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Japan invades Manchuria
Ignoring the Japanese parliament, Japan seized Manchuria in 1931. They built a puppet government and began the harvest of Manchuria’s natural resources of iron and coal. So Japanese engineers and technicians started arriving to build mines or factories. The invasion of Manchuria was the first direct challenge to the League of Nations. -
Japan invades China
Four years after invading Manchuria, a border incident caused a full scale war broke out between China and Japan. China’s army couldn't compare to Japan’s soldiers, who were better equipped and trained. City after city fell to Japan’s feet like the capital, Nanjing, where they killed thousands and captured many. China retreated back and set up a new capital in Chongqing. From there, Mao Zedong, China’s communist leader, continued fighting Japan. -
germany takes sudentenland
Asked to have Sudetenland, Czechs refused. Asked France to help. Had a secret meeting with France. (Munich Conference) They agreed to give the land to Germany, but Germany had to respect the new boarders of Czechoslovakia. -
German seizes Czechoslovakia
Hitler pledged to respect Czechoslovakia’s new borders after being given the Sudetenland. By giving Hitler the land, Britain's prime minister thought it would preserve peace. But then six months after the Munich Conference, Hitler stormed and took over Czechoslovakia. -
Germany surpise attacks on Poland
Known as the Lightning Attack, Hitler started his surprise attack on Poland on September 1st. It got this name because Hitler didn't take any time to send tanks and troops across their border to attack. And at the same time, he sent aircrafts to bomb Poland’s capital, Warsaw. -
Germany invades Denmark and Norway
After France and Britain declared war on Germany, they sat their soldiers along France's border awaiting Germany to strike. Which never happened, thus it is called the phoney war. And so Hitler took this opportunity to launch a surprise invasion on Denmark and Norway. Both falling not soon after. -
Germany invades Paris
Hitler began his attacks on countries surrounding France, as a part of a strategy to take it over, and then marched an even larger army through the Ardennes. After some fighting, the Germans were able to make it to France’s coast in ten days. And because of the rescue at Dunkirk, their resistance was falling. This made it able for Germany to take over Paris on June 14th. -
Germany invades the SOviet Union
After Hitler gained control of the Balkans, he started his plan to invade the Soviet Union, also known as Operation Barbarossa. So on June 22, 1941, Hitler sent German aircrafts and tanks into the Soviet Union to mark the beginning of his invasion. Though the Soviet Union had the largest army they weren't trained or equipped for Germany. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan air force flew over to Hawai’i to destroy U.S. Navy and airforce. It was an unexpected attack that was known by the U.S military leaders, but they were unsure of when and where it was to come. The Japanese had destroyed 9 ships, which included 8 battleships, more than 2,300 americans were killed and over 1,100 were wounded. The next day President Roosevelt declared, “a date which will live in infamy.” Congress then accepted the declaration of war on Japan. -
Japan invaded Singapore
The Japanese didn't stop attacking British possessed land in Asia. So after taking over Hong Kong, Japan started their invasion on Malaya. On February 1942, they had made it to Singapore which was located at the tip of Malaya Peninsula.but it didn't take long for them to surrender to Japan. -
Japanese invades Manila
Japanese marched into the capital of the Philippines, Manila. Filipino armies took a defensive position on the Bataan Peninsula located at the northwestern edge of Manila Bay. During that battle Philippine government moved to an island called Corregidor south of BAtaan. After three months of fighting Japanese finally victored in the Bataan Peninsula and took over in April. -
The Battle of Midway
When Japan targeted a island west of Hawai’i called, Midway Island, which was an American airfield. Admiral Yamamoto from Japan who was planning this whole shindig decided he wanted the attack to move the U.S. to Midway to defend the island. On June 4, the battle had begun, and as the US were in Hawai’i, the Japanese took their opportunity to seize the island and destroy all they could.
