Significant events and battles of WWII

By har0041

  • Germany invades Poland- Europe

    German forces used blitzkrieg tactics to invade Poland using more than 2000 tanks and 1000 planes. Poland surrendered to Germany on the 27th of September, just a couple of weeks later after the Polish capital had been surrounded. After this happened, western Poland was given to Germany and eastern Poland to the Soviet Union.

  • Germany invades Poland- Europe, continued

    This was significant to Germany and the Soviet Union as it was enforcing their non-aggression pact, making it more likely that the Soviet Union would continue to stick to this pact later by not going to war against Germany. This was also significant for the rest of Europe as well as many British colonies around the world who were made to go to war with Germany just after Poland was invaded. Much of Poland was used by Germany to kill Jewish people in concentration camps set up there.

  • Britain and France declare war on Germany- Europe

    Both Britain and France were allied to Poland so when it was invaded, they gave Germany an ultimatum of leaving Poland, or facing war. Hitler ignored this and on September 3rd, they declared war on Germany. Australia, India, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand also declared war.

  • Britain and France declare war on Germany- Europe, continued

    This was significant because it meant that there was nations against Hitler other than Poland, which it very quickly defeated. This would be significant to the outcome of the war as Hitler would rule Europe without any opposition.

  • Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain- Europe

    Neville Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of Britain but resigned on May 9th in 1940 after many members of Parliament criticised his attitudes to Hitler and war. He nominated Winston Churchill and a Conservative member of Parliament to replace him. The conservative denied the offer and Churchill accepted and became Prime Minister on the 10th. Churchill also became Minister for Defence and filled his Cabinet with military supportive people.

  • Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain- Europe, continued

    Churchill gave a speech on the 13th of May about his great plans for resistance against Hitler and said he would never surrender to Germany. He quickly won support of most people of Britain and this event had a significant effect on the outcome of the war, because Britain had to stand alone in defending against Germany and they needed a strong military focussed leader during this time to not be invaded.

  • Evacuation of Dunkirk- Europe

    Using their blitzkrieg tactics, Germany was able to make a successful attack on France that ended with German troops forcing French and British troops to the coast of France, in a small coastal town called Dunkirk. France was losing badly and the decision was made to evacuate as many allied troops as possible and going to England.

  • Evacuation of Dunkirk- Europe, continued

    This was very successful and hundreds of thousands of people were saved, although a lot of British supplies were left at the beaches of Dunkirk. This was important because it meant Britain would come to a stalemate with Germany because they did not have enough supplies to invade Germany initially, but still had enough soldiers to defend them later.

  • Battle of Britain- Europe, continued

    British Prime Minister Winston Churchill resisted negotiating for peace with Germany and was able to use the Royal Air Force to defeat the Luftwaffe. This meant Britain could fight and survive further in the war and stopped Germany from invading. They still did not have enough military support to defeat or invade Germany, but would be able to defend Britain, putting them in a stalemate.

  • Italy enters the war on side of axis powers- Europe

    Italy officially entered the war on June 10th in 1940. They entered to defend Germany as they had previously made an alliance and it was now clear that they had defeated France. Both nations and their leaders had similar goals at the time and Germany knew they would need allies for the war, so Italy were on their side.

  • Italy enters the war on side of axis powers- Europe, continued

    Italy joined the axis alliance when it was formed by signing the Tripartite Pact on September 27th, 1940. This was significant because it meant Germany had more troops and Italy was keeping up their alliance.

  • Battle of Britain- Europe

    After France had signed an armistice to Germany, Hitler decided that Britain was next. This battle was important for both sides as Britain was the only European nation left in the war that opposed Germany and Britain needed to win to defend itself but if Germany won they would easily be able to invade Britain from their troops in France.

  • France signs armistice with Germany- Europe

    Germany had invaded France and Paris had fallen to Hitler. Military hero of WWI, French Prime Minister, Marshal Henri Petain signed the armistice on June 22nd, and came into effect three days later. It split the country however, Nazi rule heavily effected both sides of France’s citizens.

  • France signs armistice with Germany- Europe, continued

    Two years later, Petain lost all power and the country was run by Pierre Laval who was fascist and worked with the Nazis. The outcome of this was that France’s army lost all power in the war and the Nazis achieved a large success.

