-
Hitler takes power
Hitler promised everybody something, so they supported him. Nazi propaganda persuaded the German masses to believe that the Jews were to blame and that Hitler was their last hope. -
Spanish Civil War
Rebel generals, among them future dictator Francisco Franco, rose up against the democratically elected, left-leaning government. The conflict became a battlefield of ideologies -- church against the state; the landed against the landless, fascism against elected socialists and communists. -
Neutrality Acts
Added to the Neutrality Act of 1937, the "cash and carry" provision permitted the sale of supplies to European countries if they paid immediately in cash.This was created in order to help the United States avoid conflict with European countries, and to aid France and Britain in the event of a conflict with Germany. -
Invasion of Manchuria
Manchuria was invaded by the Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan immediately following the Mukden Incident. The Japanese established a puppet state, called Manchukoku, and their occupation lasted until the end of World War II. -
Japanese invasion of China
The Japanese invaded China proper, launching the Second Sino-Japanese War. The rape of Nanking was ome of the most terrible attrocities of World War II. -
Munich Agreement
On 30 September 1938, Chamberlain (UK) and Daladier (France) signed an agreement with Hitler (Germany) and Mussolini (Italy) that effectively gave the German-speaking Sudetenland part of Czechoslovakia to Germany. Although hoping to sustain peace, all sides were preparing for war. -
German invasion of Czechoslovakia
The Germans dismembered the Czechoslovak state in October 1939 in violation of the Munich agreement. Britain and France responded by guaranteeing the integrity of the Polish state. -
Non-aggression Pact
Hitler was determined not to repeat the same mistakes. So, he planned ahead and made a pact with the Soviets - the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. -
Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. -
Battle of the Atlantic
The longest battle of the Second World War, beginning from the first day of hostilities and ending on the very last day of the war. It was also the most important battle during the entire Second World War because the success of every other campaign in every other theater of war depended upon its success. -
Invasion of Denmark/ Norway
Control of Norway’s extensive coastline would have been very important in the battle for control of the North Sea and easing the passage of German warships and submarines into the Atlantic. The control of Norway would also aid Germany’s ability to import iron ore from Sweden. -
Fall of France
Even though millions of French troops were manning the defensive Maginot Line in early 1940, Hitler's brilliant blitzkrieg strategy caught the Allies by surprise, and Germany occupied France within six weeks. -
Battle of Britain
The British Royal Air Force (RAF) achieved a decisive victory over the German Luftwaffe (German Air Force). In the beginning of the battle, the commander of the German Luftwaffe, Herman Goring, assured Hitler that Britain could be defeated by air power alone. -
Lend-Lease Act
Lend-Lease was a program of the United States Federal government during World War II which enabled the United States to provide the Allied nations with war material while the US was still officially a neutral country. The Lend-Lease program began in March 1941, nine months before the US entered the war in December of 1941. -
Atlantic Charter
In July 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill met for the first time in Argentia Bay off Newfoundland, to issue a joint declaration on the purposes of the war against fascism. Just as Wilson's Fourteen Points delineated the first war, so the Atlantic Charter provided the criteria for the second. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked the United States without warning. The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. -
Doolittle's Raid
Planned as a morale boost after the American defeat at Pearl Harbor. The American bombing of mainland Japan inflicted relatively minor damage, but triggered a hubristic decision by the Japanese Navy that eventually led to their downfall. -
Battle of Midway
In the Battle of Midway Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers and 200 aircraft with experienced pilots. USA only lost 1 aircraft carrier and 150 planes. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad was immense. It marked the turning point in the Second World War against Nazi Germany and its allies. -
Operation Torch/ North African Front
The military forces of the United States and the United Kingdom launched an amphibious operation against French North Africa, in particular the French-held territories of Algeria and Morocco. That landing, code-named 'Torch,' reflected the results of long and contentious arguments between British and American planners about the future course of Allied strategy — arguments that were finally stilled by the intervention of the American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
Italian Campaign
The Italian Campaign of World War Two began with the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and ended, for Canada, in February 1945 when the 1st Canadian Division was redeployed from Italy to the Western Front to assist with the advance across Western Europe to Germany. The Italian Campaign was Canada’s first major ground participation in the Second World War in Europe and would cost 25,264 casualties, 5,900 of them fatal, over its course which, at its highest peak, saw over 76,000 Canadians serving in -
D-Day
160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. -
Liberation of France
The liberation of not only France, but, Europe, has been white-washed to the max. Black soldiers showed themselves capable in their fight during WWII. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Decisive air and sea battle of World War II that crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted U.S. invasion of the Philippines. Reinforced the Allies’ control of the Pacific. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was intended to split the American and British forces in two, capture much needed supplies, and achieve a negotiated peace on the Western Front. While initially successful, the surprise German counteroffensive was contained and the Germans were driven back. -
Yalta Conference
The wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin, respectively, for the purpose of discussing Europe's post-war reorganization. The conference convened in the Livadia Palace near Yalta, in the Crimea. -
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima is a very small Pacific island – just over 4.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide which lies at the foot of the Bonin chain of islands, south of the main Japanese island of Honshu. The capture of Iwo Jima was part of a three-point plan the Americans had for winning the war in the Far East. -
Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa is distinguished among battles, yet often unrecognized when referring to the great battles of the Second World War. Over 250,000 people lost their lives. -
FDR's Death
Although Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the country for twelve years, he never saw the peaceful prosperity he worked to create. Years of disease, stress and constant cigarette-smoking took their toll. -
V-E Day
The unconditional surrender of Germany was signed at Rheims on May 7 and ratified at Berlin on May 8. May 8 marks the formal celebration of the Allies' victory in Europe during World War II. -
Hiroshima
Hiroshima is a major Japanese city and the largest in the western section of Honshu Island. The city is widely known for being the target of the first atomic bombing in human history, however, it was rebuilt following the war into a major cultural center of the nation. -
Nagasaki
The primary target was the Kokura Arsenal, but upon reaching the target, they found that it was covered by a heavy ground haze and smoke, pilot Charles Sweeney turned to the secondary target of the Mitsubishi Torpedo Plant at Nagasaki. -
V-J Day
The day on which the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event. The term has been applied to both the day on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender. -
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials is the general name for two sets of trials of Nazis involved in crimes committed during the Holocaust of World War II. The first, and most famous, began on November 20, 1945. It was entitled the Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal, which tried the most important leaders of Nazi Germany. The second set of trials, for lesser war criminals, was conducted under Control Council Law.
