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Manhattan Project Began
The Manhattan Project was a secret research and development project of the U.S to develop the atomic bomb. Its success yielded the atomic bombs that ended the war with Japan. -
Nazi Germany Invaded Poland
In September of 1939, after signing the non-aggression pact with Russia, Hitler sent German tanks and troops across the Polish border at the same time Warsaw was being bombed. -
Sitzkrieg
The Sitzkrieg was a "phony war" where Britain and France waited to see what Hitler would do next. -
France Fell to Germany
France was unable to defend itself and its army was army poorly trained,so civilians fled, and the Luftwaffe bombed them. By June 14th, the Germans had Paris, and by June 22nd, France officially surrendered. -
America First Committee Launched
This committee was the opposition to those who advocated for anti-isolationism and for the U.S. to aid other democratic nations. They were formed in 1940 with the re-election of F.D.R. -
Destroyers-for- Bases Deal
The deal was an agreement between the U.S. and the UK on September 2nd, 1940, where the U.S. transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from our Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. -
Congress Instituted the Draft
This was F.D.R.'s conscription law made for training 1.2 million troops and 800,000 reserves every year. -
Battle of Britain
This battle happened when German planes attacked airfields then aircraft factories and finally cities.The British Air Forces used radar technology developed in late 1930's. The Enigma machine helped the British decode what German messages said. The battle ended in May 10, 1941 when Germany stopped attacking England and moved on to the Mediterranean and eastern Europe. -
Lend-Lease
The Lend-Lease Act was the legislation that gave President Franklin D. Roosevelt the powers to sell, transfer, exchange, lend equipment to any country to help it defend itself against the Axis powers. -
Four Freedoms
This was the speech where F.D.R. stated the four basic freedoms of the American people:: freedom of speech, freedom of worship freedom from want, and freedom from fear. -
USS Kearny Attacked
The USS Kearny was an American boat that was torpedoed by German U-boats. -
Reuben James Sank
The USS Reuben James was sunk in October of 1941, just two months before the attacks at Pearl Harbor. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
This was the event that pushed the U.S. to enter the war; it was a surprise attack by the Japanese on the main U.S. Pacific Fleet harbored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 18 U.S. ships and roughly 200 U.S. airplanes were destroyed, as well as around 30,000 casualties for the Americans. Japan only suffered about 100 losses. -
Battle of Bataan
The Battle of Bataan began on January 1, 1942, and the Allies were at a great disadvantage, seeing as they were low on rations and were suffering from the harsh environment and sickness; in the end, they were forced to surrender, and Bataan fell into the hands of the Japanese. -
Bataan Death March
After the Battle of Bataan, roughly 75,000 U.S. and Filipino were taken prisoner after being forced to surrender, and had to endure a 60-mile walk to various prison camps, known as the "Bataan Death March;" it earned its name because roughly 10,000 prisoners died or were killed. -
Battle of Coral Sea
This was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy and American and Australian naval and air forces. It took place in the Pacific Theater of the War, and ultimately the Allies halted the Japanese advance. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a major victory for the U.S. The battle lasted for four days near the small American outpost at Midway Island, and at the end, the U.S. emerged victorious despite great losses. The American navy destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and lost only one of its own. -
Island Hopping Campaign Begins
The whole "Island Hopping" strategy's goal was to bypass heavily fortified islands and starve and bomb the smaller surrounding ones to push the Japanese back. The U.S. also wanted to protect Alaska from Japanese invasion. -
Battle of El Alamein
This battle took place in North Africa and resulted in the British defeating Italian and German forces in El Alamein. Soon after, the Allies were able to take back more land from the French puppet gov't run by Nazis. -
Tehran Conference
This was the strategic meeting between Joseph Stalin, F.D.R., and Winston Churchill. It was held in the Soviet Union's embassy in Tehran, Iran. The agreement reached was to open a second front against Nazi Germany. -
Casablanca Conference
This was a wartime conference held in Casablanca, Morocco that was attended by Charles de Gaulle, Winston Churchill, and F.D.R. The Allies demanded the surrender of the axis, agreed to aid the Soviets, agreed on the invasion Italy, and the joint leadership of the Free French by De Gaulle and Giraud. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning point of the war in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. -
D-Day
D-Day consisted of over a million troops who stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. This was a major turning point in favor of the Allies in the war. -
MacArthur Returned to the Philippines
General MacArthur and U.S. troops returned to the Philippines in 1944 and kicked the Japanese out. The Philippines were granted independence by the U.S. in 1946 -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge happened when Germany staged a massive counterattack against Allied forces in Belgium and Luxembourg which made a 30 mile "bulge" into the Allied lines. The Allies stopped the German advance and pushed them back across the Rhine River; the Germans suffered great losses. -
FDR Elected to a 4th Term
F.D.R. was re-elected in 1944, determined to see the war through, though his health was deteriorating quickly. He died during this fourth term and was replaced by his V.P., Harry S. Truman. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference took place in Yalta, Russia, between the "Big Three": F.D.R., Churchill, and Stalin. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR the regaining of territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima happened when Marines landed in the Pacific in what was the largest all-Marine battle in history. The US suffered over 7,000 casualties, but still ended up capturing the island. This American victory at Iwo Jima increased the air support and bombing operations against the Japanese home islands. -
Battle of Okinawa
Okinawa was the first Japanese home island to be invaded. Island of immense strategic value. It consisted over 500,000 troops and over 1,200 ships. The battle made light of the determination of the Japanese to resist invasion. The U.S. suffered over 12,000 losses and the Japanese lost a staggering 100,000 men. The battle lasted for 3 months and ended in an Allied victory. -
FDR Died / Harry Truman Became President
Truman (D) became the president after Roosevelt's death at the beginning of his fourth term. He was responsible for ending the WWII by dropping atomic bombs on Japan and continuing FDR's New Deal Policies. -
VE Day
VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, was the day when the Germans surrendered. -
Potsdam Conference
This conference was held between the "Big Three," where they discussed compromise where each side would take reparations from its own occupation zone, divide up Germany, and create a Council of Foreign Ministers. This conference marked the end of their wartime alliance. -
Little Boy Dropped on Hiroshima
"Little Boy" was the bomb that the U.S. dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August of 1945. It killed anywhere between 90,000 and 145,000 Japanese citizens. -
Fat Man Dropped on Nagasaki
"Fat Man" was the name of the bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, just three days after the dropping of "Little Boy" on Hiroshima. An estimated 80,000 people were killed. -
VJ Day
VJ Day, or Victory in Japan Day, occurred on September 2nd, 1945, when the surrender treaty was signed aboard the USS Missouri. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany, where judges from the Allied powers presided over the hearings of twenty-two major Nazi criminals, twelve of whom were sentenced to death. -
Japanese War Crime Trials
The Japanese War Crime Trials, a.k.a. the Tokyo War Criminal Trials, took place from 1946 to 1948. Forty-eight top Japanese war criminals were tried; eighteen were sentenced to prison time and seven were hanged.
