WWII

Japan Invades Manchuria

Sep 19, 1931

-army invades w/out gov't knowledge (cuts to army)
-appeasement by LoN

Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany

Jan 30, 1933

-Nazis take power
-Begins eliminating opposition

Conscription in Germany

Mar 16, 1935

-broke ToV
-appeasement made Hitler grow in popularity in Germany

Appeasement

Period: Mar 16, 1935 to Sep 3, 1939

-Began with conscription of Germany
-Allies (esp. Chamberlain) wanted to keep peace in Europe
-Hitler saw Aliies as weak

Italy attacks Abyssinia

Oct 3, 1935

-wanted to expand fascist empire
-attempt to get out of depression

Rhineland Crisis

Mar 7, 1936

-said to be defensive maneuver against French and Soviets
-test for Allies (fail)

Spanish Civil War

Period: Jul 17, 1936 to Apr 1, 1939

-Republicans vs. Nationalists
-Franco/Nationalists win
-prelude to WWII

Japan Invades Mainland China

Jul 7, 1937

-army announced new order of gov't
-brutal to Chinese people (rape of nanking)

Anschluss Annexation

Mar 13, 1938

-Schuschnigg threatened, steps down
-plebescite passed 99.75% (falsified), Austria becomes Nazi state

Italy joins Germany to form Axis

May 14, 1938

-Japan joins later
-fascist countries united

Munich Crisis

Sep 29, 1938

-Sudetenland becomes part of Germany (Czech defenses)
-Benes pleads to Allies, forced to concede to Hitler

Kristallnacht

Nov 10, 1938

-"Night of Broken Glass" SS led ransack of jewish property
-warning sign for what was to come (holocaust)

Germany Invades Czechoslovakia

Mar 13, 1939

-Hitler lost credibilty with Allies
-Allies responded with unconditional support of Poland

Italy Invades Albania

Apr 7, 1939

-wanted in on the action
-put pressure on surrounding area, Britain moves forces to Greece

Nazi-Soviet Pact

Aug 23, 1939

-non-agression pact (gave Stalin time to prepare)
-split Poland between them secretly

Germany Invades Poland

Sep 1, 1939

-Britain and France declare war on Germany Sept.3
-end of appeasement, start of WWII

Battle of the Atlantic

Period: Sep 3, 1939 to May 7, 1945

--1941-1943 height of BoA
-German U-Boats (Wolf Packs)
-Britain kept supply lines open

USSR Invades Poland

Sep 17, 1939

-Poland ceases to exist
-gave USSR more land to retreat from

Winter War Begins

Nov 30, 1939

-USSR Invades Finland
-Finland surrenders Mar.12, 1940

Germany Invades Norway and Denmark

Apr 9, 1940

-protection from Britain
-kept G from getting boxed in

Dunkirk Evacuation

May 26, 1940

-saved some of Allies best troops
-moral victory

USSR Occupies Baltic States

Jun 14, 1940

-made part of Soviet Union
-more land for scorched earth

France Falls to Germany

Jun 22, 1940

-B stood alone as G opposition
-Vichy France (collaborators)

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

Jun 29, 1940

-tried to get cheap empire
-Japan needed oil, Dutch East Indes refused

Battle of Britain

Jul 10, 1940

-Ends with British victory on Sept.30
-turning point for western front
-Blitz, inferioir planes, radar, enigma

Italy Attacks Egypt

Sep 13, 1940

-beginning of North African theatre
-suez, middle east oil

USA Embargo on Japan

Sep 25, 1940

-stopped oil, steel, tin trade
-forced J to attack P Harbor, needed freedom of seas for resources

Italy Attacks Greece

Oct 28, 1940

-failed miserably, G help, B retreats to crete, then egypt
-delayed barb. into winter

Hungary, Romania and Slovakia join Axis

Nov 20, 1940

-collaborators, to prevent invasion
-aided in Yugoslavia, USSR, Greece

Lend Lease Act

Mar 11, 1941

-US aided B, USSR
-supported Allies while staying neutral

Yugoslavia Surrenders

Apr 17, 1941

-Hungary, Slovakia, Romania aided Axis
-treated poorly (slavs, lebensraum)

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

-eneded nazi-soviet pact, G attacks USSR
-failed b/c of cold Russian winter and delayed start

Atlantic Charter (Newfoundland Conference)

