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The Treaty of Versailles
Signed June 28, 1919. It was the peace treaty between Germany and the Allies at the end of World War I. Many countries were unhappy with this treaty because they had expected it to do more. France wanted it to weaken Germany, Italy had wanted to be rewarded with more land, and Germany was humiliated. Their economy was severely damaged and the German people were very embarrassed. German government was interrupted and new political parties tried to take over. The German military was also wea -
Mussolini becomes leader
On October 31, 1922, he became the 27th prime minister of Italy. He was the editor of a socialistic magazine. He was nationalistic and convinced Italy to enter World War I. In 1921, he became the leader of the National Fascistic Party and did not believe in democracies. In 1922, he became the prime minister of Italy. He gave himself dictatorial authority on almost all matters. -
Hitler tries to seize power and goes to jail
On April 1, 1923, Hitler was sent to jail for the attempt to take over Bavaria, Germany. He was impatient and tried to take control. His revolt failed and was sentenced to prison for 5 years. However, he only served his time for nine months. While in prison, Hitler wrote his book called, “My Struggle” (in English) which discussed all of his political ideas. -
Invasion of Manchuria
On September 19, 1931, the Japanese began the invasion on China’s Manchuria. The Japanese were interested in more land. Without the approval of Japan’s government, some Japanese generals decided it was time to take action. They wanted Manchuria’s land and resources for the Japanese people. -
Operation Torch
This was the British-American invasion of French North Africa. The Soviet Union convinced Britain and the United States to open a second front to reduce the pressure of German forces on Soviet troops. The British commanders came up with this operation. This attack would clear the Axis Powers from North Africa. This would help naval control of the Mediterranean get better, preparing them for a future invasion of Southern Europe in 1943. With Eisenhower leading America and Cunningham in charg -
Hitler becomes Chancellor
January 30, 1933. The Nazis were becoming a very powerful party. Hitler gained support from the public and eventually became Germany’s chancellor, gaining a lot of power. -
Invasion of Ethiopia
October, 1935. With Mussolini in charge, Italy invaded the East African nation of Ethiopia. Italy and Ethiopia had issues in the past. Italy always wanted more colonies in Ethiopia. They argued about where the border was. Mussolini led the invasion and the Ethiopians could not stand up to the Italians. -
Militarizing the Rhineland
March 7, 1936. The Treaty of Versailles stated that German troops were to stay out of the Rhine River Valley along the French border. The purpose of this was to protect France. However, Hitler led troops into this area. He tried to justify it by saying that the French made an agreement with the Soviet Union that threatened Germany. The French did not take military action against the Germans, who remained in the Rhineland. -
Civil War in Spain, Franco comes to power
July 17, 1936. The left side of the country were Communists, which opposed the right side, Fascists and Nationalists. The Nationalists were led by Francisco Franco, who defeated the Republicans. The Republicans had control of the government before the war, so now Franco was in charge. Spain was now under control of a Fascist dictator. -
Invasion of China
July 7, 1937. The Japanese invaded China, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Republic of China fought the Empire of Japan with some economic help from Germany, the United States, and the Soviet Union. This war caused many casualties. -
The Anschluss
March 12, 1938. Hitler tried to take control of Austria. Born in Austria, Hitler had hopes of uniting all ethnic Germans. This included Austria. Hitler tried to force the Austrian government to unite with Germany. They refused and Hitler sent troops to Austria. -
Munich Conference
September 30, 1938. Hitler wanted to gain control of the Sudetenland, a German-speaking portion of Czechoslovakia. He wanted the Germans in the Sudetenland to protest Czechoslovakian rule. When they did not, Hitler threatened a military attack. British prime minister Chamberlain and French premier Daladier met with Hitler at the Munich Conference. They were trying to appease Hitler and avoid war. They decided to allow Hitler to annex the Sudetenland. Czechoslovakians were not happy about -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
March 15, 1939. On this day, Germany fully took over Czechoslovakia without a fight. The Germans marched into Czechoslovakia and took over. They took control of the Czech military, so they could not fight back. -
Nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union
August 23, 1939. Since he knew the world was on the verge of war, Hitler wanted to build alliances that would help him in the future. The nonaggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union was established. It was signed by Ribbentrop of Germany and Molotov of the Soviet Union. This pact stated that the two countries would not attack each other. What was supposed to last ten years, only lasted for less than two years. -
Invasion of Poland
September 1, 1939. Hitler was determined to attack Poland. In order to do so, he tricked many people. He took a German criminal and dressed him in a Polish military uniform. He put this man on the German-Polish border, making it seem as though the Polish were invading Germany. They shot the criminal and immediately invaded Poland. -
Battle of the Atlantic
Starting in 1939 and ending in 1945, this was the longest battle of the war. This battle was fought between the Allies and Nazi Germany. The battle began when a German submarine torpedoed the British liner Athenia. The Allied side first blockaded Germany’s naval fleet, and Germany reacted with a counter blockade. The Germans used their U-boats and other warships along with aircraft and put them after Allied merchant shipping. When Italy entered the war in 1940, they helped the Germans -
Battle of Britain
Beginning July 10, 1940, this battle was fought between Germany and Britain. It was the first battle that was ever fought entirely by air forces. They used aerial bombing to destroy shipping centers, factories, areas of political significance, etc. They were fighting for control over the Royal Air Force. Germany could not compete with Britain and suffered a great loss. Ending October 31, 1940, this was their first major defeat and was a turning point in the war. -
