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The Mukden Incident of 1931 and the Stimson Doctrine
In 1931, a dispute near the Chinese city of Mukden (Shenyang) precipitated events that led to the Japanese conquest of Manchuria. In response, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Stimson issued what would become known as the Stimson Doctrine, stating that the United States would not recognize any agreements between the Japanese and Chinese that limited free commercial intercourse in the region. (https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/mukden-incident) -
Anti-Comintern Pact
First agreement concluded between Germany and Japan, ostensibly directed against the Communist International (Comintern) but, by implication, specifically against the Soviet Union. (https://www.britannica.com/event/Anti-Comintern-Pact) -
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
Conflict between Chinese and Japanese troops near the Marco Polo Bridge outside Beiping (now Beijing), which developed into the warfare between the two countries that was the prelude to the Pacific side of World War II. (https://www.britannica.com/event/Marco-Polo-Bridge-Incident) -
German Annexation of Austria
German troops invade Austria and incorporate Austria into the German Reich in what is known as the Anschluss. (https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/german-annexation-of-austria) -
Munich Agreement
September 29–30, 1938: Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement, by which Czechoslovakia must surrender its border regions and defenses (the so-called Sudeten region) to Nazi Germany. (https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938/munich-agreement) -
Nazis Take Czechoslovakia
Hitler’s forces invade and occupy Czechoslovakia–a nation sacrificed on the altar of the Munich Pact, which was a vain attempt to prevent Germany’s imperial aims. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nazis-take-czechoslovakia) -
France and Britain Pledge to Help Poland
France and Britain pledged on March 31, 1939, to guarantee Poland’s security and independence. The British and French also stepped up diplomatic engagement with the Soviet Union, trying to draw it closer by trade and other agreements to make Hitler see he would also have to face Joseph Stalin if he invaded Poland. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact) -
The Hitler-Stalin Pact
Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact, stunning the world, given their diametrically opposed ideologies. But the dictators were, despite appearances, both playing to their own political needs.(https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-hitler-stalin-pact) -
Germans Invade Poland
At 4:45 a.m., some 1.5 million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. Simultaneously, the German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, and German warships and U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland) -
Britain declares War on Germany After Hitler's Troops Invade Poland
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced that in response to Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, the countries were now at war. (https://home.bt.com/news/on-this-day/september-3-1939-britain-declares-war-on-germany-after-hitlers-troops-invade-poland-11364001286165) -
Soviet Union Invades Poland
Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov declares that the Polish government has ceased to exist, as the U.S.S.R. exercises the “fine print” of the Hitler-Stalin Non-aggression pact—the invasion and occupation of eastern Poland. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviet-union-invades-poland) -
Warsaw Falls to German Forces
140,000 Polish troops are taken prisoner by the German invaders as Warsaw surrenders to Hitler’s army. The Poles fought bravely, but were able to hold on for only 26 days. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/poland-surrenders) -
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Russo-Finnish War
Also called Winter War, (November 30, 1939–March 12, 1940), war waged by the Soviet Union against Finland at the beginning of World War II, following the conclusion of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (https://www.britannica.com/event/Russo-Finnish-War) -
Italian Leader Benito Mussolini Declares War on France
In France, German troops cross the Seine, and British troops begin to evacuate from Le Havre and St. Valéry. Italy declares war on England and France. President Roosevelt makes first speech pledging aid to Britain, in commencement speech at University of Virginia, where his son, Franklin Jr., is receiving his degree. (https://www.sarahsundin.com/today-in-world-war-ii-history-june-10-1940-1945/) -
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Fall of France
The collapse of France in the summer of 1940 astonished the world. France had been victorious in 1918 and, to counteract the fragility of the border with Germany, had made herself the dominant power in Europe (https://www.ausa.org/publications/fall-france-and-summer-1940) -
The Battle of Britain
Two barrage balloons come down in flames after being shot by German war planes during an aerial attack over the Kent coast in England, on August 30, 1940. (https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/07/world-war-ii-the-battle-of-britain/100102/) -
Buckingham Palace Bombed by Nazis
German warplanes bombed Buckingham Palace and Downing Street today in unprecedented daylight attacks that for the first time almost paralyzed London life and aroused British fears of a deliberate offensive to drive the King and government from the capital. (https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/09/13/september-13-on-this-day-in-1940-king-escapes-bomb-shower/) -
The Tripartite Pact is Signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan
