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Germany invades Poland
The most prominent event beginning WW2, German forces invaded Poland, intending on taking back lost territory and ruling the country.
The Germans bombed Poland's air capacity, railroads, and communication lines, and then invaded the land with a massive amount of military reinforcements.
This became Germany's main war strategy known as 'blitzkrieg'. -
Britain & France declare war on Germany
In response to Germany invading Poland, Britain and France both declared war on Germany.
Britain began to drop anti-Nazi leaflets all over Germany, and bombed German ships on Sep 4. They were under orders to not harm German civillians.Two weeks later, France would begin to attack from the western border of Germany. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain
After Neville Chamberlain resigned due to losing a confidence vote, Winston Churchill stepped in (previously First Lord of the Admiralty), and became the new Prime Minister. Chamberlain’s resignation was a result of his ill equipped approach in the war. Churchill, known for his ability in leading military forces, created bold plans for the resistance against Nazi Germany, and promised the world that the British would ‘never surrender’, a claim he would show to stick by throughout WW2. -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
The British Expeditionary Force were evacuated from Dunkirk in France on May 26th, in hopes that all 45,000 soldiers would escape before German troops arrived. But the German Air Force had other plans. They attempted to prevent the evacuation by bombing Dunkirk/surrounding areas.
This was fended off by British, Polish, and Canadian fighter pilots, allowing a safe evacuation 9 days later. However, the evacuation affcted civilians dearly, as thousands of refugees had to flee from the battle. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis Powers
Benito Mussolini, the dictator of Italy, finally chose to declare war against France and Great Britain, in favour of and joining the Axis Powers (Germany and Japan).
His delayed decision was due to a lack of weaponry, and temptations from the Allies for territorial gains in Africa.
Hitler believed Italy was simply too scared to join the war, but now wanted to share in the glory. Mussolini insisted that he desired to take part before France's downfall, due to fascist values. -
France signs armistice with Germany
With Paris in ruin, and German conquest of France reaching its end, Marshal Henri Petain (newly appointed Prime Minister), proclaims his objective of signing an armistice with Germany.
This armistice, signed 22 June, came into action on the 25th of June. More than half of France was under Nazi German rule. -
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Battle of Britain
Throughout 1940, British and German air forces battled in the skies above the UK, resulting in what would become a significant turning point in WW2, the Battle of Britain.
Ending after the Luftwaffe's failure to gain victory against the RAF after months of attempting to bomb it's way to glory, the Battle of Britain was an ultimate failure for the Germans. -
Operation Sea Lion
Announced on 17 September, but planned for later on in that year.
German aircraft began bombing southern Britain in the hopes of destroying the RAF, the British Royal Air Force and several British Radar Stations. After only taking out one Radar Station and damaging 5 others, Herman Goering decided to cease attacking them, a large mistakeon Germany's part.
As the RAF was not taken out, there would be no Operation Sea Lion. -
Tripartite Pact signed
This day saw the unison of 3 nations through the Tripartite pact in the Axis Powers, made up of Germany, Japan and Italy. If any of these countries were attacked by other uninvolved nations in the war, they would receive mutual assistance by regulation of the Pact.
This pact was focused at America, forcing them to consider entering the war on sideof the Allies. -
Operation Barbarossa
The Soviet Union was invaded on a large scale by the Germans under order of Adolf Hitler, with 3 army groups spanning over 3 million soldiers, 150 divisions and 3000 tanks raiding Soviet territory.
This invasion, known as Operation Barbarossa, was the pivotal turning point of WW2, for through its failure, Nazi Germany was surrounded, compelled to fight in a two-front war against the Soviet Union in the east, and Britain in the west. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbour
This surprise military attack against the US naval base by the Japanese Imperial Navy was the key event to the US entering WW2.
This strike was intended to prevent inteference of the US Pacific Fleet in military operations of the Empire of Japan, who were planning to attack US, Netherlands and UK territories overseas. -
Britain/US declares war on Japan
Due of the events of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt requested and received a declaration of war against Japan. Their entry into WW2, at 4:10pm on the 8th of December, saw Japanese Americans suffer throughout the nation through internment. -
Japan take Singapore
Japan took over Singapore in what is most commonly known as the Battle of Singapore.
The Battle began on the 8th of February, however Japan conquered the opposing troops on the 15th.
British PM Churchill classified this victory of the Japanese over Singapore as the "worst disaster" ever in the military history of Britain. -
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Battle of Midway
The US defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles in WW2. America managed to inflict permanent damage on Japan's few remaining aircraft carriers and navy.