Tripartite Pact
September 27, 1940. This pact, signed in Berlin, Germany, united Japan, Germany, and Italy. These three nations became known as the Axis Powers. Hitler signed for Germany, Ciano for Italy, and Kurusu for Japan. -
Philippines
From December 8, 1941, to May 8, 1942, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. The islands were defended by the Filipino and American forces. Even though there were more defensive forces, the Japanese came out on top because their troops were more experienced. The Japanese, led by Masaharu Homma won and took occupation of the Philippines. After the war, the Japanese Imperial Forces forced 76,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war to walk an 80 mile march, which is known as t -
Doolittle Raids
On April 18, 1942, the United States performed the first air raid on Japan. They did this in retaliation to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle. Sixteen United States Airforce planes were launched from a ship that was parked deep in the Western Pacific Ocean. All of the aircraft was lost and eleven crewmen were either killed or captured. A lot of damage was done of Japan and it gave the United States encouragement of winning. The Japanese now ha -
Coral Sea
May 4, 1942. This four day major naval battle was fought between the Imperial Japanese Army and the Allied naval and air forces from American and Australia. American Admiral Frank J. Fletcher led a combined American-Australian cruiser force to oppose the Japanese offensive. The Japanese first invaded Tulagi in the southeastern Solomon Islands. When they learned of the United States’ presence, they sent the Japanese fleet carriers to the Coral Sea, between Australia, the Solomon -
Midway
June 4, 1942. This was one of the most important naval battles in the Pacific during World War II. It lasted from June 4-7, 1942. The United States Navy clearly defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy in Midway Atoll, a small island in the North Pacific Ocean. The US did severe damage on the Japanese fleet that they could not repair. The Japanese had wanted to eliminate the United States as competition and planned an attack on them. Fortunately for the U.S., they were able to break the -
Guadalcanal
August 7, 1942. This was the first major offensive battle the Allied forces led against the Japanese Empire. The Allies, mostly American, landed in spots in the Solomon Islands, like Guadalcanal, with hopes of neutralizing Japanese bases and threatening their supply. The Allies outnumbered the Japanese and were able to overtake an airfield. The Japanese tried to regain Henderson Field many times over the next several months but failed. By February of 1943 they gave up and the A -
Stalingrad
This was a major battle fought between Nazi Germany and its allies and the Soviet Union over the control of Stalingrad, a city in Southwestern Russia. This was one of the bloodiest battles, with combined casualties close to two million. Soviet Union greatly defeated Hitler and Nazi Germany. The Germans first bombed the city, destroying it. This urban warfare did not get the Germans very far. The cold Russian winter set in, which also was not at their advantage. The battle ended February 2, -
Battle of Anzio
American Major General John P. Lucas led an amphibious landing against German forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. Lucas wanted to stop German forces of the Water Line and enable an attack on Rome. After some time, Lucas was sent home and replaced with Major General Lucian Truscott. Field Marshal Albert Kesselring was the German commander. The Allied side eventually was successful. The Allied side suffered 43,000 casualties and the Axis side 40,000. -
D-Day
On this day, the Allied Powers invaded Normandy, France. First, 24,000 British, American, Canadian, and Free French airborne troops arrived; followed by Allied soldiers arriving on the coast of France. They used other operations to distract the Germans from real landing areas. This attack was planned by British Lieutenant-General Frederick Morgan and was the largest invasion executed on land or water in world history. Over 160,000 troops landed on June 6th. 195,700 Allied naval and merchant -
Philippines-
October 20, 1944. This battle was fought by United States and Philippines against Japan to defeat them and stop them from occupying the Philippines. The Japanese had taken over the Philippines earlier in the war. They fought on the Philippine island of Leyte. The Allies won the battle which ended on September 2, 1945. -
Battle of the Bulge
This was a German offensive attack on the mountain region of Bellonia in Belgium. This was the last major Nazi offensive attack on the Allied Powers. Hitler was trying to split the Allied powers and stop their ability to supply themselves. Hitler ordered a major attack on mostly American forces. The foggy weather was in Hitler’s advantage because the Allies could not use their air force. By December 22, the fog cleared and the Allies brought in their air force. They Allies could attack the -
Iwo Jima
February 19, 1945. In this battle, the United States fought for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. The fighting was very dangerous. The Japanese Army used underground tunnels, bunkers, and hidden weapon techniques in this battle. However, the American navy and air force were able to take them down and won the battle, even though they had more casualties. This was the first American attack on the Japanese home islands. The American victory was ensured because they outnumbered the Ja -
Okinawa-
April 1, 1945. The Allies wanted to take over Okinawa to use as a base for air operations while taking over the Japanese mainland. This was the biggest naval battle fought in the Pacific in World War II. The fighting was very intense and had the highest number of casualties in the Pacific. The Allied Powers won. The Japanese lost over 100,000 soldiers and were growing weaker and weaker. A few weeks after this ended on June 21, 1945, because of the atomic bombings, the Japanese sur -
Battle of Berlin
This battle was the Soviet Union and Poland against Germany. It was the final major offensive battle of the European Theater of World War II. The Red Army began to invade the German front. Three army groups worked together in different directions to invade Berlin. Marshal Georgy Zhukov led the first Soviet front into Berlin. The German defenses were led by Helmuth Weidling and were not well equipped. The Soviets and Polish won this battle. Before it ended on May 2nd of the same year, Hitl