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The Detail
World War II, also called the Second World War, was a global conflict during the years 1939–1945.
The principal combatants were the Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—and the Allies—France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China.
The war was in many respects a continuation, after an uneasy 20-year hiatus, of the disputes left unsettled by World War I and the conditions imposed on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, ending “The Great War.” -
Hitler invades Czechoslovikia
Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939, occupying the Czech provinces of Bohemia and Moravia, effectively ending the remaining independence of Czechoslovakia after the Munich Agreement which had previously ceded the Sudetenland to Germany. -
Britain rearms and reassuers Poland
After the German occupation of Prague in March 1939 in violation of the Munich agreement, the Chamberlain government in Britain sought Soviet and French support for a Peace Front. The goal was to deter further German aggression by guaranteeing the independence of Poland and Romania. -
Hitler invades Poland
The invasion lasted from September 1 to October 5, 1939. As dawn broke on September 1, 1939, German forces launched a surprise attack on Poland. The attack was sounded with the predawn shelling, by the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein, of Polish fortifications at the Baltic port of Danzig (modern Dansk) -
Russia and Germany sign pact
In the night of 23-24 August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact., known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The countries agreed that they would not attack each other and secretly divided the countries that lay between them. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
Honoring their guarantee of Poland's borders, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Two days earlier, Germany had invaded Poland. Despite the declaration of war, there was initially only limited engagement between the German and British militaries. -
Hitler invades Denmark and Norway
The Nazis ended the period of Phoney War with their invasion of Denmark and Norway on the 9 April 1940. Control of Denmark and Norway was vital to Germany as it provided safe supply routes for Swedish iron ore. Prior to the war, Germany imported approximately half of its necessary iron ore from Sweden. -
“Phoney War”
The "Phony War" refers to the period following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, where despite Britain and France declaring war on Germany, there was very little active fighting on land in Western Europe for several months, essentially a stalemate with both sides primarily preparing for future conflict -
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg, meaning 'Lightning War', was the method of offensive warfare responsible for Nazi Germany's military successes in the early years of the Second World War. -
Chamberlain resigns
Accepting that a national government supported by all the main parties was essential, Chamberlain resigned the premiership because the Labour and Liberal parties would not serve under his leadership. Although he still led the Conservative Party, he was succeeded as prime minister by his colleague Winston Churchill. -
Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
The initial plan for Operation Dynamo was for it to last two days and rescue 45,000 troops. The actual operation lasted nine days and rescued 338,226 troops. Evacuations by day during the Dunkirk evacuation: On May 27, 1940, 0 troops were rescued from the beaches and 7,699 from the Harbour. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis powers
Italy entered World War II on the side of the Axis Powers on June 10, 1940 when they declared war on France and Great Britain, shortly before the fall of France to Germany, aligning themselves with Germany and Japan as part of the Tripartite Pact;. -
France signs armistice with Germany
On 22 June 1940, the French delegation signed the Armistice agreement imposed by Germany at the very location of the 1918 Armistice signing. This entailed France's surrender in the Second World War.