World War II

Japan Invades Manchuria

Sep 18, 1931

Japan invades Manchuria to gain raw materials for its war effort because of the American embargo of the Dutch West Indies.

Mussolini conquers Ethiopia.

Oct 2, 1935

Fascist Italy invades, conquers, and annexes Ethiopia.

Tripartite Pact

Oct 25, 1936

Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of cooperation.

Rome-Berlin Axis

Nov 1, 1936

The Rome-Berlin Axis is announced to the world.

Anti-Comintern Pact

Nov 25, 1936

Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign a pact that is directed against the Soviet Union and the international Communist movement.

World War II in Asia.

Jul 7, 1937

Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific.

Munich Agreement

Sep 29, 1938

Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany.

World War II Begins

Sep 1, 1939

Germany invades Poland.

War Spreads Through Europe.

Sep 3, 1939

France and Great Britain declare war on Germany due to Germany's invasion of Poland.

Soviet Union Takes Poland

Sep 17, 1939

The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east.

Independent State of Croatia

Apr 10, 1941

The new state includes the province of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Croatia joins the Axis powers formally on June 15, 1941.

Yugoslavia Surrenders

Apr 17, 1941

Yugoslavia is forced to surrender after Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria invade and dismember the country.

Germans Retreat.

Dec 6, 1941

A Soviet counteroffensive group drives the Germans from a Moscow suburb in chaotic retreat.

Pearl Harbor.

Dec 7, 1941

Japan drops bombs on Pearl Harbor in the United Startes.

D-Day (Day of Death)

Jun 6, 1944

British and US troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans.

Finland is Removed.

Sep 12, 1944

Finland concludes an armistice with the Soviet Union, leaving the Axis partnership.

Hitler Commits Suicide

Apr 30, 1945

Adolf Hitler committed suicide by gunshot in his Führerbunker in Berlin. His wife Eva (née Braun) committed suicide with him by ingesting cyanide.

Germany Surrenders

May 7, 1945

Germany surrenders to the Western Allies.

Germany Surrenders Again

May 9, 1945

Germany also surrenders to the Soviets.

U.S. bombs Hiroshima.

Aug 6, 1945

The United States Air-Force drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

U.S. Bombs Nagasaki

Aug 9, 1945

The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan in an effort to end the war.

World War II Ends

Sep 2, 1945

Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II. The World is in Peace.