-
Invasion of Poland
Nazi Germany invaded Poland, the act that started World War II.
Were 1.5 million German troops invade Poland all along its border with German-controlled territory. Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action, but Britain and France were not convinced. Coulondre, Robert. "Telephone Communication from Robert Coulondr." Lillian Goldman Law Library: Yale Law School. Yale Law School, 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Sept. 1939. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/fr2.asp. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
On this day in 1939, in response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, Britain and France, both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany. -
France surrenders to Germany
The French government signed an armistice with Nazi Germany just six weeks after the Nazis launched their invasion of Western Europe. -
Period: to
October 1940
October 31, 1940 - The Battle of Britain ends. The powerful German Luftwaffe fails to crush British morale. October 28, 1940 - Italy invades Greece. -
End of Battle of Britain and Italy Invades Greece
October 31, 1940 - The Battle of Britain ends. The powerful German Luftwaffe fails to crush British morale. October 28, 1940 - Italy invades Greece. -
Period: to
March 1941
The U.S. Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act giving Roosevelt the authority to sell, transfer, or lease war goods to the government of any Allied country, ending American neutrality. -
President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act
The U.S. Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act giving Roosevelt the authority to sell, transfer, or lease war goods to the government of any Allied country, ending American neutrality. -
Operation Barbossa
German soldiers battle the Russians after the start of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Soviet Russia. Barbarossa the largest military attack of World War Two and was to have appalling consequences for the Russian people. Trepper, Leopold. "The Great Game." Operation Barbossa. 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 1977. http://spartacus-educational.com/RUSbarbarossa.htm. -
Goering orders Heydrich to prepare for the Final Solution
Herman Goering, under instructions from Hitler, ordered Reinhard Heydrich, "to submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired final solution of the Jewish question." -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. The attack sank or beached a total of twelve ships and damaged nine others. 160 aircraft were destroyed and 150 others damaged.
http://www.infamydecember1941.org/images/ph-prop3-lg.jpg -
The Final Solution Begins
The SS estimates that the "Final Solution" will involve 11 million European Jews, including those from non-occupied countries such as Ireland, Sweden, Turkey, and Great Britain. Between the fall of 1941 and the fall of 1944, the German railways transport millions of people to their deaths in killing centers in occupied Poland. -
Doolittle's Raid
The April 1942 air attack on Japan, launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet and led by Colonel James H. Doolittle, was the most daring operation yet undertaken by the United States in the young Pacific War. Though conceived as a diversion that would also boost American and allied morale, the raid generated strategic benefits that far outweighed its limited goals. Doolittle, James H. "James H. Doolittle Individual Report on Tokyo Raid." 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 5 June 1942. <http://www.doolittleraide -
Battle of Midway
June 4-7, 1942
The Battle of Midway effectively destroyed Japan’s naval strength when the Americans destroyed four of its aircraft carriers. Japan’s navy never recovered from its mauling at Midway and it was on the defensive after this battle. "The Battle of Midway Including The Aleutian Phase." Midway 1942. 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. -
Period: to
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway effectively destroyed Japan’s naval strength when the Americans destroyed four of its aircraft carriers. Japan’s navy never recovered from its mauling at Midway and it was on the defensive after this battle.
http://www.midway1942.org/docs/u -
Guadalcanal Campaign
August 7, 1942- Feb 1943 In the Island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II. When the US Marines landed on August 7th. The landing at Guadalcanal was unopposed - but it took the Americans six months to defeat the Japanese in what was to turn into a classic battle of attrition. Croce, Nancy. "Guadalcanal Journal: To Hell and Back." One Marine’s Story of the Battle Of Guadalcanal. N.p., 7 Aug. 1942. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fguadalcanaljournal.com>. -
Period: to
Guadalcanal Campaign
In the Island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II. When the US Marines landed on August 7th. The landing at Guadalcanal was unopposed - but it took the Americans six months to defeat the Japanese in what was to turn into a classic battle of attrition.
http://guadalcanaljournal.com -
D-Day landings on the northern coast of France
More than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France -
Battle of the Bulge
The battle was a last ditch attempt by Hitler to split the Allies in two in their drive towards Germany and destroy their ability to supply themselves. Jagodinski, Joseph. "Primary Resources: Soldiers' Battlefield Accounts." PBS. 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 1944. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference took place in a Russian resort town in the Crimea. At Yalta, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin made important decisions regarding the future progress of the war and the postwar world. -
U.S. Troops Land in Okinawa
It was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific theater of World War II. It also resulted in the largest casualties with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the Allies. -
Unconditional surrender of all German forces to Allies
The German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northwestern France. -
First atomic bomb dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan
American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure.
http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/8.pdf -
Second atomic bomb dropped, on Nagasaki, Japan.
Moments after the atomic bomb was dropped by a U.S. B-29 Superfortress, a cloud forms over the Japanese city of Nagasaki rising over 60,000 feet "Truman." 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 21 May 1945. http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/8.pdf. -
Japan Surrenders
The Japanese envoy signs the Document of Surrender on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo bay. "First Instrument of Surrender." Yale Law School. 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 July 1945. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/j4.asp.
