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Japanese invasion of Manchuria
The Japanese were in need of raw materials, so they began to invade surrounding areas. Manchuria was taken and renamed Manchuko. The invasion lasted until Feb 27, 1932. -
Hitler becomes chancellor
Hitler was elected chancellor by the people. He had promised to fix the economy. -
Invasion of Ethiopia
The Italians invaded Ethiopia in order to "restore the glory of Rome". Ethiopia pleaded to the League of Nations for help, but all the League could to was place economic sanctions on Italy - which was ineffective, as this was in the middle of the Great Depression. -
Munich Conference
Leaders from Britain, Germany, France, and Italy met in Czechoslovakia in order to discuss the annexation of the Sudetenland. Czechoslovakians were not a part of this discussion, giving the Munich Conference the nickname "The Munich Betrayal". -
Kristallnacht
On the night of November 9, Nazis invaded the homes of Jews and destroyed their property. The name 'Kristallnacht' refers to the broken glass littering the streets after they had finished. -
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Germans and Soviets made a pact saying that they would not attack each other. One condition was that the USSR would get most of Poland, but this pact was broken when Hitler invaded the USSR -
Germany invades Poland
On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. They used a tactic called Blitzkreig, or "lightning war". The strategy was to get into an area and invade it before anyone could react. -
England and France declare war on Germany
Previously, England and France had promised Poland that if anything had happened, they would back Poland. Two days after Poland was invaded, they declared war on Germany. -
Invasion of France
Germany invaded France and successfully captured it. They lost half a million men taking Paris. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the first military conflict fought entirely by airforce. The Germans bombed London almost every night with their larger and superior air force, but it ended on Oct 31, 1940 as a British victory. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese decided that, in order to cripple the US, they must bomb the aquatic bases. The US lost 2,335 military personnel. War was declared on Japan the next day. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was the bloodiest conflict in history. The Soviets won, despite having a significantly smaller army than their enemies. The Germans lost more men in the Battle of Stalingrad than they did in taking Paris, but that's not saying much. It ended on February 2, 1943 -
Normandy Invasion
The Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy in France in order to take some of the pressure off of the Eastern front. It was the largest amphibious invasion in history. -
V-E Day
Nazi Germany surrendered, which ended the war in Europe. The Allies accepted their unconditional surrender. -
US bombs Hiroshima
In order to end the war quickly, the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Japan did not surrender. -
US bombs Nagasaki
The US dropped their second and final bomb on the city of Nagasaki. They bluffed, saying that they could continue to bomb Japan, and the Japanese surrendered. -
V-J Day
On this day, Imperial Japan completely surrendered to the Allies, ending WW2. One of the conditions of their surrender was that the emperor was allowed to remain, so long as he was under Allied supervision.