The Axis powers are formed as Germany, Italy, and Japan become allies with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-tripartite-pact-is-signed-by-germany-italy-and-japan) -
Bulgaria signs Tripartite Pact
Official Protocol of Bulgaria’s accession into the Axis Tripartite Pact. Vienna, 1. March 1941 (State Archives of Bulgaria) (http://www.sarahsundin.com/today-in-world-war-ii-history-march-1-1941/) -
Croatia declares independence
German and Italian invaders of Yugoslavia set up the Independent State of Croatia (also including Bosnia and Herzegovina) and place nationalist leader Ante Pavelic’s Ustase, pro-fascist insurgents, in control of what is no more than a puppet Axis regime. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/croatia-declares-independence) -
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Operation Barbarossa
Original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war. (https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Barbarossa) -
The Day Before Infamy
Saturday, December 6, 1941 was in many ways the very last day of American history and society before it changed suddenly, dramatically and permanently. In fiction, “Eve of disaster” type stories have always appealed to me, and in fact years ago I had a vague idea to write a novel, set entirely on December 6 in Hawaii, titled Day Before Infamy. (https://seanmunger.com/2015/12/06/the-day-before-infamy-december-6-1941/) -
Pearl Harbor Bombed
At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pearl-harbor-bombed) -
Untied States declares War on Japan
The president requests a declaration of war against Japan. Radios all over Washington state are turned on to his speech. The day before, Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. (https://historylink.org/File/5635) -
Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway–one of the most decisive U.S. victories against Japan during World War II–begins. During the four-day sea-and-air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers while losing only one of its own, the Yorktown, to the previously invincible Japanese navy. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-midway-begins) -
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German Forces Launch Offensive
After a successful advance in the summer of 1942, German forces reached Stalingrad in late 1942. The battle proved a turning point in the war. Soviet forces halted the German advance at Stalingrad and launched a counteroffensive against the Germans in mid-November 1942. They quickly encircled an entire German army, more than 220,000 soldiers. (https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1942-1945/german-forces-launch-offensive-against-the-soviet-union) -
Battle of El Alamein
The Battle of El Alamein marked the culmination of the World War II North African campaign between the British Empire and the German-Italian army. Deploying a far larger contingent of soldiers and tanks than the opposition, British commander Bernard Law Montgomery launched an infantry attack at El Alamein on Oct. 23, 1942. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-el-alamein) -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French Morocco and Algeria during the North African Campaign of World War II. It began on November 8 and concluded on November 16, 1942. It resulted from an uneasy compromise between the Western Allies, and was intended to relieve pressure on the Soviet Union by imperiling Axis forces in the region and by enabling an invasion of Southern Europe in 1943. (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/operation-torch-algeria-morocco-campaign) -
Tunisia Campaign
The Tunisian campaign began with an Allied amphibious landing near Sfax in eastern Tunisia on January 5, 1943, and an attack on German positions at Gafsa in west central Tunisia on March 17, 1943. On February 4, 1943, the British Eighth Army crossed the border from Libya into Tunisia. (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/tunisia-campaign) -
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk occurred in July 1943 around the Soviet city of Kursk in western Russia, as Germany launched Operation Citadel, Hitler’s response to his devastating defeat by the Soviet Red Army at the Battle of Stalingrad. The battle was Germany’s last chance to regain dominance on the Eastern Front during World War II and would be their final blitzkrieg offensive. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-kursk#section_8) -
Allie Land on Sicily
On July 10, 1943, the Allies begin their invasion of Axis-controlled Europe with landings on the island of Sicily, off mainland Italy. The British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery came ashore on the southeast of the island, while the U.S. 7th Army under General George S. Patton landed on Sicily’s south coast. Within three days, 150,000 Allied troops were ashore. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-land-on-sicily) -
Benito Mussolini Falls From Power
Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator of Italy, is voted out of power by his own Grand Council and arrested upon leaving a meeting with King Vittorio Emanuele, who tells Il Duce that the war is lost. Mussolini responded to it all with an uncharacteristic meekness. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mussolini-falls-from-power) -
Italy Surrenders to the Allies
A September 8, 1943, war report from Allied Force Headquarters outlines Italy's unconditional surrender, known as a "volte-face," announced earlier that day by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. The surrender came after several weeks of negotiations between the Italian government and the Allies in the wake of Mussolini's removal from power. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/italys-volte-face-in-wwii-video) -
