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The Invasion of Poland
Nazi Germany possessed overwhelming military superiority over Poland. The assault on Poland demonstrated Germany's ability to combine air power and armor in a new kind of mobile warfare. -
Great Britain and France Declare War on Nazi Germany
Germany represented a direct threat to British security and the security of its empire. Accepting German domination of Europe had grave implications for British status and survival. Britain went to war in 1939 to defend the balance of power in Europe and safeguard Britain's position in the world. -
The Invasion of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands
German military strategy involved invading the neutral Low Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) to invade France. The conquest of Western Europe brought hundreds of thousands of Jews under German control. -
The Battle & Great Escape at Dunkirk
The evacuation boosted morale.
If the BEF had been captured, it would have meant the loss of Britain's only trained troops and the collapse of the Allied cause. The successful evacuation was a great boost to civilian morale and created the 'Dunkirk spirit' which helped Britain to fight on in the summer of 1940. -
The Battle Of Britain
It was one of Britain's most important victories of the Second World War because it showed Germany could be defeated, it allowed Britain to carry on fighting the war, and ultimately ensured the Allies had a base from which to launch the liberation of Europe on D-Day in June 1944. -
Selective Service & Training Act
Which required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. This was the first peacetime draft in United States' history. -
Lend-Lease Assistance Act
Following two months of debate, Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act, meeting Great Britain's deep need for supplies and allowing the United States to prepare for war while remaining officially neutral.Jun 28, 2022 -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, ended the debate over American intervention in both the Pacific and European theaters of World War II. -
America Enters World War 2
At the same time, the United States was providing its allies in Great Britain and the Soviet Union with critically needed supplies. Many Americans volunteered to defend the nation from enemy bombing or invasion. -
Germany & Italy Declare War on the U.S.
Italy declared war on the United States in response to the latter's declaration of war upon the Empire of Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor four days earlier. Germany also declared war on the U.S. the same day. -
The Battle of the Coral Sea
It was the first time in World War 2 that the Japanese experienced failure in a major operation; and. the battle stopped the Japanese sea-borne invasion of Port Moresby. -
The Battle of Midway Island
This critical US victory stopped the growth of Japan in the Pacific and put the United States in a position to begin shrinking the Japanese empire through a years-long series of island-hopping invasions and several even larger naval battles. -
The Invasion of North Africa
Operation Torch offered the opportunity to end the desert war and open the Mediterranean while trying to meet Joseph Stalin's demands for a second front. The operation was preceded by secret negotiations with Vichy representatives in a bid to minimize French and Allied bloodshed. -
The Invasion of Sicily & Italy
The Allies had successfully delivered a devastating blow against the first fascist government in world history when they toppled Mussolini's regime. -
The Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge marked the last German offense on the Western Front. The catastrophic losses on the German side prevented Germany from resisting the advance of Allied forces following the Normandy Invasion. Less than four months after the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Germany surrendered to Allied forces. -
The D-Day Invasion of France
D-Day had opened another major front, where the bulk of America's rapidly expanding army could at last be brought to bear. It led to the liberation of France, denying Germany any further exploitation of that country's economic and manpower resources. -
Nazi Concentration Camps Discovered
The German concentration camp in Lublin, called Majdanek, was initiated by Heinrich Himmler's decision. -
The Yalta Conference
At Yalta, Roosevelt and Churchill discussed with Stalin the conditions under which the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan and all three agreed that, in exchange for potentially crucial Soviet participation in the Pacific theater, the Soviets would be granted a sphere of influence in Manchuria. -
V-E (Victory in Europe) Day
On this day in 1945, the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, bringing an end to World War II in Europe. -
The Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima
Brought an end to the Second World War, but at a terrible cost to the Japanese civilian population, signaling the dawn of the nuclear age. -
The Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
Killing tens of thousands of people, obliterating the cities, and contributing to the end of World War II -
V-J (Victory over Japan) Day
Marks the end of World War II, one of the deadliest and most destructive wars in history. When President Harry S. Truman announced on Aug. 14, 1945, that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, war-weary citizens around the world erupted in celebration.