World War II Timeline

By leverhardt

  • Mussolini takes power

    Mussolini takes power
    Benito Mussolini was an Italian dictator who rose to power after World War I. He was part of the fascist movement and became prime minister of Italy in 1922.

  • Joseph Stalin rises in Russia

    Joseph Stalin rises in Russia
    Stalin won the power struggle for control after Lenin died in 1924. He became dictator of the Soviet Union by the late 1920's.

  • Hitler publishes Mein Kampf

    Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
    Hitler publishes his autobiography called "Mein Kampf" which translates to "My Struggle". Volume 1 was published in 1925 while Volume 2 was published in 1926.

  • Hitler becomes leader of Germany

    Hitler becomes leader of Germany
    The Nazi Party was declared the only political party of Germany on July 14, 1933. Hitler became the head of the state in August 1934.

  • FDR becomes president in the US

    FDR becomes president in the US
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the thirty-second President of the U.S.. He served during one of the worst parts of American history.

  • Germany invades Rhineland

    Germany invades Rhineland
    Hitler and the Nazis started remilitarizing the Rhineland on this day,

  • Germany invades Austria

    Germany invades Austria
    German troops march into Austria to annex the country. This was part of the Thrid Reich.

  • Germany invades Poland

    Germany invades Poland
    German forces attacked Poland from the air and on land. This was the start of World War II.

  • Great Britain/France declare war on Germany

    Great Britain/France declare war on Germany
    Great Britain and France declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland.

  • Japan, Germany, Italy become the Axis

    Japan, Germany, Italy become the Axis
    Japan, Germany, and Italy sign the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. This forms the Axis powers.

  • Battle of Britain

    Battle of Britain
    • Longest sustained bombing campaign to date
    • Victory by the British Royal Air Force
    • Victory prevented a ground invasion by German forces

  • Bombing of Pearl Harbor

    Bombing of Pearl Harbor
    Japan attacked the U.S. with a suprise bombing on Pearl Harbor. This was the main reason why the U.S. got involved in WWII.

  • U.S. declares war on Japan

    U.S. declares war on Japan
    The U.S. Congress declared war on Japan after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

  • Germany/Italy declare war on U.S.

    Germany/Italy declare war on U.S.
    Hitler and Mussolini announce that Germany and Italy are at war with the U.S. after they say they are at war with Japan.

  • Battle of Midway

    Battle of Midway
    -American’s break Japanese Navy code
    - U.S. Navy all but destroys the Japanese Navy

  • Victory at guadalcanal

    Victory at guadalcanal
    • first major offensive victory for the Allies in the Pacific Theater
    • Air base was strategic in controlling lines of communication between U.S. and Australia

  • Operation Torch

    Operation Torch
    • America’s first battle of WW2 against the Germans
    • Another Allied victory over the Afrika Korps that sent them into retreat

  • Stalingrad

    Stalingrad
    • America’s first battle of WW2 against the Germans
    • Another Allied victory over the Afrika Korps that sent them into retreat

  • North Africa liberated

    North Africa liberated
    Axis troops surrendered to the Allies in Tunisia which marked the liberation of North Africa.

  • Battle of Tarawa

    Battle of Tarawa
    The U.S. seized the Japanese island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. This was part of their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

  • Operation Overlord

    Operation Overlord
    A code-name given to the Allied invasion of France. This was part of the battle of Normandy.

  • Battle of leyte Gulf

    Battle of leyte Gulf
    -Major Allied Victory in the Philippines
    -Japan uses Kamazaies, U.S. sees the willingness of Japan to die for country
    - Kamazaies push America to quickly find ways to end the war

  • Battle of the Bulge

    Battle of the Bulge
    • Last major offensive for Germany, through the use of Blitzkrieg
    • Attempt to split allied forces from Ardennes to Antwerp to force negotiated peace
    • Germans ran low on supplies and fuel, halting the German advance

  • Liberation of Auschwitz

    Liberation of Auschwitz
    Soldiers of the Soviet First Ukrainian Front liberated just under 6,000 prisoners still alive in Auschwitz.

  • Iwo Jima captured

    Iwo Jima captured
    Provided a air base near the Japanese coast
    Famous photo of Americans raising flag over Mt. Suribachi

  • FDR dies

    FDR dies
    President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies from a stroke on April 12, 1945.

  • Hitler commits suicide

    Hitler commits suicide
    Hitler killed himself by gunshot. His wife also commited suicide by taking cyanide.

  • Germany surrenders

    Germany surrenders
    The German High Command signs the unconditional surrender of the German forces.

  • V-E day

    V-E day
    V-E day stands for Victory in Europe day. This day celebrates the Allied victory of WWII.

  • Battle of Okinawa

    Battle of Okinawa
    -Last and biggest battle of the Pacific Islands
    -Island provided air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan

  • Atomic Bomb: Hiroshima

    Atomic Bomb: Hiroshima
    The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The U.S. is the first and only country to use atomic weaponry during a war.

  • Atomic Bomb: Nagasaki

    Atomic Bomb: Nagasaki
    The second atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, by the U.S.. This causes Japan to surrender to the U.S.

  • VJ

    VJ
    V-J day was the day that Japan surrendered to the U.S.. This was the end to WWII.

  • Internment of American Japanese

    Internment of American Japanese
    On February 19, 1942, it was announced that Japanese Americans would be forced to move to internment camps. This was done in fear of spys or terrorist attacks.