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Invation of Manchuria
Japan invades Manchuria, a small part of China. -
WWII in the Pacific
Japan invades China, initiating WWII in the Pacific. -
Anschluss
Germany incorporates Austria in the Anschluss. -
Munich agreement
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including the key Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany. -
Czechoslovakia falls
Under German pressure, the Slovaks declare their independence and form a Slovak Republic. The Germans occupy the rump Czech lands in violation of the Munich agreement, forming a Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. -
Germany and Soviet Union nonaggression
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence. -
Invasion of Poland
Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe. -
War declared on Germany
Honoring their guarantee of Poland’s borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany. -
Italy enters war
Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21 -
Pearl Harbor
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. 20 warships, 200 aircraft destroyed. 2,400 Americans killed. Destroyed isolationism. -
America Enters the war
The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina, and Singapore are under Japanese occupation. -
Second Front
British and U.S. troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germany -
Soviets in Berlin
The Soviets launch their final offensive, encircling Berlin. -
Hitler dies.
Hitler commits suicide. -
VE-Day
Germany surrenders to the Soviets. -
Germany surrenders
Germany surrenders to the Soviets. -
Atomic bomb dropped by the US
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. -
Soviet Union declares war.
The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria -
Bomb dropped
The US drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. -
The end!
Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
