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Germany invades Poland
German troops invade Poland by land and air in order to gain land and rule Poland. They successfully took over. -
Britain & France declare war on Germany
In order to defend Poland, Britain and France announced that a state of war existed between them and Germany. Some say this action was the true start to World War II. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain
After Neville Chamberlain's resignation due to losing a confidence vote in the House of Commons, Winston Churchill was called to replace him. -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
The moment when the Allied soldiers evacuated the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis powers
Italy felt pressure from Nazi Germany to enter the war, and thus, joined the Axis powers. After joining, Mussolini aimed to expand the Italian colonies by taking over land owned by the British and the French. -
France signs armistice with Germany
This was the moment France surrendered to Germany. Hitler insisted that the armistice be signed in the exact same railway car that Germany had surrendered to France at the end of WW1. -
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Battle of Britain
A struggle between the German Luftwaffe and the British Royal Air force. The battle was the first major military campaign in history to be fought entirely in the air. Hitler wished to to win air superiority over Britain by destroying the British air force. -
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sealion was Hitler's ploy to invade Great Britain in 1940. However, the plan was never carried out due to the Germans losing the Battle of Britain -
Tripartite Pact signed
The signing of the Tripartite Pact in Berlin, joined Germany, Italy and Japan as allies. Collectively, they were known as the Axis Powers. -
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Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a battle that lasted 241 days. The combatants were Nazi Germany, The United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Italy -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of Russia by Nazi Germany. This was the largest military attack of WW2 and came with horrible consequences for the Russian people, affecting them greatly. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes bombed the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Over 2,300 Americans were killed, most of which were people of the navy and military, some of which were civilians. -
Britain and US declare war on Japan
One day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt declares war on Japan in retalliation, -
Japan take Singapore
Seven days after the Japanese troops first stormed the island of Singapore, British forces had surrendered unconditionally to them. -
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Battle of Midway
Half a year following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, US forces defeated the Japanese in a naval battle. Japanese messages were intercepted by the Americans and they were able to prepare themselves for an attack and inflict mass damage on the Japanese Navy. This victory meant that the United States and its allies moved into an offensive position. -
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First Battle of El Alamein
A battle fought on the Northern Coast of Egypt by the United Kingdom, Nazi Germany, the ANZACS, The Kingdom of Italy, and the Union of South Africa. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
This was a major battle of WW2 fought on the eastern boundary of Europe. Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union in order to take control of the city of Stalingrad, Southern Russia. -
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Second Battle of El Alamein
A battle that was fought near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The combatants included Nazi Germany and Kingdom of Italy who were battling against the UK, India, The ANZACS, The South Africans, The Free French, and the Greeks. -
D-Day Landings
The D-Day Landings, also known as the Battle of Normandy was an attempt by Nazi Germany to take control of Normandy, France and was won by the Allied forces, subsequently leading to Western Europe being freed from Nazi Germany’s control. -
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Battle of the Bulge
Nazi Germany fought against the US and the UK. It was the last major Nazi offensive against the allies. The germans were unable to win the battle. -
Mussolini captured and executed.
Benito Mussolini and his mistress attempted to flee to Switzerland with the help of German soldiers, but were captured and executed by the Italians. -
Hitler commits suicide
At Adolf Hitler's headquarters in Berlin, in an underground bunker, he commited suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and then shooting himself in the head, causing Gemany to unconditionally surrender to the Allied forces. -
German forces surrender
Germany was forced to officially surrender to the Allies after the death of Hitler. This brought an end to the conflict in Europe in WW2. General Alfred Jodl, who was representing Germany, signed the surrender documents. -
V.E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day that the Allied forces accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
The US dropped a five-ton atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, instantly killing 80,000 people. Tens of thousands more died afterwards from radiation and wounds. -
Soviet Union declares war on Japan
War on Japan was declared, and the Soviet Foreign minister informed Japanese ambassador Sato tof this. More than 1 million Soviet soldiers to northeastern China which was controlled by Japan, to fight the Japanese army of 700,000. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
The United States drops a second Atomic bomb on Japan, this time targeting the city of Nagasaki. Anywhere between 60,000 and 80,000 people were killed. -
Japanese surrender - End of WW2
Due to the destruction of the Japanese navy and air force, Japand decided to surrender to the Allies. The documents were signed in Tokyo Bay, aboard the US ship the Missouri. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu represented the Japanese government, and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed on behalf of the Japanese armed forces. This brought WW2 to a close. -
United Nations is born
In an attempt to prevent international conflict and seek peace, the U.N was formed. The U.N declaration was signed by 26 nations as a formal act of opposition to Germany, Italy, and Japan.
