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Germany takes over Austria and Czechoslovakia
Hitler met with top secret military advisers and declared that Germany needs to take over its neighbors. On March 12, 1928, Austria united with Germany. Hitler wanted to annex the Czech republic so there is more living space for Germany as well as to control its important natural resources. Hitler told France and Great Britain that this was his last territorial demand and so they let him take control of Czech republic as well. -
Munich Agreement
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including the key Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany. -
Night of Broken Glass
German police dragged some 3,000 Polish Jews from their homes and put them onto trains destined for the German-Polish border. reporting estimated that 91 Jewish people were murdered during the attacks. -
Non-aggression Pact
The pact delineated the spheres of interest between the two powers, confirmed by the supplementary protocol of the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty amended after the joint invasion of Poland. It remained in force for nearly two years, until the German government of Adolf Hitler ended the pact by launching an attack on the Soviet positions in Eastern Poland during Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941. -
Nazis invaded Poland
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign. was a joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Free City of Danzig that marked the beginning of World War II in Europe. The campaign ended on 6 October with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing the whole of Poland under the terms of the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty. -
Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand declare war on Germany
In response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand, both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany. -
Germany invades Denmark and Norway
German warships enter major Norwegian ports, from Narvik to Oslo, deploying thousands of German troops and occupying Norway. At the same time, German forces occupy Copenhagen, among other Danish cities. -
Germany attacks western countries
France and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established. -
Battle of Britain
A significant turning point of World War II, the Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and, ultimately, its civilian population. Britain’s decisive victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces while proving that air power alone could be used to win a major battle. -
Berlin Pact
the Axis powers are formed as Germany, Italy, and Japan become allies with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. The Pact provided for mutual assistance should any of the signatories suffer attack by any nation not already involved in the war.
