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Invasion of Poland
After months of taking small amounts of land at a time, Hitler was ready to go for something larger, Poland. Germany possessed much more military power than Poland and easily defeated them. This caused countries like France and Great Britain to declare war on Germany. -
Fall of France
Some of the German military attacked the border but instead of invading right on the border, Germany invaded France through Luxembourg. On June 14, 1940 Germans entered Paris and France signed an armistice shortly after. -
Battle of Britain
After defeating France, Hitler turned his focus on Great Britain. He began with air raids to try and take out the Royal Air Force. These air raids were unsuccessful and the invasion was postponed because of the threat of the Soviets in Eastern Europe. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese Royal Navy launched a surprise attack on the most important US Naval base, Pearl Harbor. While they did destroy many US ships, the attack was not a success. A majority of the fleet wasn't there at the time of the attack. The US declared war on Japan, officially involving itself in the war. Hitler applauded Japan's actions and declared war on the US. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the first time the allies advanced in the Pacific. The Japanese Navy lost many ships and were forced to turn back. This gave the momentum to the US in the Pacific war. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was a successful soviet defense against the German army. While the Germans had taken the city, the Red Army surrounded them and made them surrender. The Germans lose 300,000 troops. -
Italy Surrenders
In September 1943, British forces land on the toe of Italy. They slowly move up the country, pushing back the Germans. Benito Mussolini is overthrown and the new Italian government is taken down by the allies. -
D-day
D-day was the most important military operation by the allies in WWII. On June 6, 1944, allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. The Germans had deployed troops of their own but the allies had an overwhelming advantage in naval and airborne power. D-day was the start of the invasion of France and the entirety of Nazi controlled western Europe -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive in western Europe. It was a last ditch effort to hold of the allied invasion of Germany. This offensive failed by January 1945 and the Germans suffered 100,000 casualties. The Battle of the Bulge was the point of the war were Germany had retreated all the way out of France and proved that the allied forces were going to win the war. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
In August 1945, the US drops two atomic bombs on Japan. A total of 120,000 Japanese citizens die from the two bombs. This causes Japan to surrender and ends the war entirely. -
Germany Surrenders
Soviet and US troops surround Berlin and near Hitler. Adolf Hitler commits suicide and the US and Soviet troops take Berlin on May 9. This signifies the end of the war in Europe.