  • Tripartite Pact signed- Europe, continued

    This pact was important not only because it gave Hitler more power, but because it really showed what kind of war would occur and how it would be so different from WWI, and many other wars. Each member of the alliance outlined one theatre of war, Japan would take Asia and the Pacific region, Germany would take Europe and Italy would take Africa and the Mediterranean. It also outlined WWII as an idealistic war, because Japan was run by the military and Germany and Italy were fascist.

  • Operation Sea Lion- Europe

    Operation Sea Lion was a failed plan to invade Britain. It had always seemed easy, and probably would have occurred after the Battle of Britain, if Germany had won. If Germany had won the Battle of Britain, Operation Sea Lion and invading Britain would have been a very important and successful step to their goals to take over Europe and defeat the Allies, which is why it is so relevant and important even though it didn’t happen.

  • Tripartite Pact signed- Europe

    When the Tripartite Pact was signed in Berlin, an alliance between Germany, Japan and Italy formed. If one nation was attacked by a nation not already involved in the war, the other two would defend the first. This declaration involved in the pact was to try and convince the U.S. not to try and join the war on the side of the Allies.

  • Operation Sea Lion- Europe, continued

    If Great Britain lost, they would easily be invaded as they had lost a lot of their supplies already at Dunkirk, and would lose a lot more during the Battle of Britain. It was announced on September 17th 1940 that it would not happen, and this was later said to be because Hitler was focussing more on the upcoming invasion of Russia as well as losing the Battle of Britain.

  • Siege of Tobruk- North Africa

    Tobruk was a military base that contained many Australian troops, with some Indian troops and British weaponry. It was important to the Allies, because as long as it were with them, enemies would be forced to transport supplies through 1500 kilometres of the Egyptian desert, rather than using Tobruk’s conveniently located port.

  • Siege of Tobruk- North Africa, continued

    The Australian troops, or ‘rats’ as they were referred to, persistently defended Tobruk but they were eventually overwhelmed by a German/Italian army who killed 749, wounded 1996 and imprisoned 604 Australians in about seven months. Many were evacuated, but even when the siege as over, some soldiers had remained there, alive, from the very start.

  • Operation Barbarossa- Europe

    Operation Barbarossa was the codename for Hitler’s plan to invade the Soviet Union and betray their non-aggression pact. This plan had always existed, even before Hitler agreed to sign the pact but was only initiated June 22nd in 1941. Hitler wanted to take over the Soviet Union to have ‘living space’ for Aryan Germans and Russia has a lot of land and not many people. Unfortunately for Hitler, what he thought would make the Soviet Union ideal to invade,

  • Operation Barbarossa- Europe, continued

    its size, would become why the invasion wasn't successful. The size of the Soviet Union meant that blitzkrieg tactics could not be successful and Germany would have to fight for a long time in the Soviet Union where the freezing winters got the better of the German army, because they were not used to fighting in the Russian winter, as the Soviet army was. This was important as it convinced the Soviet Union, a large military force to enter the war on the side of the Allies.

  • Bombing of Pearl Harbour- Asia and the Pacific

    Pearl Harbour is an American naval base in Hawaii in the United States. After Japan invaded China, occupied French Indochina and joined the Axis powers, America stopped trading materials essential to war such as petroleum that they had previously traded. Almost all trading and financial relations with Japan had been ended by America and so Japanese Prime Minister Tojo Hideki wanted war.

  • Bombing of Pearl Harbour- Asia and the Pacific, continued

    They bombed Pearl Harbour and destroyed many American battleships and planes as well as killing more than 2400 Americans and wounding another 1000. Many of these people were innocent civilians. This was very important to the outcome of the war as the next day, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the process of declaring war against Japan and joining the war on the side of the Allies.

  • Britain and U.S. declare war on Japan- Europe

    The day after Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour, American President at the time, Franklin Roosevelt requested a vote, encouraging people to vote to go to war. This was met with a lot of support and only one vote was against it. The President ended up signing the declaration of war at ten past four in the afternoon to declare war on Japan.

  • Britain and U.S. declare war on Japan- Europe, continued

    When Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour, the day before America declared war, Japan had declared war on the Allies, so Britain joined the U.S. in declaring war against Japan on the 8th of December. This was important as the U.S. and Japan were large military powers that had previously not participated in WWII.

