-
Invasion of Poland
Who?: Poland, Germany, Soviet Union, and Slovak Republic
What?: Germany, Soviet Union, and the Slovaks teamed up to invade Poland which started WW2.
Where?: Poland
Why?: Hitler wanted to annex different territories around Germany to create puppet states for economic gain.
Interesting Fact: Over 2000 tanks and 1000 planes were used on Warsaw.
Impact on the War: This event started WW2. Because of an agreement Poland had with Britain and France, both countries declared war on Germany. -
Britain and France declare war
Who?: Britain and France
What?: Declare war on Germany
Where?: In Britain and France respectively
Why?: Because they had an agreement with Poland, when Germany invaded, Britain and France were forced to declare war.
Interesting Fact: The prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, raised his hat and saluted the crowd on 10 Downing Street the day he declared war.
Impact on the War: This was what commenced World War 2 and 6 more years of combat to follow. -
Hitler Invades France
Who?: Germany and France mostly
What?: Germany invaded France using the strategy called "Blitzkrieg". It's essentially a very quick attack with a large concentration of offensive weapons in an area
Where?: France
Why?: To prevent French and allied air power which threatened the industrial areas in Ruhr
Interesting Fact: Paris was declared an open city and immediately removed all forces to prevent its destruction
Impact on the War: It helped establish Germany as the most powerful force in Europe -
Period: to
Miracle at Dunkirk
Who?: British and French troops
What?: The evacuation of French and British soldiers from the port of Dunkirk.
Where?: Dunkirk, France
Why?: Nazi Germany's invasion of France pushed all the allied troops to the Dunkirk port, thus causing allied ships to carry their troops to Britain
Interesting Fact: Around 338,000 soldiers were rescued in 9 days during the miracle of Dunkirk
Impact on the War: It gave a huge boost of confidence to the allied troops and saved hundreds of thousands from death -
Period: to
Battle of Britain
Who?: German and British Air Forces
What?: The successful defense of Britain from constant German air raids
Where?: In the skies above the UK
Why?: Germany needed to control the English channel and the battle prevented this from happening
Interesting Fact: One of the Germans biggest raids killed just over three thousand civilians
Impact on the War: It was very important because it proved to everyone that Germany was a beatable force and that it was not impossible to defend against them -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Who?: Japan and the USA
What?: The Japanese navy launched a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor
Where?: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Why?: The Japanese intended to destroy the American Pacific fleet so they could continue their domination of Southeast Asian countries.
Interesting Fact: The only Japanese ship that was involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor and survive the whole war was the Ushio
Impact on the War: The attack resulted in the US declaring war on the Japanese -
USA Enters the War
Who?: USA, Franklin Roosevelt
What?: American president Franklin Roosevelt declares war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Where?: US Capitol, Washington DC
Why?: Because the attacks on Pearl Harbor forced the Americans to join the war. They were not just going to let this happen without consequences
Interesting Fact: Only one vote was against declaring war on Japan
Impact on the War: It gave the allies an advantage, as they gained millions more soldiers, tanks and planes in the war -
Period: to
Battle of Midway
Who?: Japan and US naval forces
What?: A naval battle between the Japanese that lasted several days. The victor would gain dominance in the Pacific
Where?: Midway
Why?: The Japanese hoped to defeat the US and use Midway as a base to attack Pearl Harbor again
Interesting Fact: Even though the Japanese were the clear favorites to win the battle, the US managed to deal heavy casualties and win
Impact on the War: Stopped the growth of the Japanese empire and allowed the US to begin reducing it -
Raid on Dieppe
Who?: Canada, Britain, and America
What?: An attack on the town of Dieppe that ended in failure
Where?: Dieppe, France
Why?: To gain experience and test out millitary equipment needed for an attack on a French port to defeat Germany
Interesting Fact: Only about half of the Canadians who took part in the raid made it back to Britain safely
Impact on the War: It was a disaster but the allies did gain some intel on how to approach an amphibious attack on the Germans -
Period: to
Battle of Stalingrad
Who?: Soviet Union and Germany
What?: An important battle in the town of Stalingrad that lead to a decisive win for the USSR over Germany
Where?: Stalingrad
Why?: The Germans wanted to control the city because of its industrial benefits and to cut off supplies to the allies using the Volga River
Interesting Fact: The life expectancy for a Soviet soldier in Stalingrad was 24 hours
Impact on the War: Stopped the Germans from advancing into the Soviet Union and turned the war in the allies favor -
Period: to
D-Day
Who?: Allied forces and the Germans
What?: Allied invasion of the beaches in Normandy
Where?: Normandy, France
Why?: It was the start of the campaign to liberate Europe from German forces
Interesting Fact: 156,000 allied soldiers landed on the beach on the first day of the invasion
Impact on the War: The turning point for the allies in the war. The Germans were defeated less than a year after the invasion. -
End of WW2 in Europe
Who?: Allied and Axis forces
What?: Germany surrendering all of it's military forces to the allies
Where?: The Germans signed the surrender in Reims, France
Why?: The German military was completely surrounded by allied forces and no longer had to ability to fight back
Interesting Fact: Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30 1945, 8 days later the war was declared over
Impact on the War: Allowed the allied powers to move their focus over to the Japanese -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima
Who?: US and Japan
What?: The Americans dropped their first atomic bomb on the Japanese
Where?: Hiroshima
Why?: Because the US wanted to end the war. If the US had dropped their bomb on a non populated piece of land, it would not have fazed the Japanese
Interesting Fact: The bomb had an explosive yield of 15000 tonnes of TNT
Impact on the War: Was a warning that the US would continue dropping bombs on the Japanese until they surrendered and weren't afraid to use nuclear weapons against them -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
Who?: America and Japan
What?: The Americans dropped their second atomic bomb on the Japanese
Where?: Nagasaki
Why?: Since the Japanese had not surrendered after the first bomb the US decided they would keep bombing cities until the Japanese surrendered
Interesting Fact: Kyoto was the original location for the bomb but because of it's history and beauty, Nagasaki was chosen instead
Impact on the War: The Japanese surrendered unconditionally about a month after the Americans dropped the bomb -
End of WW2
Who?: Allies and Axis
What?: The end of World War 2
Where?: Japan formally surrendered on the battleship Missouri, in the Tokyo Bay
Why?: Because the Japanese would not be able to defend against the atomic bombs the US were producing
Interesting Fact: On August 15 1945, Emperor Hirohito sent out a radio message signalling the surrender of Japan
Impact on the War: This radio message ultimately signaled an end to World War 2. After six long years of fighting, it was finally over