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Germany begins gassing
Germany begins to gas the mentally and physically disabled. Over 250,000 Germans were murdered in this program named Action T4. This many people were murdered over a 2 year period. -
Einstein warns Roosevelt
Three Europeans scientists who fled the Nazi threat convinced Albert Einstein to warn Albert Roosevelt. He warned him that Germany may be constructing a nuclear weapon. He sent this warning in a letter. -
World War II Begins
Germany invades Poland. World War II begins in Europe at this point. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070 -
Germany Invades Denmark and Norway
Hitler said that he had to "protect" Denmark and Norway. Despite the treaty he had with Denmark, he put his tanks over the border on Denmark. -
Germany Invades Holland and Belgium
Hitler moved 136 divisions against Holland and Belgium on May 10, 1940. The Dutch were helpless against the Blitzkrieg, The Dutch surrended after suffering 100,000 casualties. Belgium suffered the same fate. -
France Surrenders
The first air raids on Paris began on June 3. The government left the country on June 11. WWI war hero Marshal Henri Petain took over and surrendered to the Germans. The armstice was signed on June 22. http://freckerwwiiteam15.wikispaces.com/Jun+1940+France+Surrenders%3B+The+Battle+in+Britain+Begins. -
Battle of Britain
From September 1940 to June 1941, the German airforce dropped bombs on London and other cities in Great Britain. Over 30,000 people in London died, but Germany lost over 1,700 aircraft. This operation was called Operation Sea Lion and was lead by Herman Georing. http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/07/world-war-ii-the-battle-of-britain/100102/ -
Germany Firebombs
On December 29, 1940, Germany firebombs London. This was the most destructive raid on England in the war. -
British Coding
The British begin regularly breaking the German's enigma coding -
U.S. Nuclear Program
Sometime in October 1941 the U.S. began a nuclear bomb program. They called it "the Manhattan Project". It is the largest research and development project in American history. It costed over $2 billion and employed over 100,000 people. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese air force and navy attacked U.S. naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Over 2,350 Americans were killed. Japan then declares war on the U.S. and Great Britain. the U.S.A was now in the war. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/pearlhbr.htm -
Japan takes the Philippines
The attack on the Philippines began the day after Pearl Harbor. General MacArthur only had 90,000 troops. When they began to starve in the Baatan Death March, MacArthur was forced to back out. http://philippines-islands-lemuria.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html -
Battle of Miday
Because of the effective code breaking after Pearl Harbor, Admiral Nimitz commandered 3 air craft carriers to Midway Island. 5,000 Japanese men were killed, and the Yorktown was lost. Despite the losses, the Americans won the battle, http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/midway/midway.htm -
Battle of Stalingrad
Thousands of Russian citizens and soldiers died every day trying to defend Stalingrad. The German 6th Army was forced to retreat. The Germans finally surrendered after 140,000 sodiers were killed. The Germans were on defensive in the east from then on. -
Battle of the Atlantic
The German U-Boats patrolled the Atlantic to prevent America from getting an supplies to Great Britain. The U-Boats carried out total unresticted warfare to blockade Great Britain. The Allies developed a system to get supplies to Great Birtain which gave them an edge in the Battle of the Atlantic. -
D-Day
The Allies landed on Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. Led by Dwight D. Eisenhower, over 200,000 soldiers landed at beaches. The worst of the fighting took place at Omaha Beach. The Allied forces were able to take the capital two months later. This was the largest military assault in history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings -
Germany Surrenders
On May 8th, 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allied forces. The war was still far from over. http://www.nashville247.tv/News/Top-Stories/2011/05/07/7-May-Germany-Surrenders-to/1304745126.html -
Hiroshima Bombed
The Allies warned the Japanese to surrender or they would face destruction. They refused to surrrender. On August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima killing around 140,000 people. http://www.thehypertexts.com/Hiroshima%20Poetry%20Prose%20and%20Art.htm -
Soviet Union enters the war
On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union entered the war. Even though it was towards the end of the war, they joined the Allied side. They declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria. -
Japan Surrenders
On September 2, 1945, Japan surrender to the U.S. aboard the USS Missouri. This was the end of WWII. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan
