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Invasion of Poland
Germany started World War II by invading Poland on September 1, 1939. -
British and France Declare War
Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany on September 3. -
Invasion of Denmark and Norway
The relative lull in fighting which followed the defeat of Poland ended on April 9, 1940, when German forces invaded Norway and Denmark. -
Invasion of Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg
On May 10, 1940, Germany began its assault on western Europe by invading the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg). -
Italy Joins the Axis
Italy, a member of the Axis (countries allied with Germany), joined the war on June 10, 1940. -
France Surrenders
On June 22, 1940, France signed an armistice with Germany, which provided for the German occupation of the northern half of the country and permitted the establishment of a collaborationist regime in the south with its seat in the city of Vichy. -
Russia Takes Control
With German encouragement, the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states in June 1940 and formally annexed them in August 1940. -
Attack On Peral Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japan (one of the Axis powers) bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States immediately declared war on Japan. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), as part of a massive military operation, over 150,000 Allied soldiers landed in France, which was liberated by the end of August. -
Germany Forced to Surrenders
As Soviet troops fought their way towards the Reich Chancellery, Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Western Allies at Reims and on May 9 to the Soviets in Berlin.
