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Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific
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Nazi-Soviet Pact – Alliance between Hitler and Stalin which agreed to divide Poland between the two countries.
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Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe
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Britain and France declared war on Germany.
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The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east
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Warsaw surrenders
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Italy enters the war
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Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact.
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Hungary joins the Axis
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Romania joins the Axis
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Slovakia joins the Axis.
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The air war known as the Battle of Britain ends in defeat for Nazi Germany.
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Bulgaria joins the Axis
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German advance in Russia halted by Russian winter and Russian counterattacks
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Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
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The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II
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Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States.
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British and US navies halt the Japanese naval advance in the central Pacific at Midway.
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The Germans launch a final offensive in the west, known as the Battle of the Bulge, in an attempt to re-conquer Belgium and split the Allied forces along the German border.
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The Soviets launch their final offensive, encircling Berlin.
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Hitler commits suicide
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Germany surrendered ending the war in Europe
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The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
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The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
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Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.
