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Period: to
World War 2 Beginning and End
This timeline will show important events that occurred during World War 2. -
The Anschluss with Austria
Germany created a Union with Austria. Austria wanted a pact with Germany before, but Hitler made many terms that Austria as a whole did not agree with. However, a Pro-Nazi society arose and Hitler hoped it would pave the way for him to invade. In 1938 an Austrian Chanceller finally agreed to Hitler's terms, in hoped Austria would not suffer an invasion. However, a German agent in the Austrian government faked a call for help to the Germans. Troops of Germans invaded Austria and engulfed them. -
Treaty of Munich
On September 30,1938 Hitler, Neville Chamberlain (British Prime Minister), and Edouard Daladier (French Prime Minister), signed an agreement that averted war; however, in this agreement, Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia was given to the German. On Sept. 22 Germany wanted complete cession of Sudetenland in one month. Hitler made some demands and Chamberlain and Daladier, not seeing the danger lying ahead, went to Munich and gave in to Hitler's demands on Sept. 30th. -
Hitler Takes Czechoslovakia
Both Prime Ministers of Britain and France were fooled by Hitler's words. Hitler told them that this was the extent of his expansion. Chamberlain even signed a second page with Hitler saying that there will be peace. Chamberlain flew back to Germany and congratulated the Pact for inviting "peace with honor" and "peace in out time". The very next day German annexed Sudetenland and the rest of Czechoslovakia chose submission. In March, Hitler annexed the rest of the country and it was no more. -
Britain Re-arms the Reassures Poland
After the annexing of Czechoslovakia, Fuhrer then threatened Poland of the same fate. Britain was beginning to rearm themselves and setting up a secret radar system across the east coast that warned them of danger. Britain assured Poland that the same fate would not come to them as well. -
Germany and Russia Sign a Ten Year Pact
On August 23,1939, right before WWII began in Europe, Germany signed an agreement with Russia agreeing that neither country would attack each other for ten years. Germany wanted the Pact so they would be able to attack Poland without interference, and the Soviet Union signed the pact so they could build up their army. However, the pact fell apart in 1941 when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. -
Hitler Invades Poland
On Sept. 1, 1939 Hitler invaded Poland. Many consider this as the day WWII began. Germany was well equipped and was strategic. They used a technique that would later be called "blitzkrieg strategy." They would bomb their victims from above and weaken them, then they would take from the ground. Even though Poland hand a big military, it was no match for Germans size and strength. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
Both Britain and France declare war on Germany only two days after Poland was attacked. The first casualty of the considered declaration was when a German U-30 submarine sunk a ship, Athenia. Many lives were lost including 28 Americans, yet America stayed neutral. Britain dropped anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets over Germany, 13 tons of them. Then they began dropping bombs on German ships on Sept. 4. They had orders not to harm German civilians, even though the Germans had no restrictions. -
Phoney War
Between Sept. 1st 1939- May 1940 many considered this period as the Phoney War because there was no known or seen activity from Germany. -
Hitler Invades Norway and Denmark
After months of no surface, Germany finally attacks Norway. Even though Britain set up mines around Norway, the Nazis still get through. They were let in on the order of former foreign minister, Vidkun Quisling. A few hours after the attack a German minister wanted to commence Norway's surrender to Germany. But the government said no. The Germans then organized a parachute attack organized by the traitor Quisling. Norway eventually fell with the lack of British allies. Denmark surrendered quick. -
Blitzkrieg
The blitzkrieg is a type of strategical battle plan also called Lightening War. Hitler used these tactics against Holland and Belgium. Many cities were bombed to the ground, Rotterdam was literally gone. Both Holland and Belgium were both taken over by Germany. -
Chamberlain Resigns
Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain resigns his spot, because he lost popular vote in the House of Commons. He was held responsible for promising peace in our time by signing the Munich Treaty and after British forces failed to keep Norway he was no longer in favor. Winston Churchill took his place, and he promised Britain would never surrender, the British never did. -
Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
Dunkirk is in the North of France and is on the shores of the North Sea. The Germans took over Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg which was on the west side of France. The Germans continued to move across France to the English Channel. The Germans surrounded the forces at Dunkirk from all sides. The Commander of the BEF was about ready to retreat, but they decided to launch a counterattack. on May 26, 1940 the British deployed Operation Dynamo, rescuing all allied forces from Dunkirk. -
Italy Joins the War on the Side of the Axis Powers
Italy, who didn't have any seen preference before this day, declared war on France and Britain. Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy, found the Germans quick expansions to be appealing. Germany asked Italy to join them before the war started but Italy refused. Now they are joining the, what looks like, higher power. During this, President Roosevelt broadcast that America would help France and Britain with material resources. -
