WW 2 Timeline

By martinmd

  • Japan took Manchuria and expanded into North China

    The Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria and caused deep hate for the Japanese that continued till the end of WWII. The Manchurian Crisis had a negative impact on the moral strength and influence of the League of Nations.
  • Period: to

    WW 2 events

  • Hitler becomes Chancellor

    President of Germany, Hindenburg, named Hitler the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or the Nazi Party), as Chancellor of Germany. By Hitler becoming Chancellor, it showed that the public supported the nazis and was the start of Hitler's rise to power.

  • Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland

    Germany's military took over Rhineland. This violated the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and changed the balance of power from France to Germany.

  • Rome-Berlin Axis signed

    A Coalition formed between Italy and Germany linking the 2 countries. This began a deterioration of the collaborations between Germany & Italy that ended in enslaving the Italian Social Republic by the Nazis.

  • Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan sign the AntiComintern Pact

    The AntiComintern Pact was an anti-Communist pact between Germany & Japan. It was one of the series of agreements that lead to the formation of the Axis Powers.

  • Japan invades China

    During the Marco Polo Bridge incident where shots were fired between both sides of Japan and China. This allowed Japan to justify an invasion of China. Japan would be considered more of a world power by doing this.

  • Hitler took the Sudetenland as a result of the Munich Conference

    The Sudetenland was a new territorial designation of parts of Czechoslovakia to Germany. The Munich Agreement was important because Britain and France believed that by handing Sudetenland back to German was the only was to see the world from another war.

  • German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

    This was a nonaggression pact between Germany and Soviet Union allowed Germany to take Poland without any interference form the USSR. Since Germany and USSR later became bitter enemies, Stalin basically aided Hitler in starting the war.

  • Germany attacked Poland

    Germany attacked Poland and Poland finally surrendered at the end of the month and Germans occupied them. This triggered WWII with Great Britain and France declaring war on Germany.

  • Great Britain and France declare war on Germany

    Great Britain and France declare war on Germany in response to Hitler's invasion of Poland. This started WWII.

  • Hitler began the Battle of Britain

    German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United kingdom being the longest sustained bombing campaign. Britain's victory saved the country from a ground invasion and German takeover and proved that air power by itself can't win a major battle.

  • Germany invades the Soviet Union

    Germany invaded the Soviet Union to permanently eliminate the other Communist threat to Germany. This was one of Hitler's mistakes because it broke the Nazi-Soviet pact and forced Hitler to open up 2 fronts.

  • Japan bombs Pearl Harbor

    Japan surprised the U.S. by attacking them on their own soil in Hawaii. This destroyed most of the U.S. Pacific fleet.

  • US declares war on Japan

    President Roosevelt declares war on Japan for their surprise attack at Pearl Harbor. Again, U.S. was now brought into WWII.

  • Germany and Axis Powers declare war on United States

    Germany, Japan and Italy declare war on the neutral United States. This resulted in U.S. having to fight a two ocean war.

  • Battle of Stalingrad

    Germany tried to take over Stalingrad, Russia and lost. This ended Germany's advances into Eastern Europe and Russia.

  • Tehran Conference

    The Conference was a strategy meeting of leaders Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), Roosevelt (U.S.) and Winston Churchill (Great Britain). Stalin promised to join the war against Japan once the war in Europe was over.

  • Allied Invasion of Normandy

    The allied forces (U.S., Britain and Canadian forces on five separate beachheads in Normandy, France for the drive into Germany. The invasion was the beginning of the Nazi forces being put on the defensive.

  • Battle of the Bulge

    This battle was Germany's attack on the Allies in northwest Europe by trying to split the Allied Armies. A fatal blow to the German forces which led to their surrender May 8, 1945.

  • Yalta Conference

    Allied leaders and Stalin of Soviet Union, meet to plan the final defeat of Nazi Germany and future of the world. This set-up the beginnings of how they would divide East and West Germany.

  • Mussolini killed

    Mussolini, the Italian fascist dictator, was executed in a small village in Northern Italy. This led to the collapse of Italy and her colonies.

  • Hitler committed suicide

    After finding out that Mussolini had been assassinated and there were no more troops being sent to Germany, Hitler committed suicide. He did not want to be humiliated like Mussolini was and now Germany had no leader in the war.

  • Victory in Europe (VE Day)

    VE Day is the day when WWII finally ended in Europe. Now the Allies could focus on fighting the Japanese and not fighting on two fronts at the same time.

  • Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    The United States dropped two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This forced the surrender of Japan and peacekeeping forces we know today.

  • Victory in Japan (VJ Day)

    The day which Imperial Japan surrendered in WWII. This officially ended WWII.