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Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. By 1937 Japan controlled large sections of China, and war crimes against the Chinese became commonplace. -
Anschluss Incident
Treaty of Versailles 1919 Polish–Soviet War 1919 Treaty of Trianon 1920 Treaty of Rapallo 1920 Franco-Polish alliance 1921 March on Rome 1922 Corfu incident 1923 Occupation of the Ruhr 1923–1925 Mein -
Munich Agreement
Most of Europe celebrated the Munich agreement, which was presented as a way to prevent a major war on the continent. The four powers agreed to the German annexation of the Czechoslovak borderland areas named the Sudetenland, where more than three million people, mainly ethnic Germans, lived. -
Britain rearms and reassures Poland
while signing the treaty of Munich, handed over Czechoslovakia over to Germany and it showed that Hitler wanted to control all of Europe and have it as his own. March 1939, Britain rearms and reassures Poland. Britain had been rearming and secretly installing a early radar system along the east coast of Poland. -
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SEPT 1939 - MAY 1940
The term 'phoney war' refers to the period at the beginning of WWII between September 1939 and April 1940 when there was little fighting. It was brought to an abrupt end by the German invasion of Norway in April 1940. The term is thought to have been coined by an American Senator called Borah. -
Russia and Germany sign pact
On August 23, 1939–shortly before World War II (1939-45) broke out in Europe–enemies Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, in which the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. -
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Hitler invades poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September campaign, 1939 defensive war, and Poland campaign, was an attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. -
United Kingdom declaration of war on Germany
The United Kingdom declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland. France also declared war on Germany later the same day. The state of war was announced to the British public in an 11 AM radio broadcast by prime minister Neville Chamberlain. in response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, Britain and France, both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany. -
British rout italians in N. Africa
A mobile armored force under Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor outflanked the Italians at Beda Fomm and pursued them 840 km (500 miles) back to Libya. Wavell's offensive ended at El Agheila on 7 February 1941 with the destruction of nine Italian divisions and the capture of 130,000 men. -
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a term used to describe a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces, including armored tanks and air support. Such an attack ideally leads to a quick victory, limiting the loss of soldiers and artillery. Blitzkrieg, meaning 'Lightning War', was the method of offensive warfare responsible for Nazi Germany's military successes in the early years of the Second World War. -
chamberlain resigns
He soon came under attack from all political sides after the disastrous first months of war, when Germany looked set for a rapid victory. Unable to form a national government himself, he resigned in May 1940 after the failure of the British efforts to liberate Norway. -
Dunkirk (operation dynamo)
Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk, involved the rescue of more than 338,000 British and French soldiers from the French port of Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940. The evacuation, sometimes referred to as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was a big boost for British morale. -
APRIL/MAY 1940
Under the code name 'Operation Weserübung', Nazi Germany attacked Denmark and Norway on 9 April 1940. On that same day, Denmark surrendered and was occupied. The country was a useful base of operations for the fight against Norway. The Norwegians resisted for two months but surrendered on 9 June 1940. -
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Battle of Britain
The battle begins with the Kanalkampf, or Channel Battles phase when the Germans launched sustained attacks against British shipping to prevent much-needed supplies from reaching the beleaguered British Isles. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis power
Italy joined the war as one of the Axis Powers in 1940, as the French Third Republic surrendered, with a plan to concentrate Italian forces on a major offensive against the British Empire in Africa and the Middle East, known as the "parallel war", while expecting the collapse of British forces in the European theatre. -
France signs armistice with Germany
On 22 June 1940, the French delegation signed the Armistice agreement imposed by Germany at the very location of the 1918 Armistice signing. This entailed France's surrender in the Second World War. -
tripartite pact
The Tripartite Pact was the agreement concluded by Germany, Italy, and Japan on September 27, 1940, one year after the start of World War II. It created a defense alliance between the countries and was largely intended to deter the United States from entering the conflict. -
Italy and Germany attack Yugoslavia
Hitler launched the assault in order to overthrow the recently established pro-Allied government in Yugoslavia and to support the stalling Italian invasion of Greece The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II.
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Hitler attacks Russia – Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa, original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war. -
pearl harbor
earl Harbor attack, (December 7, 1941), surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II. The strike climaxed a decade of worsening relations between the United States and Japan.
