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The Invasion (Blitzkrieg) of Poland
The assault on Poland demonstrated Germany's ability to combine air power and armor in a new kind of mobile warfare. -
Great Britain and France Declare War on Nazi Germany
Britain went to war in 1939 to defend the balance of power in Europe and safeguard Britain's position in the world. -
The Invasion (Blitzkrieg) of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands & France
This envisaged a rapid German attack into the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to prevent the Allied army having a clear route into Germany, especially the vital industrial heartland of the Ruhr. -
The Battle & Great Escape at Dunkirk
The evacuation boosted morale
If the BEF had been captured, it would have meant the loss of Britain's only trained troops and the collapse of the Allied cause. -
The Battle of Britain
It was one of Britain's most important victories of the Second World War because it showed Germany could be defeated, it allowed Britain to carry on fighting the war, and ultimately ensured the Allies had a base from which to launch the liberation of Europe on D-Day in June 1944. -
Selective Service & Training Act
The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was a bill passed in the United States on the eve of the Second World War. The bill implemented a military draft. -
Lend-Lease Assistance Act
Under this policy, the United States was able to supply military aid to its foreign allies during World War II, while still remaining -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
This unprovoked attack brought the United States into World War II, as it immediately declared war on Japan. -
America Enters World War II
The most devastating strike came at Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian naval base where much of the US Pacific Fleet was moored. In a two-hour attack, Japanese warplanes sank or damaged 18 warships and destroyed 164 aircraft. -
Germany and Italy Declare War on the United States
On December 11, 1941, Italy declared war on the United States in response to the latter's declaration of war upon the Empire of Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor four days earlier. -
The Battle of the Coral Sea
It was the world's first carrier-vs. -carrier battle, and the first naval battle in which neither side's ships sighted the others. -
The Battle of Midway Island
This critical US victory stopped the growth of Japan in the Pacific and put the United States in a position to begin shrinking the Japanese empire through a years-long series of island-hopping invasions and several even larger naval battles. -
The Invasion of North Africa
Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to begin their fight against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a limited scale. -
The Invasion of Sicily & Italy
Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to begin their fight against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a limited scale. -
V-E (Victory in Europe) Day
On Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies, including the United States. On May 8, 1945 - known as Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day - celebrations erupted around the world to mark the end of World War II in Europe. -
The D-Day Invasion of France
In a larger strategic sense, the successful Allied landing in France was a psychological blow to the German occupation of Europe. -
Nazi Concentration Camps Discovered
The camp survivors perceived Majdanek as one of the most primitive of all the German Nazi camps, where the living conditions were atrocious. -
The Yalta Conference
At Yalta, Roosevelt and Churchill discussed with Stalin the conditions under which the Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan and all three agreed that, in exchange for potentially crucial Soviet participation in the Pacific theater, the Soviets would be granted a sphere of influence in Manchuria following -
The Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima
At 8.15 on the morning of 6th August 1945, the Japanese city of Hiroshima was devastated by the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon of war. -
The Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
The bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki with the Fat Man plutonium bomb device on August 9, 1945, caused terrible human devastation -
V-J (Victory over Japan) Day
V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day, marks the end of World War II, one of the deadliest and most destructive wars in history. When President Harry S. Truman announced on Aug. 14, 1945, that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, war-weary citizens around the world erupted in celebration. -
The Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge marked the last German offense on the Western Front. The catastrophic losses on the German side prevented Germany from resisting the advance of Allied forces following the Normandy Invasion.