World War II

Hitler 1935

Dec 31, 1935

Hitler tests the stregth of the Treaty of Versailles and increases army and builds a Navy. He exclaims that Germany has no intention for conquering other nations, only intentions of peace.

Anschluss

Mar 12, 1938

Germany annexed Austria into the German Third Reich

Munich Conference

Sep 29, 1938

The Munich Confrence was a settlement permitting Nazi Germany's annexation of Czechoslovakia's areas along the country's borders mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans for which a new territorial designation "Sudetenland" was coined. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without the presence of Czechoslovakia. Today, it is widely regarded as a failed act of appeasement toward Germany.

Czechoslovakia

Mar 16, 1939

Following the Anschluss of Nazi Germany and Austria, in March 1938, the conquest of Czechoslovakia became Hitler's next ambition. The incorporation of the Sudetenland into Nazi Germany left the rest of Czechoslovakia weak and it became powerless to resist subsequent occupation.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

Aug 23, 1939

In 1939, Adolf Hitler was preparing for war. Though he was hoping to acquire Poland without force, Hitler was planning against the possibility of a two front war. Since fighting a two front war in World War I had split Germany's forces, it had weakened and undermined their offensive; thus, played a large role in Germany losing the First World War. Hitler was determined not to repeat the same mistakes. So, he planned ahead and made a pact with the Sovie

Poland, Britain, and France

Sep 1, 1939

German forces have invaded Poland and its planes have bombed Polish cities, including the capital, Warsaw.The attack comes without any warning or declaration of war.Britain and France have mobilised their forces and are preparing to wage war on Germany for the second time this century.Just before dawn today, German tanks, infantry and cavalry penetrated Polish territory on several fronts with five armies, a total of 1.5 million troops.
World War II has begun.

Fall of Poland

Sep 17, 1939

Germany invades Poland and eventually the Soviet Union helps the Germans attack from the east. The success of the invasion marked the end of the Second Polish Republic, though Poland never formally surrendered.

Phoney War

Sep 30, 1939

The Phoney War was a phase early in World War II that was marked by a lack of major military operations by the Western Allies (the United Kingdom and France) against the German Reich. The phase was in the months following Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany (shortly after the German invasion of Poland) in September 1939 and preceding the Battle of France in May 1940. War was declared by each side, but no Western power had committed to launching a significant land offensive, notwit

Danzig

Dec 31, 1939

The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas. It was created on 15 November 1920. In 1933, the City's government was taken over by the local Nazi Party and the democratic opposition was suppressed. Due to anti-Semitic persecution and oppression, many Jews fled. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the Free City was abolished.

Blitzkrieg

Dec 31, 1939

Blitzkrieg (German, "lightning war") is an anglicised word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken, proceeding without regard to its flank. Through constant motion, the blitzkrieg attempts to keep its enemy off-balance, making it difficult to respond effectively at any given point before the front has already moved on.

Invasion of France

May 10, 1940

After months of nervous speculation, Germany brought war to western Europe on May 10, 1940, with the primary goal of conquering France. German bombers hit air bases in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands, destroying large numbers of Allied planes on the ground and crippling Allied air defenses. The Maginot Line was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defenses, which France constructed along its borders with Germany.

Evacuation at Dunkirk

May 26, 1940

Evacuation at Dunkirk was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 27 May and the early hours of 4 June 1940, because the British, French, and Belgian troops were cut off by the German army during the Battle of Dunkirk in the Second World War. The evacuation was ordered on 26 May. In a speech to the House of Commons, Winston Churchill called the events in France "a colossal military disaster".

Fall of France

Jun 22, 1940

With France left to fend for itself after the British evacuation, initially the depleted French forces put up stiff resistance, but German air superiority gradually overwhelmed French artillery positions. German forces outflanked the Maginot Line and pushed deeper into France as French forces began to collapse. German forces arrived in an undefended Paris on 14 June. On 22 June, an armistice was signed.

Battle of Britain

Oct 31, 1940

The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces. From July 1940, coastal shipping convoys and shipping centres were the main target later Germany shifted its attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure. When Germany failed to gain air superiority or make Britain surrender, it marked the turning point of the war.