This was through huge recent advances in code breaking technology, and this victory enabled the US & allies to change to an offensive position. -
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1st Battle of El Alamain
After forcing a British retreat in June, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and his German troops were in El Alamain, Egypt, only 60 miles west from the British Alexandrian naval base.
They were nearing a victorious conquest of Egypt, with Hitler expecting to add Egypt to his empire and Mussolini ready to bask in the victors spoils.
But the Allies, reinforced by American supplies, battled Rommel and his men to a standstill in Egypt. Rommel found himself again on the defensive. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
During WW2, the Battle of Stalingrad, considered the greatest battle of the entire conflict, was the successful defense of Stalingrad from Nazi German conquest. One of the bloodiest clashes in history with over 2 million military/civilian casualities, it both humiliated Hitler and gave confidence to Stalin.
This large scale battle marked the hugest turning point of the war, changing the favour from the Axis Powers to the Allies. -
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2nd Battle of El Alamain
The conclusive Battle of El Alamain saw a complete pounding of Pommel's army in 10 days, but they escaped complete annihilation by slipping away from pursuit. -
D-Day Landings
Alos known as 'Operation Overlord', the D-Day Landings were a collection of approximately 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on the coast of France's Normandy region, stretched out about 50 miles over 5 beaches.
This invasion was one of the largest ever recorded in history, and by late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated from Nazi German's clutches. These landings have been known as the beginning of the end of WW2 in Europe. -
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Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge began when Hitler seeked to split the Allied armies in a surprise thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. After the US leaving the Ardennes meekly protected with a small and weary division, the 3 German armies made up of 250k troops were able to launch a deadly and desperate battle. As they delved deeper into the Ardennes, the Allied armies took the front in the appearance of a bulge, how the battle got its eternal name. -
Mussolini captured and executed
Mussolini and his mistress were both executed after being captured by Italian partisans while fleeing to Swtizerland.
After the Allies had fought up the Italian Peninsula and defeat of the Axis Powers was certain, Mussolini considered his only option was to flee to a neutral country, Switzerland. After making it to the Swiss border, his disguise was rendered useless and they were discovered, shot and transported to Milan, where their bodies were hung upside down, and publicly displayed. -
Hitler commits suicide
Ever since at least 1943, the concept fo Germany falling to the Allied Powers became incessantly probable, so Germany's unconditional surrender would come only days after Hitler committed suicide on the 30th of April, 1945. After writing out a final will and testament, Hitler retired to his private quarters, along with his mistress Eva Braun where they both swallowed a cyanide capsule, after which Hitler shot himself in the head. -
German forces surrender
On the 7th of May, 1945, General Alfred Jodl, signs to the unconditional surrender of all east and west German forces, in Reims, northwestern France. -
V.E Day
German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their weapons, and were now focusing on eluding the grasp of Soviet forces in the form of being taken prisoner. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Known as the marking of the end of the Second World War, America dropped an atomic bomb known as LittleBoy on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on the 6th of August 1945.
At 8:16am, a US B-29 Bomber drops the worlds first atomic bomb, instantly killing roughly 80,000 civilians, injuring another 35,000, and leaving another 60,000 dead from repercussions after the dropping of the bomb. -
Soviet Union declares war on Japan
Shortly after the bombing of Hiroshima, the Soviet Union officially declared war on Japan, and sent over 1 million soldiers in the northeastern Chinese, Japan-occupied city of Manchuria, to battle against the 700,000 Japanese army stronghold. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
Since the Hiroshima devastation had not been enough to force the Japanese War Council to unconditionally surrender, the US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, this time nicknamed 'FatMan'.
This time estimatedly killing between 60,000-80,000 instantly, the Emperor of Japan decided it was agains tthe lives of millions of innocent Japanese civilians that they continue in the war, so he gave permission to surrender unconditionally. -
Japanese surrender - End of WW2
The official surrender of Japan to the Allies had been coming for a considerable amount of time, with their Air Force and Navy destroyed, a naval blockadeof Japan forced by the Allied Powers, and the recent atomic bombings of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki seeing the inevitable acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, stating peace and unconditional surrnder on Japan's part. -
United Nations is born
In order to better negotiate peace in the present and future, the United Nations was established formally on the 24th of October, 1945. A more drastic measure than the League of Nations, the United Nations was created to better oppose the Axis Powers, already with 26 nations signing by 1942.
Now the war had concluded, the main objective of keeping and negotiating peace would be the UN Security Council's highest priority.