  • Japan takes Singapore- Asia and the Pacific

    Japan fought harshly against Singapore, a British territory in Asia after only declaring war on them a couple of months before. Singapore was important to Britain as it was its main access to Asia and the Pacific because it was so conveniently located. Singapore eventually fell to Japan on February 15th, 1942 and showed every country that wasn’t allied to Japan that they would fight well and fast and should be feared.

  • Japan takes Singapore- Asia and the Pacific, continued

    This was an important turning point of WWII because it was one of Britain’s greatest losses and really made the war into a world war, because it showed a European country fighting outside of Europe.

  • Battle of Midway- Asia and the Pacific

    Japan wanted to destroy more American ships before they would outnumber Japan’s, and before they could recover from the previous Pearl Harbour attack, so they initiated a battle in the Midway Islands, between America and Japan in the Pacific Ocean.

  • Battle of Midway- Asia and the Pacific, continued

    Within three days, America was able to defeat Japan due to American being able to intercept and decode messages about the upcoming attacks and strategies of the Japanese. This victory allowed America to fully enter the war in an offensive position, which is why this was so important for America and its allies, and so destructive for Japan.

  • First Battle of El Alamein- North Africa

    Before the First Battle of El Alamein, British forces had been driven back to Egypt by the German and Italian army, and they were wanting to eventually take Cairo, Egypt’s capital. El Alamein was a small railway stop where the Allies, including British, Australian, New Zealand, South African, and Indian troops took a defensive position.

  • First Battle of El Alamein- North Africa, continued

    They were relying on whether this defensive stance would hold, but at the end of the month when the first battle of El Alamein was over, they had managed to keep this position, causing a stalemate. This was important because if the German/Italian army had taken Cairo, the Allies would have almost no chance in defending North Africa.

  • Battle of Stalingrad- Europe

    The Battle of Stalingrad was a battle where Germany’s army was trying to invade Stalingrad, a city in the Soviet Union. The outcome of this battle was important for both sides because, if Germany won they would be able to invade the rest of the Soviet Union much more easily, and the Soviet Union needed Stalingrad as an industrial centre, especially during war.

  • Battle of Stalingrad- Europe, continued

    The Soviet Union was able to defend their city turning the war in favour of the Allies, but almost two million people, including civilians, died.

  • Second Battle of El Alamein- North Africa

    After the Allies had managed to defend North Africa from the Axis powers using their defensive position in El Alamein, the Allies were able to attack the Axis powers, after getting a new commander. The Axis powers suspected this was coming and had recruited more troops however this only made up about half the amount of troops that the Allies had and they lost in about ten days. This was important as it made a crucial part in ensuring Allied victory in North Africa.

  • D-Day Landings- Europe

    The D-Day Landings was the Allies’ very thought-out plan with the aim of liberating France from German control. About 156,000 American, Canadian and British troops landed on five beaches in Normandy, France. Allied troops managed to reach and liberate Paris in just under three months.

  • D-Day Landings- Europe, continued

    Many died during this mission and just on their first day, June 6th, about 4000 Allied troops died on the beaches of Normandy. This was still a success however, and the Allies were able to liberate France from Germany, which was the start to ending the war with an Allied victory.

  • Battle of the Bulge- Europe

    After the Allies had successfully liberated France, they made a defensive line that was going after Germany. Germany tried to stop this by creating an attack against the weakest part of the defence line. They created a bulge where they were able to push back parts of the Allied defence line. Hitler wanted to do this as it would be the easiest place to push the line back as there were less people, and because he didn’t want the Allies to be able to start an attack in Germany.

  • Mussolini captured and executed- Europe

    In July 1943, Benito Mussolini was removed from power in Italy, and was placed under house arrest. By September, Nazis had organised to rescue Mussolini and he was kept with them until April 1945. He then was allowed to revisit Milan, where he tried to escape Italy with his girlfriend. He was caught, however, and they were both executed by machine gun fire the next day, April 28th. His body was beaten by citizens of Italy the day after.

  • Hitler commits suicide- Europe

    For a while, Hitler had known that Germany could not win the war. He was advised that Russians were only a couple of days away from overtaking his chancellery, where he had spent most of the last part of the war, and that he should escape to a small town where he owned a home. Hitler went against this advice and killed himself, as did his wife and dog, by taking a cyanide pill. Hitler also decided to shoot himself in the head. Their bodies were then cremated.

