-
HItler is elected chancellor
In January 1933, Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany. By this time, the economic pressures of the Great Depression combined with the uncertain, self-serving nature of its elected politicians had brought government in Germany to a complete standstill. The people were without jobs, without food, quite afraid and desperate for relief. They thought that Hitler would be a great ruler, and make things better. -
first Nazi concentration camp is established
Hitler established the first concentration camp soon after he came to power in 1933. The system grew to include about 100 camps divided into two types: concentration camps for slave labor in nearby factories and death camps for the extermination of "undesirable people" such as Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally retarded and others. -
Germany invades Poland
At the end of World War 1 Poland was recreated: it had been divided up between Russia, Austria and Prussia in stages in. In 1918-19, after World War I a huge part of Germany was transferred to Poland. In the majority of these regions the population was ethnically mixed and some of the area was largely German. Hitler wanted the territory returned to Germany.
As a result of WWI, East Prussia was cut off from Germany, which, in the eyes of German nationalists, created an unacceptable Polish corr -
Britian and France declare war on germany
On September 1, 1939 German troops swarmed across the Polish border and unleashed the first Blitzkrieg the world had seen. Hitler had been planning his attack since March - ever since German troops occupied Czechoslovakia. The Polish people suspected thatmuch and readied their defenses. Unfortunately the Polish people based their defensive strategy on the experiences of World War I. Britain and France had sworn to defend Poland. Honoring this duty, the two countries demanded Hitlers withdrawal f -
canada declares war on germany
Many Canadians were shocked that Britain and France were at war with Germany yet again. In World War I, many Canadians paraded the streets at the declaration of war, but now, very few did. Many Canadians did not enjoy the idea of having more lives lost. When Canada declared war the army only had about 10 000 soldiers. Because of the Depression during the 1930s the Canadian government cut back on military spending. The army only had 14 tanks, 29 Bren guns, 23 anti-tank rifles, and 5 small mortar -
germany attacks westren europe
Germany’s plan for attack on Western Europe was based entirely on blitzkrieg. Germany’s plan was to avoid a frontal assault on the Maginot Line. Which would harmfully impact the maneuverability required by blitzkrieg, and to attack Belgium and France via the Ardennes, an area considered extremely difficult to cross by tanks by both the French and British. The Germans made a theory that an attack on the Netherlands would be successful, they also assumed that the Belgium Army would also crumble wi -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
Under the codename Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 in the largest German military operation of World War 1. Over 3.9 million troops of the Axis powers. invaded the USSR along a 2,900 km front. The largest invasion in the history of warfare. Barbarossa involved 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses. the operation resulted in 95% of the German Army casualties from 1941 to 1944 and 65% of all the allied military casualties accumulated throughout the -
Japan attacks Hong Kong
The first Canadian infantry battle of the Second World War was a disaster. As the world recovers from the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces also invade Hong Kong, a front considered useable at the time and largely forgotten ever since. Nearly 2,000 Canadian soldiers posted to the colony, the 18-day Battle of Hong Kong was a desperate and hopeless struggle that ended in capture and defeat. -
Japan attacks the U.S.A (pearl harbor)
They were trying to become the big power in East Asia and the Pacific. They wanted to control all these territories so that they could use the materials in them for their own industries. Before hand Japan dropped an atomic bomb on Pearl Harbor. Then the Americans took charge and fought against the,. They took huge amounts of territory in early 1942 because we weren't strong enough to stop them. 2,403 died, 188 destroyed planes and 8 damaged or destroyed battleships. -
The Deippe Raid
Canadian soldiers dashed forward in the noise of machine-gun and mortar fire that targeted them in Dieppe. They fell, mowed down by bullets, hit by mortar shells. Some tried to reach the seawall bordering the beach, hoping to find shelter. They were to be made prisoner after a few hours of useless resistance. -
The canadians take over juno beach
Near Southampton, England, the men of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armored Brigade had already boarded the ships. LCA sailed off at dawn, followed by the large landing crafts for infantry and tanks. Attempting to take over Juno beach on D- Day. -
The Allies discover the nazi death camps
Concentration and slave-labour camps were places of suffering and death, packed with starving, dehydrated, disease-ridden prisoners. As the Allies advanced towards Auschwitz, the Germans transported the camp's inmates into an over-full, concentration camp. American army units were the first to discover such camps, when on 4 April 1945 they liberated the recently-abandoned slave labour camp at Ohrdruf, in Thuringia, Germany. British and Amer -
The war ends!
American forces had been steadily gaining ground in the Pacific since late 1942. By 1945 we were able to begin using large bombers operating out of China and Islands to destroy utterly their cities. They cut off mamny of our imports. By mid 1945 Japan was unable to maintain enough industrial production. They were raided by bombers which they had no defense and their population was in danger of starvation. Then, on August 6 and August 9 the United States droppe