Battles of Kiev
The Red Army recaptures Kiev from the Germans with relative ease. This third-largest Soviet city has been largely reduced to a smoldering ruin. -
Battle of Anzio
Battle of Anzio, (22 January–5 June 1944), World War II event on the coast of Italy, south of Rome. Intended as a daring outflanking move that would open up the way to the capture of Rome, the Anzio landings degenerated into World War II deadlock: the Allies unable to drive forward from their bridgehead and the Germans without the means to push the invaders back into the sea. (https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Anzio) -
German Occupation of Hungary
Hungarian units suffered tremendous losses during the German defeat at Stalingrad on the eastern front in 1942–1943. After the defeat, Hungarian Admiral Miklos Horthy and Prime Minister Miklos Kallay recognized that Germany would likely lose the war. (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/hungary-after-the-german-occupation) -
Operation Strangle
Mediterranean Allied Air Force issues directive for Operation Strangle, air raids on railroads north of Rome during two-month lull in ground campaign, to hinder German supply & reinforcement. (https://www.sarahsundin.com/today-in-world-war-ii-history-mar-19-1944/) -
D-Day
During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day) -
Battle of Normandy
US forces from the 22nd Infantry Regiment infiltrate Cherbourg from several locations and the fighting in the streets of the city continues. Strongly entrenched behind their lines of defense, they oppose a fierce resistance to the assailants. The Americans stop their progression and resume the bombing of the city, from the air with the bombers of the 8th and 9th Air Force. (https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/battle-of-normandy/days/22-june-1944) -
Battle of Normandy
After the bombardments of the previous day, new Allied air attacks prepare the ground for the ground offensive. This is the strategy of the carpet bombing. 1,500 B-17 and B-25 bombers drop more than 3,300 tons of bombs between Montreuil and Hebecrevon, northwest of Saint-Lô. Again, due to bad weather and proximity to US forces, dozens of soldiers are killed by the bombing of their own units. (https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/battle-of-normandy/days/25-july-1944) -
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Warsaw Uprising
Insurrection in Warsaw during World War II by which Poles unsuccessfully tried to oust the German army and seize control of the city before it was occupied by the advancing Soviet army. The uprising’s failure allowed the pro-Soviet Polish administration, rather than the Polish government-in-exile in London, to gain control of Poland. (https://www.britannica.com/event/Warsaw-Uprising) -
Operation Dragoon
Rear Admiral Morison’s evaluation notwithstanding, Operation Dragoon almost did not occur. The U.S.-British Quadrant Conference, held in Quebec in August 1943, which set the time frame for the 1944 invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord—“D-Day”), also discussed the proposed “Anvil,” a concurrent invasion of southern France. (https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1944/operation-dragoon.html) -
Prime Minister Overthrown
Romanians overthrow pro-German Prime Minister Marshal Ion Antonescu; King Michael I offers unconditional surrender of Romania to the USSR. (http://www.sarahsundin.com/today-in-world-war-ii-history-august-23-1944/) -
Soviets Advance
At the end of 1944 the Germans still held the western half of Poland, and their front was still 200 miles east of where it had been at the start of the war in 1939. The Germans had checked the Soviets’ summer offensive and had established a firm line along the Narew and Vistula rivers southward to the Carpathians, and in October they repelled the Red Army’s attempted thrust into East Prussia. (https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II/The-Soviet-advance-to-the-Oder-January-February-1945) -
Battle of Remagen
After Allied forces halted and flattened the bulge created by a massive and ferocious German offensive in winter 1944, attention turned to how to cross the Siegfried line at Germany's western border and the Rhine River beyond it. (https://www.businessinsider.com/us-troops-capture-bridge-at-remagen-entering-nazi-germany-in-wwii-2017-3) -
Battle of Berlin
Nearly a year after the beaches of Normandy were stormed, the Allied push across western Europe was nearly complete. American troops had helped to liberate Paris, win the brutal Battle of the Bulge and press the fight into Nazi Germany through a bitter winter. After the Allies had crossed the last major geographic barrier—the Rhine River—in March 1945, the war in Europe was all but over. (https://www.history.com/news/the-final-push-to-berlin-the-history-behind-fury) -
Adolf Hitler Commits Suicide
On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler’s dreams of a “1,000-year” Reich. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adolf-hitler-commits-suicide) -
Nazi Germany Surrenders
On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II. (https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/may-7-1945-nazi-germany-surrenders-in-world-war-ii/) -
Bombing Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-45), an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki) -
Japan Surrenders
By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan was a foregone conclusion. The Japanese navy and air force were destroyed. The Allied naval blockade of Japan and intensive bombing of Japanese cities had left the country and its economy devastated. U.S. General Douglas MacArthur was put in charge of the invasion, which was code-named “Operation Olympic” and set for November 1945. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-surrenders)
