-
Period: to
The Holocaust
Hitler targets Jewish people and puts them in concentration camps, forcing them to work or killing them, and, as the war gets closer to ending, begins to kill as many as he could. -
Hitler becomes Chancellor
Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany by president Paul Von Hindenburg. This will be the cornerstone of the beginning of WWII, -
Germany invades Poland
Germany invades Poland, beginning the second World War in Europe. -
France and Britain declare war on Germany
France and Britain declare war on Germany soon after Germany invades Poland, initiating WWII. -
France Surrenders
After France has been mostly invaded by Germany, including Paris, France decides that it's best to surrender to Germany, -
Period: to
Operation Barbarossa
Germany decides to invade Russia. With massive amounts of soldiers and resources being spent on this invasion, and with it failing, Germany not only loses a good portion of the resources used in the invasion, but they also lose Russia as an ally and have to fight a war on two fronts. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan launches a surprise attack on the naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii via hundreds of fighter planes. This causes the US to declare war on Japan and enter WWII. -
United States declares war on Japan
After Pearl Harbor, the US declares war on Japan, which initiates the US into WWII. -
Battle of Midway
The US defeats Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of WWII. Japan attempted to bait out US aircraft carriers, but the US broke Japan's code and willing fell into their trap, while preparing a trap of their own. Japan lost a large portion of their navy in this battle. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Russian forces defend Stalingrad and halt the German invasion of Russia, helping turn the war in the favor of the allies. -
Italy surrenders
Italy surrenders to the US, allowing the US to land in Italy and begin to push back the Germans. -
D-Day
When 156,000 Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy along the coast of France in one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. -
Battle of the Bulge
German forces acted as a bulge on the American defensive line, launching 250,000 German soldiers at 80,000 Americans in the area of the Ardennes forest. Both sides took major losses. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Hitler commits suicide in his bunker in Berlin after Russia encircles Berlin and is ready to invade. -
Germany Surrenders
A little over a week after Hitler committed suicide, Germany surrenders to Russia, ending their part in WWII, leaving only Japan. -
US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima
The US drops the atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, killing around 100,000 people. -
US drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki
The US drops the atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki, killing about half that of "Little Boy" (the bomb dropped on Hiroshima). Japan surrendered soon after. -
Japan Surrenders
Even though Japan's official surrender was in September 2nd, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender five days after a bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. This brought an end to WWII.