-
Germany Invades Poland
Germany launched the blitzkrig tested three years earlier. Poland's two million man army was defeated. The British declared war on Germany on September 3. This starts World War II in Europe. Photo Credit: http://www.historycentral.com/aviation/History3/Untitled-1.jpg -
Germany Invades Denmark and Norway
Hitler used the excuse that he had to protect these countries. In spite of his treaty with Denmark, Hitler rolled tanks across it's borders in April. Norway's government was headed by Vidkun Quisling who was a "traitor." -
Germany Invades Holland and Belgium
Hitler moved 136 divisions against Holland and Belgium in May. The Dutch were helpless against the blitzkreig. On May 14th, the Dutch port city of Rotterdam was bombed. In Belgium, a fortress at Eben Emael fell within 36 hours of the blitkreig on Belgium. -
Period: to
Evacuation From Dunkirk Begins
Once Belgium fell, the British forces were trapped. The British had to call upon its civil population to donate any small ships that were available. This put Operation Dynamo into action. 887 ships of all sizes came and resued 338, 226 men. -
Paris Falls and France Surrenders
The first air raids on Paris began in June of 1940. 2000 tanks moved toward the capital and refugees streamed from Paris. The government left on June 11. The World War I hero Marshal Henri Petain took control and surrendered to the Germans. -
National Defense Research Committee
President Roosevelt creates "National Defense Research Committee," later the Office of Scientific Research and Development. This was to mobilize the nation's scientists and engineers to work for war effort. This starts out with the "Uranium Committee" which later becomes Manhattan Project. This hosts all kinds of technologies. Photo Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a3/NDRC_1940.jpg/300px-NDRC_1940.jpg -
Period: to
Battle of Britain
From September 1940 to June 1941 the German air force dropped bombs on London and other major cities in Britain. This caused over 30,000 Londoners died. The Germans lost over 1,700 aircraft. Many historical sites of London were damaged or destroyed. -
Auschwitz
The first gassings happen in Auschwitz. Auschwitz was a Nazi concentration camp in Poland. There were six concentration camps in all. Photo Credit: http://www.ushmm.org/lcmedia/photo/wlc/image/11/11058.jpg -
U.S Begins Nuclear Bomb Program (Manhattan Project)
This nuclear bomb crash project is codenamed the Manhattan Project. This is the largest research/development project in American history. British and Canadian scientists get transferred to this project. This employs over 100,000 people. Photo Credit: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/omeka/archive/files/energy0386-600w_4660076078.jpg -
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the United States fleets in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 2,350 Americans were killed. The US Pacific Fleet in Battleship Row was severely crippled. The United States had entered the war against Japan. Photo credit: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h86000/h86118.jpg -
U.S. Declares War
The United States declares war on Japan the day after the Pearl Harbor incident. -
War Declared On U.S.
Both Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. -
Philippines Fall to Japan
Japanse control of the Philippines would lead to control over all of east Asia. This attack came the day after Pearl Harbor. General Douglas MacArthur had 90,000 troops. They were forced to pull back to the Bataan Peninsula where US forces eperienced starvation. -
D-Day
On D-Day, the Allies landed out Normandy in Northern France. This was led by Dwight D. Eisenhower. There was struggle, but the French capital fell two months later. D-Day is known as one of the largest military assults in history. Photo credit: http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/dday_06_07/d23_0p012623.jpg -
Allies Agree to Use Bomb Against Japan
Roosevelt and Churchill secretly agree to the use of the atomic bomb against Japan. They withold news of the bomb project from the Soviet Union. -
Atomic Bomb Tested
The atomic bomb was tested successfully. This took place near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The bomb exploded well over one hundred meters in just .016 seconds. Photo Credit: http://bubbasoft.com/military/Manhattan-Trinity-4804.gif -
Atomic Bomb Dropped
The United States successfully dropped a bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. This was devastating. It cost over 140,000 lives. Photo credit: http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/hiroshima-and-nagasaki/bomb-exploding-nagasaki.jpg -
Soviet Union Enter War
The Soviet Union enter the war. They declare war on Japan and invade Machuria. -
Another Bomb Dropped
The United States drops another atomic bomb in Japan. This time, it's in Nagasaki. This kills somewhere between 40,000 and 75,000 people. Photo credit: http://www.atomicarchive.com/Photos/Nagasaki/images/NG30.jpg -
Japan Surrenders
Japan surrenders to the United States. They did this on the Battleship U.S.S Missouri. Photo Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Shigemitsu-signs-surrender.jpg/300px-Shigemitsu-signs-surrender.jpg
