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World War II begins
When Germany attacked Poland, this initiated that the second World War was about to begin. -
Great Britain declares war on Germany
Great Britain, along with Australia, France and New Zealand, declares war on Germany -
Canada declares war on Germany
A week after Great Britain declared war on Germany, Canada began to mobilize and join Britain fight against Germany -
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg or the "lightening war", was an effective, strategic plan made by the Germans when they attacked Denmark and Norway: The German soldiers, panzers and fighter planes all simultaneously stormed the area. Every important communication and transportation systems were damaged. These attacks resulted into huge defeat for both Denmark and Norway. Denmark was conquered by Germany in just hours while Norway in only two months. -
Evacuation at Dunkirk
As German Wehrmacht (armed forces) invaded Netherlands, then Belgium, and finally France, the Allied forces were outnumbered and soon surrounded by the Germans. The Allies had to leave the area before the Germans approached the town. As a result, the Allies planned to evacuate by sea. Every naval and merchant ships participated to transport troops across the Channel. Few days later, the German air force bombarded Dunkirk, this even caused more burden to the Allies, yet they still continued. -
Evacuation completed
Finally, the evacuation was completed and nearly 340,000 soldiers were rescued and brought back to Britain. -
France surrenders to Germany
France surrendered to Germany because they were overthrown by the German soldiers. Now that France had given up, Great Britain and the Commonwealth were up against Germany. -
The Battle of Britain
Before Operation Sea Lion, the German Luftwaffe began the attack by bombing harbours and shipping facilities in Southern England. -
Germany bombs factories
The German Luftwaffe continued and now targeted air fields and aircraft factories -
Operation Sea Lion
This was Hitler's plan for total invasion of Britain. -
The Blitz
The Germans changed their tactics and started attacking civilians. For fifty - five consecutive nights, German planes blew up major Britsh cities, devastating streets and establishments, killing 23,000 people. These raids were called "the Blitz" -
The Formation of Axis Powers
Germany, Italy and Japan, all signed the Tripartite Pact -
Operation Sea Lion postponed
Hitler decided to postpone Operation Sea Lion until 1941. -
Hitler gives up, Battle of Britain ends
Although the Germans had more fighter airplanes than the British, they did not succeed in defeating them. The important reason for this was that the British had radar systems which detected German fighter planes coming to the area. Even though British defence planes like Spitfires and Hurricanes were limited, they were very effective defence planes. The Battle of Britain was over, and Hitler decided to postpone Operation Sea Lion. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was Hitler's plan to invade USSR. Although Hitler and Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact, an agreement not to invade one another, Hitler still continued to do it, for he wanted to accomplish his idea of a German Empire. -
Germans attack Leningrad
Germany surprisely attacked the unprepared Soviets. -
Japanese bombs Pearl Harbour
The Japanese surprised the Americans by attacking the US naval base at Pearl Harbour. Numerous planes, battleships and men were killed in the attack. -
United States joins the war
As many people were shocked to the bombing of Pearl Harbour, on the next day, President Roosevelt was convinced to join the war. The United States declared war on Japan, and soon, Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States. -
Japanese conquers Hong Kong
Hours after the bombing at Pearl Harbour, Japan conducted a surprise invasion in Hong Kong. The Allied forces fought the Japanese and defended the island for weeks. On Christmas Day, the Allies surrendered, and Hong Kong was under the control of the Japanese. -
Germans head to Stalingrad
The German troops conducted another operation to seize the oil resources in the south. However, they were stopped by the extreme weather. -
Major defeat of Hitler's army
Because of the difficulties they encountered, the Germans finally surrendered capturing areas in USSR. There were 300,000 casualties, and this was a big defeat for the German army. -
Invasion of Sicily
Sicily was called the "soft underbelly" of Europe by Winston Churchill. Canadian soldiers joined the Allies on invading Sicily. The Allies successfully captured the town occupied by the Germans. Invading Sicily helped the Allies to crossover through the mainland. -
Battle of Ortona
This was one of the toughest battles for the Canadian army. The Canadian troops fought the Germans in Ortona, and on December 28, the Germans finally withdrew. -
The Soviets recapture their territory
When the Germans surrendered in 1943, the Soviets took advantge of gaining back the territory which they had lost from the Germans. -
Invasion of Rome
The Allies' took over Rome. The battle continued until the spring of 1945. -
"D-Day" (1)
The Allies' led the "Operation Overlord", a major invasion of Europe. The Allies landed on an eight kilometer beach in Normandy. The code names used for these beaches were Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah. The Candians arrived at Juno Beach and their task was to advance and make their way inland through the barriers and barbed wires built by the Germans. The Allies had two advantages: enormous naval and air support, they also managed to secretly keep their tactics from the Germans. -
"D-Day" (2)
At that time, the stormy weather did not stop the invasion. Even if the Germans were prepared for any attack, German meteorologists expected that the Allies would not attack the area in bad weather. Their conclusion was wrong, so they had poor defences when the Allies invaded them. -
Allies liberate several cities
After long months of exhausting battle, from September 1 to September 4, several cities (Verdun, Dieppe, Artois, Rouen, Abbeville, Antwerp and Brussels) occupied by the Germans were liberated by the Allies. -
Canadians defeat the Germans in Groningen
The Canadian forces were assigned to liberate the Netherlands. The battle was slow and fought house by house. Over 6,300 Canadian soldiers were killed, and by April 17, the Canadians had overthrown the Germans in Groningen. -
Hitler dies
Adolf Hitler, along with his wife Eva Braun, had committed suicide at Führerbunker in Berlin. Before Hitler died, he had written his last will testament. Hitler shot himself while Braun swallowed a poison. -
Germans retreat in the Netherlands
The Canadian army continued to fight in the cities of Zwolle, Arnhem and Apeldoorn. On May 4, the Germans were fully surrounded by the Canadian soldiers, and they finally surrendered. -
Liberation of the Netherlands
The Netherlands was finally liberated from the Germans. Canadian soldiers were considered as heroes all over the country. -
Germany completely surrenders
Because of the consecutive defeats of the German army, they had unconditionally surrendered to the Allies.
