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Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe.
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Period: to
World War II
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Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.
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The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east.
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The Soviet Union invades Finland
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Germany attacks western Europe—France and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied
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the Netherlands surrenders
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Belgium surrenders
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Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
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Italy enters the war.
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France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established.
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Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact.
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Italy invades Greece
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Yugoslavia surrenders
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Japan bombs Pearl Harbor.
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The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II.
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Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States.
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Axis forces in Tunisia surrender to the Allies, ending the North African campaign.
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US and British troops land on Sicily. By mid-August, the Allies control Sicily.
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Soviet troops liberate Kiev
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British and US troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans.
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Finland concludes an armistice with the Soviet Union, leaving the Axis partnership.
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US troops land in the Philippines.
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US troops cross the Rhine River at Remagen.
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The Soviets launch their final offensive, encircling Berlin
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Hitler commits suicide
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Germany surrenders to the Soviets
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The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
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The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
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Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
