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Nazi/Soviet non-aggression pact
The non-aggression pact allowed Germany to attack Poland without the Soviet Union attacking Germany over it. Germany attacking Poland was the start of WW2 after France and Germany declared war on it. -
Hitler invades Poland
Germany invaded Poland to regain land they lost after WW1 and to control them. The non-aggression pact with the U.S.S.R. made it so Germany would invade with any action from the U.S.S.R. After Hitler refused to leave Poland, Britain and France would declare war on Germany. -
Battle of the Atlantic
The battle between Germany and the Allies to control the Atlantic. This was the longest continuous battle during WW2. The Atlantic was how Britain got all of its resources and if it lost it could lose access to all resources. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
Over 338,000 soldiers from Britain and France were evacuated. The British Royal Air Force was essential to this as they intercepted German bombers from above the beach. This would be a major boost in morale among British soldiers and gave them a bigger army. -
Fall of France
Germany successfully invaded France and Belgium after France declared war on it. They used the strategy as in WW1 by going through Belgium but were successful this time taking just over a must to do so. France was one of the biggest enemies Germany would face in the war and controlling it made it much more likely to win the war. -
Battle of Britain
Germany sent bomber planes into Britain on their ports, air bases, aircraft factories, radar stations and to wear down Britains air defence. Winning allowed Britain to avoid Nazi occupation and allowed them to set up a base of operation to invade Normandy on D-day. -
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
The Japanese navy launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. The Japanese navy successfully sank and exploded the USS Arizona which sank with over 1000 men in it. The attack would take the US out of isolation in the war and would lead to the US dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. -
Japan's Invasion of Hong Kong
Japan sent air raids over Hong Kong starting December 8 and Japanese soldiers landed in Hong Kong on December 18. Japanese soldiers took no prisoners gathering up and executing soldiers and took over Hong Kong from Britain on December 25. This was one of the first battles in the pacific during WW2 and Britain lost one of its territories. -
Battle of Dieppe
The allies launched a major raid on the French port of Dieppe which would ultimately be unsuccessful. The German defences were stronger than the allies had expected and Canadians lacked support from the navy and air force. Many soldiers were killed or taken prisoner after the raid and the allies learned a lot that would lead to the success of D-Day. -
Soviets defeat Germans at Stalingrad
The Soviets launched a counteroffensive against the Germans at Stalingrad in mid-November of 1942. The Soviets encircled an army of 220000 and in February 1943 the German army of just 91000 surrendered. The Soviets victory stopped the Germans advance into the Soviet Union and led to the tide of the war going in favour of the allies. -
Italian Campaign
Allied forces invaded Italy from the south and went up to the mainland until they were close to Germany. This would lead to the downfall of Mussolini and the end of fascim in Italy. -
D-Day
The allied forces launched a naval, air and land on France which was occupied by the Nazis. Allied forces parachuted into drop zones in the north of France. Ground troops then entered five beaches. After D-Day Germany would start to lose the war and surrender less than a year later. -
End of the War in Europe (Germany Surrenders)
The German Instrument of Surrender was signed which was the end of Germany's participation in WW2 and the end of the Nazi Party. -
USA Drops Atomic Bombs
The USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in Hiroshima August 6 and in Nagasaki August 9 killing between 129,000 and 226,000 people. This was and is still the only time a nuclear weapon has been used in a war or armed conflict. -
End of the War in Pacific (Japan Surrenders)
Japan announced its surrender from WW2 on August 15 just six days after the US dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. They officially signed their surrender September 2 marking the end of WW2.