  • German forces surrender- Europe

    When Hitler killed himself, he elected Karl Donitz to replace him. American General Dwight Eisenhower ordered that Germany gave a full surrender in all theatres of war. The German General Alfred Jodl presented this request to Donitz even though Jodl hoped for only a surrender in the West.

  • German forces surrender- Europe, continued

    Donitz agreed to the request and ordered Jodl sign it. If he had not signed it, Eisenhower already had a plan for how they would create a stalemate with Germany until they finally would agree to sign it. This was important as it would officially end the fighting.

  • V.E. Day- Europe, continued

    It also meant the German surrender with a ceasefire and the release of about 13,000 prisoners of war being returned to Britain. About 2 million Germans in Russia trying to escape were captured just before or after the German surrender was officially announced. This was important as it properly signified the end of the war and sharply changed the morale of people in their home countries or who were fighting in the war.

  • V.E. Day- Europe

    After the Germans had officially surrendered and the fighting was over in Europe, citizens, as well as politicians, celebrated V.E. day, or Victory in Europe day. All throughout Britain and the U.S., there were flags and streamers to celebrate the end of the fighting because they could feel the difference even just on the home front with no rations and soldiers returning home.

  • Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima- Asia and the Pacific

    At 8:16 in the morning of August the 6th 1945, the first atomic bomb used in warfare is dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Immediately, 80,000 people died, and 35,000 more are injured. By the end of that year, 60,000 more people would be dead because of the effects of this bomb. Previously, the Japanese had requested complete surrender from the Americans, but President Harry Truman decided

  • Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima- Asia and the Pacific, continued

    that more civilians would die if there were a Japanese invasion of America, compared to this bomb, which is why he decided to send it to Hiroshima knowing it would kill innocent people. This was an important part of history as it introduced atomic bombs into warfare, where there used to be nothing like it. It also defended America from Japan, stopped America from surrendering and encouraging the Japanese to instead, turning the current lean of the war.

  • Soviet Union declares war on Japan- Asia and the Pacific

    Even after Hiroshima was bombed, Japan did not completely surrender to the Americans as they had hoped. In fact, most of Japan did not even know anything had happened there. After this happened, the Soviet Union decided to declare war on Japan, and officially entered the Asia Pacific theatre of war.

  • Soviet Union declares war on Japan- Asia and the Pacific, continued

    They immediately sent one million troops to Manchuria occupied by Japan, which is now north east China, where only 700,000 Japanese troops were waiting. Japan did not expect the Soviet Union to enter the Asia Pacific theatre of war so quickly so, when they did, many reconsidered surrendering who said it was out of the question when they say how they were outnumbered, which is why it was an important event of WWII.

  • Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki- Asia and the Pacific

    On August 9th in 1945, another atomic bomb was dropped in Japan by America, ultimately causing Japan to surrender the war to America. Before this happened, many members of the Japanese War Council were unsure if surrendering was the right decision, and had been thinking about this for a while.

  • Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki- Asia and the Pacific

    They didn’t give up until this moment however. This was the aim of the Americans releasing the bomb, and their success was very important to the outcome of the war as it was what made the Japanese people surrender and ended the war.

  • Japanese surrender- end of WWII- Asia and the Pacific

    After Nagasaki in Japan was bombed, Japan decided definitively that they were going to fully surrender the war to the Allies. The two bombs had large negative effects on the nation’s economy and much of the country’s military supplies such as ships and planes, were destroyed.

  • Japanese surrender- end of WWII- Asia and the Pacific, continued

    The Japanese Prime Minister announced to its people and to America that it would surrender on August 15th at noon and the U.S. immediately accepted this. The Prime Minister, Kantaro Suzuki, waited until September 2nd for the ceremony of their surrender to wait for all leaders of major Allied powers to be available. This was very significant as it was the official end to WWII.

  • United Nations is born

    After the First World War, the League of Nations was created however, it was not always very successful for many reasons. The concept of it though, was a good idea with the potential to be an important part of keeping peace between nations around the world. In early 1942, the original U.N. Declaration was written up to oppose the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan and was signed by 26 nations. The United Nations Charter would be signed on October 24th.