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Invasion of Poland
The main catalyst that started the second World War. On September 1, 1939, Germany invades poland with over a million nazi troops. Britain and France warned Germany to withdraw their troops or else they would declare war. Days later, Germany did not withdraw, and so war was declared. -
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World War II
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The Battle of The Atlantic
September 3 1939 - May 7 1945
The longest continuous military campaign in World War II, lasting until the defeat of germany in May 1945. The battle consisted of German Navy (Kriegsmarine) and air force (Luftwaffe) against the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Navy, the United States Navy, and Allied Merchant Shipping. -
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Battle of The Atlantic
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Miracle of Dunkirk
May 26 1940 - June 3 1940
On the 21st of May, the Germans captured the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), the remains of the Belgian forces, and three french armies. On May 26th, approximately 338,000 of these troops were evacuated on naval. If the evacuation was unsuccessful, Britain might've surrendered due to a loss of moral. -
Battle of Britain
July 10 1940 - October 31 1940
The Royal Air Force battles the Luftwaffe in the first major battle to only be fought with planes in history. The battle lasted for almost 4 months, each side eagerly trying to gain control of the skies. At the end of the battle, Britain has a decisive victory, making it one of the first defeats of Hitler's military. -
Attack on Pearl Harbour
The United States had remained neutral throughout World War II, and so had not participated in the war then. But it was then that Imperial Japan conducted a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, intending to prevent and scare the United States from interfering with the military actions of the Japanese. But instead this event convinces the US to join and fight in the war. -
Battle of Dieppe
August 19, 1942 (5am - 10:50am)
Also known as the Dieppe Raid, it was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France. The raid lasted a little over 4 hours, when the Allied commanders were forced to call a retreat. Most of the casualties in the battle were Canadian, with 4968 Canadian troops battling, but only 2200 returning. -
Italian Campaign
July 10 1943 - May 2 1945
Allied operations in order to invade Italian mainland. Canadians participated in the Allied invasion of island of Sicily, taking it from the Axis powers. Shortly after in September, the Allied invasion of Italy commenced. The campaign lasted until the German armed forces surrendered in Italy in May 2 1945. One of the big steps towards the end of the war. -
Normandy Landings (D-Day)
"Operation Overlord" The largest allied surprise attack in World War II. Rehearsed endlessly prior to the event in order to have perfect coordination, the American, British, and Canadian forces invaded the beaches of Normandy in France from the control of the Nazis. It was a major turning point in the war, and was also the largest seaborne invasion in history. -
End of the War in Europe (VE Day)
May 7/8, 1945
After Hitler's suicide in April 30th, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrenders in May 7, which marks the day of the Allies' victory in Europe, and is called VE Day, or Victory over Europe Day. Once the defeat of Germany was announced, the world celebrated on the streets to mark end of World War II in Europe. -
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 6 and August 9 1945
The first and only times nuclear weapons have ever been used. The Manhattan project was development task to produce the first nuclear weapons: Little Boy and Fat Man. The US demanded Japan to surrender under certain conditions, in which they refused to. This resulted in the bombing of Hiroshima in August 6. Japan still didn't surrender, and so Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki in August 9, 1945. -
End of the War in the Pacific (VJ Day)
After the devastating bombings in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Emperor Hirohito of Japan surrenders on September 2, 1945. This effectively ended the Second World War. The nuclear bombs killed approximately 200,000 people, and over 60 million people died in the entire War.
