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Japanese attack on China
Japan attacked without a declaration of war. Its planes rained terror on Chinese cities. The Japanese had killed three American sailors when they sank the gunboat on the Chang River. -
Franklin D Roosevelt gives speech
FDR said the solution for stopping aggression involved in forming an alliance of peace-loving nations. Many people criticized the speech but it did alert some Americans to the threat Japan posed to the U.S. -
Congress passes Neutrality Act
A cash-and-carry provision that allowed belligerent nations to buy goods and arms in the U.S. if they payed cash and carried the merchandise on their own ships. -
Germany and Soviets make peace
Germany signed the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. The two rivals publicly promised not to attack one another, But secretly they agreed to invade and divide Poland. -
Sudden attack hits Poland
A German Blitzkreig hit Poland from three directions. It was a new style of warfare that used speed and firepower to get deep into the enemies territory. France and Britain declare war on Germany. -
Germany uses tanks to attack
Germanys tanks roll through the Ardennes, they raced North toward the English channel. Their plan was to attack France and Britain in the front and rear and trapping them against the channel. -
Italy, Germany, and Japan sign Tripartite Pact
Shortly after the fall of France in September, Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the act which they agree on becoming allies -
Germany attack on Norway and Denmark
The two countries fell almost immediately after this attack. Then Hitler sent his blitzkreig forces to the Netherlands and Belgium. The small nations fell like dominoes. -
Congress approves Lend-Lease Act
The act authorized Roosevelt to "sell, tansfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or dispose of to any such government any defense article" whenever he thought it was necessary. -
FDR addresses congress
He spoke about "four freedoms" - freedom of speech, worship, want, and fear. That they were threatened by Nazi and Japanese militarism.
