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Germany invades Poland
The Invasion of Poland in 1939 marked the start of World War II. It was driven by the Nazis, a small contingent of Slovaks, and the Soviet Union. He believed that the invasion of Poland would result in a quick and easy defeat, and that the prime ministers of France and Britain would ask for a peace settlement rather than a war. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
In 1939, in response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Britain and France, both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany. The British Prime Minister, at the time, Neville Chamberlain, announced that unless Germany agreed to withdraw their recent aggression against Poland, 'a state of war would exist between the two countries.' WW2 had truly begun as a result of this event. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain
On May 10, Hitler invaded Holland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The same day, Chamberlain formally lost the confidence of the House of Commons. Churchill, who was known for his military leadership ability, was appointed British prime minister in his place. -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
The Dunkirk departure, code-named Operation Dynamo, otherwise called the Miracle of Dunkirk, was the clearing of Allied troopers from the shorelines and harbor of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940, amid World War II. The outcome of this event is, the evacuation of around 350,000 British, French and Belgian troops from Dunkirk, enabled the Allies to continue the war and was a major boost to British self-confidence. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis powers
In June, 1940, after withholding formal allegiance to either side in the battle between Germany and the Allies, Benito Mussolini, the dictator of Italy, declares war on France and Great Britain. This gave the axis more power. -
France signs armistice with Germany
The Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed near Compiegne, France, by the military officials of Nazi Germany and more representatives from the French Third Republic. They included General Wilhelm Keitel, the commander-in-chief of the German Army, and General Charles Huntziger for the French side. France is no longer in war with Germany. -
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Battle of Britain
In 1940, German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom. A significant turning point of World War II, Britain’s key victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces while proving that air power could be used to win a major battle. -
Tripartite Pact signed
In 1940, 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. All three nations would unite against any aggressor who had violated the sovereignty of any of the three nations, making the three countries stronger and safer. -
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Siege of Tobruk
The Siege of Tobruk (Libya) began on 10th April, 1941 and continued until 27th November, 1941. Libya was an Italian colony and Tobruk became the site of important battles between the Allies and Axis powers. The Australian, Polish, and British retained control of the Libyan port as a result of this event. -
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union. The invasion covered a front from the North Cape to the Black Sea, a distance of two thousand miles. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces signalled a crucial turning point in the war. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941.The Japanese attacked the United States (Hawaii) without warning. American attitudes about the war change radically. -
Britain and U.S declare war on Japan
The U.S declared war on Japan on the 8th of December, 1941. This was following the Pearl Harbour attacks. Also on the 8th of December, 1941, the government of the United Kingdom declared war on the Empire of Japan, following the Japanese attacks on Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong. -
Japan take Singapore
On February 15, 1942, at Singapore, Straits Settlements, Japan and Singapore battle it out. The outcome of this is the Japanese gained victory. Was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the British stronghold of Singapore. It resulted in the capture of Singapore by the Japanese and the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. -
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Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was one of the most important battles of World War II. It was the turning point of the war in the Pacific between the United States and Japan. The battle took place over four days between June 4th and June 7th in 1942. Midway is an island located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean about half way between Asia and North America. -
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First Battle of El Alamein
The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis forces and Allied (British Imperial) forces (Britain, British India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand). -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia, on the eastern boundary of Europe. The Soviet victory at Stalingrad was a great humiliation for Hitler, who had elevated the battle's importance in German opinion. -
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Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October–11 November 1942) was a major battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. With the Allies victorious, it marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. With the allies victorious, it forced Rommel to retreat in Tunisia. -
D-Day Landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. This resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. -
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Battle of the Bulge
This was a major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II. The Germans lost so many experienced troops and equipment that there was no way their army could launch another attack on Allied forces. The Battle of the Bulge is most significant in that it ruined the German army and in essence brought about the end of the war. -
Mussolini captured and executed
The death of Benito Mussolini, the Italian fascist dictator, occurred on 28 April 1945, in the final days of World War II in Europe, when he was summarily executed by anti-fascist partisans in the small village of Giulino di Mezzegra in northern Italy. This was one step closer to ending the war. -
Hitler commits suicide
Two days after Mussolini’s death, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin and this resulted in European conflict coming to an end. It is believed that both he and his wife swallowed cyanide capsules and he shot himself with his service pistol. -
German forces surrender
SHAEF headquarters in Reims, France, the Chief-of-Staff of the German Armed Forces High Command, General Alfred Jodl, signed the unconditional surrender documents for all German forces to the Allies. This was a big part of WWII ending the European conflict of World War 2. -
V.E. day
Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war. The 8th of May spelled the day when German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms. This was a shining light towards the end of WWII. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
The United States dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August 1945, during the final stage of World War II. Japan, however, vowed to fight to the bitter end in the Pacific, despite clear indications (as early as 1944) that they had little chance of winning. In late July, Japan’s militarist government rejected the Allied demand for surrender put forth in the Potsdam Declaration, which threatened the Japanese with “prompt and utter destruction” if they refused. -
Soviet Union declares war on Japan
Soviet foreign minister Molotov informed Japanese ambassador that the Soviet Union had declared war on the Empire of Japan, and that from August 9 the Soviet Government would consider itself to be at war with Japan. The Soviets commenced their invasion simultaneously on three fronts to the east, west and north of Manchuria. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
On August 9, 1945, a second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan’s unconditional surrender. -
Japanese surrender-End of WWII
Japan’s signing of the Instrument of Surrender marked a formal end to the bloodiest conflict in human history, and the last true total war in human history. Just before Japan formally surrender, an invasion, and 2 atomic bombs led to this. This surrender ended WWII. -
United Nations is born
Roosevelt pursued to convince the public that an international organisation was the best means to prevent future wars. The United Nations came into existence on October 24, 1945, after 29 nations had ratified the Charter. The founders of the United nations are as followed: France, Denmark, Ecuador, Australia, Canada, Belgium and plenty more. -
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sea Lion was Nazi Germany's code name for a temporarily proposed invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. Operation Sea lion was never carried out as the Germans lost the Battle of Britain and it is believed that Hitler was more interested in the approaching attack on Russia as opposed to conquering Britain. This clearly saved Britain another fight. conquering Britain. This clearly saved Britain another fight. -
Bibliography
http://blogs.britannica.com/2011/06/operation-barbarossa-beginning-hitler/
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/churchill-becomes-prime-minister
www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff2_dunkirk.shtml
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/italy-declares-war-on-france-and-great-britain
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/france-to-surrender
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/francesurrenders.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-britain
http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.p