-
Japan invades Manchuria
The Japanese army invaded Manchuria because they claimed Japan had sabatoged the railroad in Manchuria, Korea, which the Chinese controlled. -
Hitler invades Poland
With over 2,000 tanks and 1,000 planes, Hitler and the German army invaded Poland through East Prussia, Silesia, and Slovakia. This event is what some historians say started World War 2, because it lead to the declaration of war from Britian and France on Germany. -
Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister
Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of England on May 10th, 1940. He would lead the country through World War 2 with the allies. Churchill was Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, and then again from 1951 to 1955, when he had to step down due to health issues. -
Battle of Britain
British and German air fores fought over the United Kingdom from July to October of 1940. Germans bombed air bases as well as civilian towns. The British eventually won on October 31, 1940 when they shot down numerous German planes, leading to their surrender. -
Battle of Midway
The United States defeated Japan six months after World War 2 in one of the 'biggest battles of World War 2'. -
Operation Barbarossa begins
On June 22, 1941, Hitler and the Nazis began "Operation Barbarossa". Operation Barbarossa was code for the invasion of the Soviet Union. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan launches a surprise attack on the US by bombing Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The US lost 11 ships and 188 planes. 2,335 US servicemen were killed, another 1,143 were wounded. Additionally, 68 civilians were killed and another 35 were wounded. -
Singapore falls to Japan
Singapore, which was a British colony, fell to Japanese rule after 24,000 Japanese troops and numerous fighter jets attacked the city. The attack first began on December 6th, but the battles went on through December and January before British troops were finally defeated and Singapore belonged to the Japanese. The British lose their foothold in the East. -
Battle of El Alamein
The first battle of El Alamein, Egypt, ended in a stalemate in July 1942. The second battle of El Alamein, Egypt took place from October 23, 1942 to November 11, 1942. The Allies defeated the Axis forces. 9,000 Axis died, 15,000 were wounded, and 30,000 captured. The Axis started with 110,000 troops. The Allies had 4,800 casualties and 9,000 wounded of 195,000 troops. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944 the Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France and invaded France, which was under Nazi control.