France Signs Armistice With Germany
Paris was fallen in France and most of France was overrun with Germans. Marshal Henri Petain replaced the former prime minister and announces that he is going to sign an armistice with Germany, meaning they are willing to surrender, even though another General, Charles de Gauille, was urging the men still in France to keep fighting against the Germans. However Petain continued with his word and signed the armistice on June 22. -
Battle of Britain
From July 7, 1940 - Oct. 31, 1940, the Battle of Britain waged. Britain and German air forces battles in the skies over Great Britain. This was a big day in WWII, where Germany witnessed a defeat. They failed to gain the skies and therefore could not deploy their troops on the ground. Even after attacking British bases, military posts, and civilians British Royal Air Forces still pulled through and showed the rest of the world that just owning the skies was enough to win a big battle. -
Signing of The Tripartite Pact
This was the day that the Axis Allies were formed. The three countries, Germany, Japan, and Italy all signed a pact agreeing that assistance would be given to any of these countries who signed if they suffered an attack from a neutral nation. This pact was directed to the United Sates who was still neutral in the war, to think twice about joining the side of the Allies. Later in Nov 1940, Hungary signed the Pact joining Germany, Italy, and Japan. -
British Route Italians in North Africa
Italy had much control over North Africa, and they had 10x more men in Libya than the British did in Egypt. The British got help from cryptographers who helped predicts the Italians next move and their numbers and weak points. Britain made the first attack. They set out armored cars to find a safe passage through the mind fields and on Dec. 9 British General, attacked with 30,000 troops against 80,000 Italians. Britain won and Italian rule in North Africa was no more. -
Italy and Germany Attack Yugoslavia
Germany and Italy attacked Yugoslavia with 24 divisions and 1,200 tanks driven into Greece. The attack was quick and easy for the Germans and Italians. This was truly an act of terror with 17,000 civilian deaths. All of Yugoslavia's airfields were bombed and destroyed while many planes were still on the ground. -
Hitler Attacks Russia (Operation Barbarossa)
On this day, Nazi Germany organized a surprise attack on the Soviet Union. Russia was unprepared and unaware because of the treaty signed that agreed they would attack each other for ten years. Germany sent 3 million soldiers, 150 divisions, and 3,000 tanks into the frontier of the SU. The invasion took a distance of two thousand miles. Even though the German army was strong, they underestimated Russia. Germany advanced far, but due to weather and quick thinking from the SU, Germany lost. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan was already waging war on China and made a horrible mistake by attacking Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. They bombed a U.S. Naval base near Honolulu. Hundreds of Japanese planes flew over and destroyed about 20 naval vessels,"eights large battleships, and over 300 airplanes". Over 2,000 American lives were lost and many were wounded. -
The United States and Britain Declare War on Japan
Immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan. At 4:10 pm on this day, FDR signs the declaration of War on Japan. -
Chinese In WWII
Many don't know, but China was at war with Japan long before WWII broke out. Japan began invading eastern China, but they held 800,000 Japanese back from advancing. China was actually part of the Allies. 40,000 Chinese soldiers fought with Americans and Brits in Burma. 14 million Chinese were killed and 80 million became refugees. They were only really noticed after Pearl Harbor. China played a bigger role in WWII than many remember, and without them the war could've had even more casualties. -
Japanese Take Singapore
The same day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, they also attacked Singapore killing over 60 civilians. The British were there and fought the Japanese and killing many more civilians. But because British troops were outnumbered and outgunned, Britain lost their hold in the east. Singapore surrendered to Japan and 62 Allied soldiers were taken as prisoners and over half of them died as a prisoner of war. -
The Battle of Midway
This naval battle was a huge turning point for the US and their allies. It was only six months after the Pearl Harbor attack that Japan wanted to draw out the rest of the US fleet so they could bomb them, but due to code breakthroughs, Admiral Chester W Nimitz was able to know exactly what the Japanese were up to, and able to counter the attack and leave the US and their allies in an offensive position. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad began on July 17, 1942 and ended Feb. 2, 1943. This battle was a Soviet success against German forces trying to pass the city of Stalingrad. This was where the tables turned for the Allied Forces. This is considered one of the bloodiest battles in history, holding about 2 million civilian casualties. Russian forces pulled an old tactic from 216 B.C. and encircled the Germans and crushed the German army. -
Allies in North Africa
Churchill ordered General Alexander to destroy the German-Italian army, therefore they set up supplies and camps in Egypt and Libya. There, they built up supplies and materials. General Alexander then put the campaign in the hands of General Montgomery. -
Battle of El Alamien
This battle was another step in the Allied forces offensive position. The British Empire was determined to take North Africa and British Commander Bernard Law Montgomery launched and infantry attack at El Alamien. German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel tried to block the attack but the British came in too strong and pushed the enemies back to Tunisia. -
