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Japanese invasion of Manchuria
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria began in 1931, using a railway bombing as a pretext. Japan captured key areas and established Manchukuo under Puyi in 1932. The League of Nations condemned Japan's actions, but Japan ignored protests and left in 1933. This invasion marked Japan's aggressive expansion in Asia, leading to the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. -
German Anschluss with Austria
The 1938 Anschluss, a move by Adolf Hitler to annex Austria into Nazi Germany, was largely a result of Nazi aggression. Despite initial international protests, no military action was taken, and Austria became part of Germany, marking a significant step in Hitler's territorial conquest in Europe leading up to World War II. -
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement, reached in 1938, was a pact between Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Republic, and Fascist Italy, which led to the German annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. The agreement, also known as the Munich Betrayal, was a response to Germany's undeclared war on Czechoslovakia. The pact involved German forces conquering parts of the Cheb and Jeseník districts, while Poland and Hungary resisted Soviet assistance. -
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, signed in Moscow in 1939. It established Soviet and German spheres of influence across Eastern Europe, with Poland to be shared and Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Bessarabia to the Soviet Union. The pact recognized Lithuania's interest in the Vilnius region. However, a week after signing, Germany invaded Poland -
Hitler invades Poland
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, was a joint attack by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of World War II. The invasion aimed to divide Polish territory and exterminate Poles. The campaign ended on 6 October, with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing Poland under the German-Soviet Frontier Treaty. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
On 3 September 1939, the UK declared war on Germany, following the German invasion of Poland. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced the war in a radio broadcast. The British ambassador in Berlin stated that unless Germany withdraws troops, war would exist. -
Phoney War
The Phoney War was an eight-month period in World War II, marked by little actual warfare on the Western Front. The Allies implemented economic warfare, naval blockades, and plans to cripple the German war effort, but these were deemed inadequate. The war ended with Germany's invasion of Denmark and Norway, leading to Allied withdrawal. -
Hitler invades Denmark and Norway
Operation Weserübung was Nazi Germany's invasion of Denmark and Norway during World War II. Initially a preventive measure against planned Anglo-French occupation, the invasion was a response to German invasion of Norwegian territory. The British Admiralty considered naval blockades against Germany, but Hitler's directive focused on a land offensive through the Low Countries. The invasion was set to last until 10 June 1940. -
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a combined arms surprise attack using armored and motorized infantry formations, artillery, air assault, and close air support. It aims to break through an opponent's defense lines, dislocate defenders, confuse the enemy, and defeat them in a decisive battle of annihilation. The term was first used in 1935 in German military periodical Deutsche Wehr. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis powers
Italy's involvement in World War II was influenced by its ideology, politics, and diplomacy, with its military actions heavily influenced by external factors. As one of the Axis Powers in 1940, Italy planned a "parallel war" against the British Empire in Africa and the Middle East. However, the British counterattacked, requiring German support to prevent Italian collapse in North Africa.