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Germany invades Poland
1.8 million German troops invaded Poland. They easily outnumbered the Polish army. Germans used their new Blitzkreig tactics while the Polish people received no help from other countries. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany 2 days later. -
Period: to
World War II
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Germany invades Denmark and Norway
Hitler had signed a treaty with Denmark, but he stationed troops their anyway claiming that he had to protect them. On May 10, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. The Dutch finally surrendered. Hitler appointed an Austrian named Artur von Seyss-Inquart to rule over Holland. -
Air Raids on France begin
Troops from German arrived in the country. People started to leave. The government stepped down on June 11. The French signed an armistice on June 22. -
Germany begins to bomb England
From September to July the next year, Germany bombed Great Britain. They lost 1,700 aircraft but killed 30,000 Londoners. Great Brtain was finally able to percieve attacks with the help of radar. Another reason Germany stopped bombing England was because they wanted to turn their full attention to their attack on the Soviet Union. -
Operation Barbarossa starts
Germans continued to conquer countries like Yugoslavia and Greece. They turned their attention to Russia. This was one of Hitler's fatal mistakes. He was to fight a long battle in the Russian cold through hunger to lose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan declared war on the United States and Great Britain. Aas their first act of war, they chose to bomb Pearl Harbor and kill 2,350 Americans. The U.S. was shocked. Now they had the opportunity to help their British allies against Hitler.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/pearlhbr.htm -
Battle of Midway
All of East Asia had fallen under Japanese control. This included the Phillippines after a costly battle. The Battle of Midway was a naval battle that was a turning point in the war. Midway was in a strategic island in the middle of the Pacific. When the U.S. defeated them there, they were unable to recover. -
Battle of Stalingrad begins
The Battle of Stalingrad was an almost 5 month battle in the city of Stalingrad, Russia. The Russians defeated the German 6th Army and forced them into retreat. This was another turning point in the war. This broke the Germans power on the Eastern Front. -
Operation Torch reaches Africa
Morroco and Algeria had been occupied by France until German and other Axis powers took over France. Operation Torch was the mobilization of over 800 ships, carrying 185,000 men and 20,000 vehicles landing in Algeria. Operation Torch was in Eisenhower's control. The Allies broke Axis powers in North Africa through Operation Torch. -
Battle of the Atlantic ends
The was the longest battle in World War II. It started Spetember 3, 1939. Axis powers attempted to block supplies from getting to their enemy Great Britain. The Allies finally broke the blockade in May, but they lost 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships were sunk for the loss of 783 U-boats. -
D-Day
The Allies pulled off the largest miltary assault in history. 200,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in France. The Germans fought brutally, but The Allies were able to push forward to Paris. The capital was broken from Axis control two months later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings -
Battle of the Bulge begins
The Germans launched an offensive on France, Belgium, and Luxxembourg. The Allies were caught off guard but were able to catch up with reenfocrements and improving weather. THey finally defeated the Germans on January 25, 1945. There was a total of 19,000 dead out of 610,000 men.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge -
Yalta Conference
President Franklin Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin met in Yalta. This was the second of three conferences during the war. At the meeting, they discussed reestablishing nations in Europe. Yalta became controversal during the Cold War. -
Battle of Iwo Jima starts
The U.S. succeded in the Battle of Iwo Jima. They took control of the island Iwo Jima from Japanese control. The 70,000 American troops outnumbered the Japanese's army of 22,060. The Japanese suffered a greater loss of 21,844 while the Americans lost 6,821 men.
http://www.askmen.com/entertainment/special_feature_400/482_the-battle-of-iwo-jima-5-things-you-didnt-know.html -
Battle of Okinawa begins
The U.S. planned to use the island of Okinawa as a base before invading Japan. This 82 day battle was a hard fought battle. Their were many kamikaze attacks from both soldiers and civilians. The U.S won the battle after the death of over 100,000 Japanese soldiers and thousands of civilians on the island.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/108381/US-Marines-battling-for-control-of-a-ridge-near-Naha -
United Nations is created
The League of Nations had failed in its purpose to prevent future wars. The United Nations was established to replace the League. The United Nations began in San Francisco. It included 51 nations and has since been a source of controversy in many countries. -
Benito Mussolini is killed
Italy had already signed an armistice. He was fleeing to Spain with German troops. He was stopped and shot by Walter Audisio. The Germans in Italy later gave up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini -
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day was the day that Germany surrendered to Allied forces. Hitler had committed suicide on April 30. Hitler's succesor authorized the unconditional surrender later.
cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com -
Potsdam Conference
Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States met to decide to punish Germany. The 17 day meeting ended with the decisions on how to punish Germany. The Potsdam Declaration was issued to ask Japan for their surrender. They decided to have another meeting as soon as possible to discuss matters further.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potsdam_Conference_group_portrait,_July_1945.jpg -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. On August 9, the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The Allies demanded the surrender of Japan, or they threatened to destroy Japan. Japan ignored their demands which led to the dropping of the atomic bombs. 150,000-246,000 people died from burns, falling debris, radiation sickness months later and other causes. On August 15, Japan surrendered.
http://nisei.hawaii.edu/object/io_1149281660140.html
