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Nuclear Fission
German scientists discover nuclear fission. Their discoveries are documented in a British science journal. The journal is called Nature. This important discovery leads to many extremely dangerous and life-threatening situations. -
World War II Begins
Germany's invasion of Poland marks the beginning of the second world war. Poland's army of two million soldiers was easily conquered. This was partially due to the fact that Germany had tanks and most Polish men were fighting on horseback. This upset many other countries and created a ripple effect within the nations. [Picture Source](www.us-history.com) -
German Invasions of 1940
Germany invaded Denmark with its tanks and forced them to surrender. Then, they took over Normay and put Vidkun Quisling in charge of the country. After that, the Dutch surrender to them after experiencing over 10,000 casualties and are placed under the rule of Artur von Seyss-Inquart, and Austrian whom Hitler had come to trust. Finally, A fortress in Belgium fell within thirty-six hours, but their king was not forced to step down until after the war. -
France is Invaded
Germany has begun air raids on Paris, France. Then, tanks invasded the ground area of the city. Civilians fled from their homes as fast as they could. Their goverment fled on June 11, and France signed an armistice with Germany on June 22. -
Battle of Britain
For nine months, Germany's air force bombed London and other important cities in Great Britain. Over 30,000 civilians died and Germany lost 1,700 airplanes and other aircraft. The plan was called Operation Sea Lion and was directed by Herman Goering. The plan to bomb Great Britain until it went under was eventually discarded when Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union. [Picture Source](en.wikipedia.org) -
Invasions of 1941
Germany invaded Yugoslavia because they wanted to protect the Germans there, but the country remained very powerful. Great Britain tried to help Greece after Germany attacked, and 43,000 soldiers and civilians had to be evacuated to Crete and Egypt. The British removed the Italians from Egypt and they won over Tobruk in Libya. Japan invaded French Indochina, -
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the United States military location in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This created devastating results and was done to get them involved in World War II. Japan then declared war on the United States and Great Britain. Their plan worked, and the United States became involved in World War II. [Picture Source](www.pearlharboroahu.com) -
Invasions of 1942
First, Japan invaded and conquered the Philippines. In October, the British attacked El Alamein in Egypt. The Allies landed in the bottom of Italy and started working their way up in September. In November, the Allies invaded Morocco and Algeria Axis took over France. -
Battle of Midway
After Midway effectively cracked a Japanese military code, Admiral Chester Nimitz of the United States launched an attack on Japan. The battle took place at Midway Island and it included three aircraft carriers. About 5,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in the battle. The Americans won, and the Japanese were no longer a threat to the Eastern Pacific. [Picture Source](www.tumblr.com) -
Battle of Stalingrad
Germany invaded the Russian city of Stalingrad and tried to take it over. The battle included severe house-to-house fighting. However, Russia forced Germany to retreat. Thousands of Russians soldiers and civilians died daily and the German army lost 146,000 soldiers. [Picture Source](wodumedia.com) -
Battle of the Atlantic
German submarines set up a blockade on Britain to prevent American supplies from reaching them. The u-boats went in groups of ten called "wolf packs" under the leadership of Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz. He demanded that they use unrestricted submarine warfare against the British. The Allies were fighting to keep the Atlantic passages open and won, but not without losing many men, supplies, and ships. [Picture Source](schoolworkhelper.net) -
D-Day
The Allies landed in Normandy, France. They landed on beaches called Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah, and Omaha. Ohama was the worst, with soldiers being killed as soon as they stepped off their ships. After about a month, the Allies were finally able to push inward and reclaim Paris back, winning the largest military assault in history. [Picture Source](www.ushmm.org) -
Atomic Bomb Agreement
On this day, Roosevelt and Churchill secretly decided that they would use the atomic bomb on Japan. The weapon was not ready for use yet, but they agreed that, when it was, they would use it.They did not tell the Soviet Union about this decision. The bomb project remained a secret until it was dropped. -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was the largest and most gory that American troops ever fought in. The United States army suffered a staggering 80,000 casualties. It started in the country of Belgium. The battle was a surprise attack by Germany in a mountain region on the Western front, but the Allies ended up winning because the German army and supplies became so depleted. [Picture Source](www.howstuffworks.com) -
Postdam Declaration
The Allies issued this warning to Japan. It said that they should surrender or risk mass destruction. Some people believed that Truman should let Japan keep its emperor. However, he kept the "unconditional surrender" policy that Roosevelt created. -
Postdam Declaration Rejected
After Japan received the Postdam Declaration, they held a meeting in Tokyo. Japan's prime minister decided that he did not want to agree to its terms. He told his country to just ignore the declaration. He said they needed to resolutely fight for the successful end to the war. -
Atomic Bomb Approved
President Truman was not very happy with Japan ignoring the Postdam Declaration. However, the Secretary of War suggested that he make a public announcement about the bomb before using it against Japan. He then authorizes a statment about the bomb after its use. This approval constitued the approval of bombing Japan. -
Atomic Bombs on Japan
America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6. This attack killed about 140,000 people. Three days later, the United States dropped another one on Nagasaki, Japan. This attack killed around 40,000-75,000 civilians and soldiers. [Picture Source](en.wikipedia.org) -
The War Ends
On this date, Japan surrendered from the war. They did it face to face with the Americans. It was on an American battleship. The battleship was called the USS Missouri. [Picture Source](www.xtimeline.com)
