which was a surprise to Britain. This marked a German loss and a Allied victory.
"World War II Database." WW2DB RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

SourceHitler decides to move forward with Operation Barbarossa (invade Soviet Union). Even if the Soviet Union army was the largest, they weren't prepared for it or well equipped. They broke the nonagression pact and this showed that the Germans werent going to stop of anything. Joseph Stalin, radio speech (June, 1941) "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2014.

Cut off Japans oil import

Jul 1, 1941

Roosevelt cut off oil exportation to Japan. This didnt affect Japanese as much because they continued with their conquering plans. They saw that the Japanese were unstopable.

Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

SourcePearl Harbor: Japanese attacked the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This was because one of the best Japanese strategist, Isoroku Yamamoto said it was “a dagger pointed at Japans throat” and he wanted to destroy it. President Roosevelt called this “a date which will live in infamy.” The Congress accepted Roosevelt's request to declare a war on Japan and their allies. "PRIMARY SOURCES: PEARL HARBOR." The National WWII Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2014.

Final Solution

Jan 1, 1942

Adolf Hitler begins the Final Solution which was a plan to exterminate as many Jews as possible. This includes gas chambers, and random shooting. It was a genocide of the Jewish population.

Revenge for Pearl Harbor

Apr 1, 1942

Americans wanted revenge for Pearl Harbor, so under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle, 16 bombers went to Japan. They bombed Tokyo and other Japanese cities but it did little damage. They wanted to stop Japan but they were begining to see nothing worked and they weren´t going to surrender.

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

SourceJapans wanted to attack Midway island because it was a key point for the American airforce. Americans knew Japanese were going to attack so they were ready. Their strategy used was a success and they were able to destroy 332 Japanese planes, four aircraft carriers and one support ship. This was a major win for the Americans.
"RESEARCH STARTERS: THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY:." The National WWII Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2014.

Battle of Guadalcanal

Aug 7, 1942

SourceBattle of Guadalcanal: American Marines with the help of Australia got to Guadalcanal. The battle was a struggle for both sides. They fought for six months both on land as well at sea. Japanese suffered a large amount of casualties and it became a victory for the allies after Japan surrendered. (Ended in Febuary 1943)
"One Marine's Story of the Battle Of Guadalcanal - Guadalcanal Journal."Guadalcanal Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2014.

D-Day- Operation Overlord

Jun 6, 1944

Source D-Day: Code-named Operation Overlord (the largest land and sea attack). British, American, French and Canadian troops fought 60 mile stretch of the beach in Normandy. Germans were sheltered behind concrete walls. The Allies had lots of casualties. After a month more troops had joined in. By September the Allies were successful and liberated France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
"Pictures of D-Day." , Operation Overlord. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Allies Push Germans Back

Dec 16, 1944

German tanks came through weak defense. They broke along the 75 mile front of Ardennes. Allies eventually, even though they started of weak, pushed the Germans back. This started to show weakness from the Germans and that they could be defeted.

Yalta Conference

Feb 4, 1945

SourceThis conference took place in a Russian resort where U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, made important decisions regarding what was going to happen postwar. This was a very important conference.
"Modern History Sourcebook: The Yalta Conference, Feb. 1945." Modern History Sourcebook: The Yalta Conference, Feb. 1945. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.

Island of Okinawa

Apr 1, 1945

The US troops moved to the island of Okinawa. This island was only 350 miles south of Japan. Japanese lots a lot of troops in this battle.

Surrender of German Military

May 7, 1945

General Eisenhower accepted the surrender of the German military of the Third Reich. (Roosevelt didn't live to get to see this)

Surrender waa officially signed by the Nazi

May 9, 1945

SourceSurrender was officially signed by the Nazi. This was signed in Berlin. The Allied powers celebrated this calling it V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day, after about 6 years of fighting) Council, Birmingham City. "Birmingham Remembers." Birmingham.gov.uk. Birmingham City Council. Web. 15 May 2012. "V-E Day Is Celebrated in America and Britain." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Atomic bomb on Hiroshima

Aug 6, 1945

SourceThe United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The bomb killed between 70,000 and 8,000 people. (Radiation Killed more people afterwards) "Hiroshima, 64 Years Ago." Boston.com. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2014.

Second bomb on Nagasaki

Aug 9, 1945

The US dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki. This killed more than 70,000 people as well. (Radiation Killed more people afterwards)

War Ends

Sep 2, 1945

Japanese finally surrendered and with this the war had ended. (V-J Day)