Allies Push Into North Africa (Operation Torch)
Germany still held some control over North Africa but the US and Britain decided it was enough and they landed in the NW of Africa and under General Dwight Eisenhower they reclaimed French Morocco and Algeria and they stealthily closed in on the Germans. -
Axis Surrender North Africa
After a long battle of pushing back an forth enemy troops across the desert of North Africa, the help Operation Torch, British and American forces that landed in North Africa, helped surrender the rest of the Axis forces that rested in Tunisia and they finally surrendered on May 12, 1943, and ending the battle for North Africa. -
Allies Invade Sicily
On this day, the Allies begin their invasion of Axis Controlled Europe, beginning with the islands of Sicily off the mainland of Italy. The British 8th Army and the US 7th Army came across little resistance against Sicily troops and within half a week 150,000 Allied troops were on shore. The Brits distracted German forces plotting fake evidence for them to find saying that an attack on Greece was planned. Germany upped the security in Greece and left Sicily open for invasion. -
Allies Take Sicily
The US and Britain forces took Sicily swiftly and within a few days they overwhelmed the Southeastern region of the island. The 8th British force was moving along the southeast coast and the US 7th army was moving east across the North. They were hoping to catch the Axis forces off-guard. The British troops were slowed due to Germans but the US troops captured the capital of Sicily and eventually Axis forces retreated to the mainland and Sicily was secured. -
Italy Surrenders
Mussolini was replaced by General Pietro Badoglio, and he was making deals with Eisenhower. Badoglio approved to surrender and the Allies were able to set up in South Italy to beat the Germans back. This was called Operation Avalanche, invading Italy to drive German forces back. However, Hitler saw this coming and already made plans to keep his foothold in Italy. He launched Operation Axis, which occupied Italy. Many Italians surrendered to Germany but many resisted and were killed. -
Allies Meet at Tehran
On this day, the leaders of the three Allied forces meet in Tehran, Iran; President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin; known as the "Big Three". Here they discussed how they would finish the Germans off for good. They began with an invasion of Normandy, code named Operation Overlord. Staling and Roosevelt also agreed to help each other. We would help Russia defeat Germany in the east and they would help us defeat Japan. -
Leningrad Relived
Leningrad was a German run part of Russia that was cut off from needed resources. Many civilians died from disease and malnutrition. This was known as the 900 day siege, but really was only 872 days. Hundreds of Russian lives were taken, but eventually the Soviet defenses broke the siege on January 12 and it left it open for a Soviet counter offense, which pushed Germany to the west. -
Rome Liberated
Rome was the first capital to be captured by the Axis powers, therefore the recapture of Rome was a wild success for the Allied Forces that gave many people hope for the end of this war.The Allied Forces had little resistance against the Axis powers and it is said that Hitler called their forces back to avoid destruction. -
D-Day
This was a historical day in history and known as the "beginning of the end of the war in Europe." This was the first day of attack with 156,000 British, American, and Canadian troops that lined the beaches of the Normandy region. This is considered one of the biggest military assaults in history, and a lot of planning was required before this day. The Allies planned a big deception to keep the Germans off their track, and it worked. -
Japanese Evicted From Burma
Burma was taken early in the war by Japan and British Forces were protecting Burma but due to weak forces, they were run out and Burma was taken over. Britain decided to reclaim Burma and they, along with the help of Americans, and 40,000 Chinese, they were able to evict Japan from Burma. -
Paris Liberated
With the help of French 2nd Armored Division and US 4th Infantry Division, the city of Paris was relived of German forces. The Germans resistance was light and easily taken over. A German Commander was order by Hitler to blow up important Paris landmarks, but defied his order and signed a formal surrender. The next day, General Charles de Gaulle led a march down the Champs d'Elysees. -
V2 Flying Bombs
A V2 Flying Bomb was a new type of weaponry that was launched into the and no one could tell where they would hit. The first one launched in WW2 was aimed at London. The attack killed three people and injured 22 more. -
The Battle of The Bulge
This was the first day the Battle of the Bulge began. The name came from the bulge the Germans put into the Allied Americans Defensive front line around the Ardennes Forest. The Germans chose that spot because it was the weakest area of the Americans defense with only 80.000 men against Germans 250,000 men. The Americans though it was an unlikely spot of attack due to the highly dense wooded area. Due to fog that day, Americans were unable to see the attack coming and forced to retreat. -
Allies Cross the Rhine
This was another big step in the war where we would finally attack Germany directly. The US 5th Infantry Division began their march on the 22nd of March and they crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim. Their tactic was changed and caught the Germans by surprise. By day two, four US divisions positioned themselves across the Rhine to attack Germany. Many more crossed the Rhine at different areas to encircle the Ruhr, leading the the end of Germany rule. -
