-
Hitler Defies the Terms of the Versailles Treaty
This treaty said that Germany couldn't rebuild its military after WWI, but Hitler does just that. By violating the Terms of the Treaty of Versailles, it shows that WWII is pending and that he is rebuilding his military to start a war. -
Hitler Invades Poland
German army under Hitler launch attack on Poland, marking the start of World War II. The battle only lasted about a month before a Nazi victory -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
The evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops from the French seaport of Dunkirk to England. Naval vessels and hundreds of civilian boats were used in the evacuation. 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops had been saved. -
Battle of Britain
The first battle in history fought solely in the air.
Battled for control of airspace over Great Britain, Germany and the English Channel.
Hitler called off his planned invasion of Britain and the Battle of Britain ended. Both sides suffered enormous loss of life and aircraft. Still, Britain weakened the Axis air force and prevented Germany from achieving air superiority. -
Siege of Tobruk
Tobruk, the important port for Northern Africa, was the place of battle between the Allied and Axis forces. The battle lasted 241 days and the Axis forces ended up winning. -
Operation Barbarossa
Code name the Nazi army used for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces signaled a crucial turning part in the war -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the Pearl Harbor base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes.
The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. -
Battle of Midway
Located at Midway island, the Battle of Midway was a Naval battle between the United States and Japan. This battle was both fought in the air and on the sea. The United States won and established itself as a Naval superpower. -
Battle of Stalingrad
One of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare with an estimated 2 million casualties because of fierce, close-quarter combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids. Germany's first major setback which they never managed to fully recover from -
Surrender at Stalingrad
German forces surrender despite Hitler saying "surrender is out of the question" -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allied troops successfully invaded Italy. This invasion allowed the allied troops to secure the Mediterranean Sea. -
Battle of Anzio
The Battle of Anzio started with the allied forces landing on the coast of Italy. This Battle was fought in order to make to draw German troops of the Gustav line. This Battle ended on June 5, 1944, with the capturing of Rome -
D-Day
D-Day (AKA) operation overload was an offensive move made by the United States, British, and Canadien military forces. They dropped on to the beaches of Normandy France. Their goal was to push back the Nazi forces and continue the liberation of Europe. -
Liberation of Paris
The United States 4th infantry and 2nd Armoured Division had made their way through France liberating cities and villages from Nazi control they had defeated so many German forces on the way the actual liberation of Paris was not as difficult as the United States was expecting. After 4 years of being occupied by Nazi Germany Paris was free. -
Battle of Okinawa
The U.S. Army and Marines landed on the island of Okinawa and defeated the Imperial Japanese Army. This is seen as the last of WWII and was one of the bloodiest. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Soviet army liberated Auschwitz and released brutality of Nazi regime -
Russians take Berlin
The Soviets took 8 days but eventually succeeded in surrounding and forcing the surrender of Berlin. Stalin had beaten Eisenhower to Berlin and claimed a large area of Nazi-controlled territory which were both large victories for the Russians. -
Germany Surrenders
After about 6 years of fighting the Allied forces with the help of the United States was able to force Germany into surrender. General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of the German forces in northeastern France. -
Victory in Europe Day
German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms.
Marked the victory of the Allied power.
More than 13,000 British prisoners of war were released and sent back to Great Britain
However, V-E Day was not celebrated until the ninth in Moscow. -
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
After the U.S. successfully created the Atomic Bomb, two were made to drop on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, with the intent of making them surrender. The bombs were successful and Japan surrendered shortly after they were dropped. -
Surrender of Japan
At first, US congress issued the Potsdam Declaration, demanding the “unconditional surrender of all the Japanese armed forces.”
Japanese Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki did not accept it.
US then dropped two atomic bombs on Japan homeland.
Japan signed the Potsdam Declaration after the devastating bombardment.
