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Non-Agression Pact Signed
Representatives from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union met and signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, which guaranteed that the two countries would not attack each other. Te Soviet Union gained land and Germany didn't have to worry about fighting a war on two fronts. -
Germany Invades Poland
Hitler invades Poland in order to gain land that he lost. The German invasion of Poland started with destroying all communication and means of reatreating then a massive land invasion with a large number of troops, tanks, and artillery. They then set up concentration camps and started killing enemies of the Nazi ideology. -
Britain and Frnace Declare War on Germany
Britain and France had sworn to protect Poland so when Hitler crossed the Polish border, he was sent a letter from Britain to go back. He of course ignored this letter and Britain and France declared war. -
Germany invades France, Belgium, and the Netherlands
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Italy declares war on France and Great Britain
After France and Great Britain had declared war on Germany, Italy had no choice but to declare war on them as Italy had signed a treaty with Germany years ago. -
France surrenders to Germany
France's leadership and lack of advanced air weaponry led to their surrer=nder to Germany in 1940. -
Battle of Britain begins
German Air Force tried to suppress British air defences and bomb other targets to soften Britain in preparation for a sea invasion. British air defense used radar to intercept German bombers while avoiding German fighters. Radar helped Britain use their limited planes in strategic ways, always making them appear when needed. Attrition forced Germans to call off the attack. -
Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Japan wanted to take the Hawaiian islands and bombed Pearl Harbor in order to do that. Japan did not accomplish it's goals and ended up landing itself in more touble. We had left Japan and Germany alone but we entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor. -
Germany and Italy declare war on US, US declares war on Germany and Italy
Germany and Italy were allies with Japan so they declared war on us after we declared war on Japan. -
The Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting to inform administrative leaders of the final solution. The final solution of course being, sending the Jew of occupied land to Poland and killing them. The final solution was already being implemented but the Wannsee Conference seemed like a good way to report this news to the other departments. -
Battle of Midway Begins
The Battle Of Midway takes place between Japan and the US. Japan plans to attack the US by surprise but we intercepted and decifered codes from Japan that revealed their plan. The Americans had their carriers ready and waiting to ambush the Japanese carriers that were coming. The US damaged the Japanese army greatly -
Battle of Stalingrad Begins
This was the start of a 5 month, 1 week, and 3 day battle in Stalingrad, Russia. Germany started this battle with the heavy air invasion over Stalingrad. This was eventually followed by ground troops that took over the city. Russian troops ended up finding a weakness in the German flanks, exploited it, and got Germany's general to surrender. -
Battle of Kursk begins
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Italy Surrenders
Italy was tired of fighting a war it wasn't sure it could win. It was clear the Allies were planning an invasion, and Italy simply didn't have the ability to repel it. Italy decided to surrender instead of face a foreign power who may have not have been as nice if they fought to the end. -
D-Day
General Dwight Eisenhower led U.S. and Allied troops in an invasion of Normandy, France. The armies fought their way through France and Belgium and into Germany while Russian troops fought from the east. This led to Germany surrendering in 1945. -
Battle of Iwo Jima begins
America fought this battle in order to try to capture Iwo Jima from Japan because it had two airfields. While the Japanese were well armed, the Americans had extensive naval and ground support which won them the battle. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Japanese destroyed many American aircraft carriers. Within less than a month, the Japanese flew over 1,465 kamikaze aircrafts. Marines had taken out Naha and the Oroku Penisula. With the island secure for the US, the war ended. -
Battle of Berlin begins
Soviet forces break through the Seelöwe Heights after being delayed for a couple days. Soviet Armies encircled Berlin. Soviet forces were armed with sub-machine guns, heavy armour, aircraft and artillery while the defenders were at a large disadvantage with their old rifles. The Reichstag fell in early May after Hitler killed himself the day before and a ceasefire was made on May 2nd. -
Potsdam Conference begins
After Germany had signed an unconditional surrender, the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States met to decide how to administer punishment to Germany. They decided to hold democratic trials for the main defenders. -
US drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
With the Pacific War still going on and the need for the US to test atomic bombs, Hiroshima was the first canidate. -
US drops second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan
Nagasaki was a very industrial city that had faced bombings througout World War Two and became the place of the second US atomic bombing.