Death of President Roosevelt
This was a sad event for Americans as we were still in WWII. Beloved President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed away due to a massive cerebral hemorrhage. President Harry S. Truman took his place and was surprised to hear of some projects Roosevelt was working on that he did not tell Truman, one of which was a bomb development that could cause mass destruction and he had to decide whether to continue his project and use it or not. -
Russians Reach Berlin
this was another big step to end the war, when Russia reached Berlin and the Russians outnumbered the Germans in everything and the path to the capital was relatively easy for the Russians. But the Battle was known to be a more difficult challenge to overcome. -
Mussolini Captured and Executed
Mussolini, former dictator of Italy, and his mistress tried to escape being caught by either the British or the Americans.Both were dangerous for him to come across due to his "German allies and being the figurehead of a puppet government". Because of the enemies he made, he decided to escape to a neutral country. He reached the Swiss boarder but it was guarded. He tried to disguise himself as Luftwaffe, but it didn't work and he was killed along with his mistress and hung in Milan upside down. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Hitler was running out of options as the Russians were closing in on him. He was told to leave and to go hide at a house away from Berlin, but instead he chose suicide along with his new wife Eva Braun, who were only married for two day before their double suicide. They both swallowed cyanide capsules that they first tested on their dog and her pups. Hitler then shot himself for good measure. Their bodies were cremated upon former orders and later discovered in part by Russian troops. -
German Forces Begin to Surrender
In Many places German Forces begin to surrender. In Italy Germany surrendered to Allied forces. On May 4, 1945 Germany surrendered to Montgomery in Germany, Holland, and Denmark. Hitler's successor tried to make terms with to surrender his western troops, as long as they could still fight Russia. His proposal was declined. -
Donitz Offers Unconditional Surrender
General Jodl signs the surrender of all German forces in the East, West, and Reims in France. Jodl wanted to limit Germans surrender for his troops fighting the western Allies, but General Dwight Eisenhower demanded a full surrender of Germany. If these terms were not met, Eisenhower was prepared to cut off the western front to prevent the Germans from fleeing. Jodl, reached Hitler's successor and Donitz orders Jodl to sign. -
V.E. Day
Today is when the British and Americans celebrated their victory in the war. German troops throughout Europe laid down their weapons in a final cease-fire. More papers were signed for the Germans surrender. Many German soldiers were hoping to escape Russian hands. They were caught anyway, and 2 million prisoners were taken. Over 13,000 POWs were released, and Stalin radioed, "The age-long struggle of the slav nations... has ended in victory. Your courage has defeated the Nazis. The war is over." -
Winston Churchill Loses Election
Churchill is considered one of the best Prime Ministers, but he was outvoted by the Clement Atlee's Labour Party by a 393 to 213 seat vote. Many say that he was so content on winning the war that, that was his first priority and everything else was secondary. Many say that after the war he found himself without a clear direction or sense of purpose. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima
On this day the US became the first nation to use atomic weapons in war. They dropped bombs on Hiroshima, Japan. This event was the mark of the end of WWII. President Truman was warned that using the new weapon could end in many American casualties but Truman wanted to end this war quickly. The bomb dropped of Japan killed over 80,000 people all together. -
Russia Declares War on Japan
The Soviet Union declared war on Japan and deployed over 1 million troops into Manchuria in China that was overrun, and they were up against 700,000 strong Japanese troops. After the bombing in Hiroshima, Japan appeared to be unaffected by the event and they refused to surrender. What they did not expect was the Soviet Union attacking at Manchuria. The assault was so strong that 650 men out of 850 were dead within two days. The Emperor of Japan pleaded with the War council to consider surrender. -
Atomic Bomb Gets Dropped on Nagasaki
The United States let a second bomb go on Nagasaki, Japan. The first bomb dropped did not seem to phase the War Council, so the US decided to try again and show them that they mean business. The bomb killed over 60,000 people. This finally worried the Emperor Hirohito enough to go to the War Council himself and said that continuing the war would only result in Japanese casualties. Finally the Emperor of Japan have permission for unconditional surrender. -
Japanese Surrender
On August 14, 1945 Emperor Hirohito declared that he preferred peace over destruction and he told the Japanese government to be ready for a text accepting surrender. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito announced on national radio that the Japanese surrender. -
MacArthur Accepts Japan's Surrender
Truman appointed MacArthur to oversee the surrendering of Japan. The chosen place for the official surrender was on the USS Missouri. MacArthur held the ceremony until Sept 2, so all the "representatives of all the major Allied powers" could be there. On Sunday Sept. 2, 1945 250 Allied warships were at the Tokyo bay. The four flags of the Allied powers, United States, Britain, Soviet Union, and the Chinese, were flown above the Missouri, and Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed.