Aug 14, 1941

-basis for UN
-FDR, Churchill meet, beginning of alliance

Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

-got US involved in war
-aircraft carriers unaffected

Japan Takes Philippines, Indochina and Singapore

Apr 1, 1942

-got resources, expanded empire
-threatened Australia, India, US responds

Battle of the Coral Sea

May 4, 1942

-draw
-prevented J from taking Australia

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

-turning point for Pacific
-J lost 4 ACs

Battle of Stalingrad

Sep 1, 1942

-USSR victory Feb.2, '43
-turning point for east front, Hitler denied oil access

Battle of El Alamein

Oct 23, 1942

-Allied victory Nov.3
-turning point in N.Africa (desert rats)

Operation Torch

Nov 8, 1942

-US op pincer movement in N.Africa
-led by Eisenhower, drove Axis back to I

Casablanca Conference

Jan 14, 1943

-FDR, Churchill agree G has to surrender unconditionally
-prolonged war, G nothing to lose

End of North Africa Campaign

May 13, 1943

-prepared for I campaign
-Rommel and troops pushed back to Tunisia, back to I

Battle of Kursk

Jul 5, 1943

-largest tank battle ever
-USSR victory, push G back

Allies Take Sicily

Jul 9, 1943

-springboard for I Campaign
-Italy surrenders, Mussolini arrested

Quebec Conference

Aug 17, 1943

-Church, FDR meet to discuss Manhattan project
-secret meet

Nazis Occupy Northern Italy

Sep 8, 1943

-took troops from other fronts, made way for d-day
-Mussolini reinstated

Italian Campaign

Period: Sep 9, 1943 to May 2, 1945

-took Nazi soldiers away from France for D-Day
-took pressure off Soviets

Cairo Conference

Nov 22, 1943

-Church, FDR, Chiang (China) discuss pacific war

Tehran Conference

Nov 28, 1943

-US, B agree to open 2nd front
-Polish borders agreed upon, USSR to help in Pac.

Soviets Enter Poland

Jan 6, 1944

-nazis on defensive, pushed back to G
-undid G territory gains in east

Rome Liberated

Jun 4, 1944

-big step in liberation of I
-US takes credit, shouldve been C

Normandy Invasion (D-Day)

Jun 6, 1944

-opening of second front
-put G on defensive

Operation Overlord

Period: Jun 6, 1944 to May 8, 1945

-led by Gen. Eisenhower (American)
-began with D-Day, liberation of western Europe
-put Germany on defensive, until VE Day

Soviets Launch Offensive on Eastern Front

Jun 22, 1944

-final push into G
-liberated many countries, turned Soviet

Paris Liberated

Aug 25, 1944

-Charles De Gaulle
-France liberated, Allies free to turn to G

Operation Market Garden

Sep 17, 1944

-failed attempt to liberate Holland
-delayed VE Day

US Troops Land in Philippines

Oct 20, 1944

-Blocked J from oil
-got closer to J, blocked resources

Battle of Leyte Gulf

Oct 23, 1944

-largest naval battle ever
-US takes out half J ACs

Battle of the Bulge

Dec 15, 1944

-last G offensive
-through Ardennes (again)

Yalta Conference

Feb 4, 1945

-divide G into zones, N trials, USSR enter Pac. war
-Stalin promised free elections in liberated countries, lied
-agreed to form UN

Battle of Iwo Jima

Feb 19, 1945

-tunnels in mountain, J kamikaze
-scared US

Battle of Okinawa

Apr 6, 1945

-J soldiers fight to death
-huge casualties, persuaded truman to use A-Bomb

FDR Dies

Apr 12, 1945

-Truman president
-A-Bomb not FDR's decision

Soviets Attack Berlin

Apr 16, 1945

-US, USSR troops meet
-G decimated

Mussolini Hung

Apr 28, 1945

-Italians turned on M
-I liberated

Hitler Commits Suicide

Apr 30, 1945

-G surrenders shortly after
-justice is served!

Germany Surrenders (VE Day)

May 7, 1945

-WWII is over in Europe!
-liberation of Holland ends it

Potsdam Conference

Jul 16, 1945

-Truman replaces FDR, Churchill voted out partway through
-disarmed G, finalized plan to split G

Hiroshima

Aug 6, 1945

-1st A-bomb
-J didnt surrender

Nagasaki

Aug 9, 1945

-2nd A-Bomb, forced J surrender
-ended Pac. before USSR could get involved

Japan Surrenders (VJ Day)

Sep 2, 1945

-official end of WWII!
-not legal until Sept.11

Nuremburg Trials

Nov 20, 1945

-first war trials
-tried nazis for holocaust