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Nazis Invade Poland
On September 1, 1939, Hitler launched an all-out attack on Poland. Hitler expected a very quick invasion and war. -
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World War II Event Timespan
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Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand declare war on Germany
Following the invasion of Poland, these democratic countries had no option but to declare war on Germany. -
U.S. declares its neutrality
After some of the Central powers declare war on Germany, the U.S. decides to maintain its isolationist state and declared its neutrality on this date. -
Canada declares war on Germany , and Battle of the Atlantic begins
Battle of the Atlantic begins; the strength of the two sides' navies are tested. It would become the longest military campaign of WWII. -
Soviets invade Poland
On this day, the Soviets invaded Poland from the east. By the end of the month, the Polish army was crushed and the victors had divided the country according to the Nazi-Soviet Pact. -
Warsaw Surrenders
Ten days after the Soviets invaded Poland, Warsaw surrendered and the cuntry was divided according to the Nazi-Soviet pact. -
Spain: Republican resistance
Republican resistance funally collapesed in 1939. Franco then established an authoritarian regime that remined in power until his death in 1975. It is important to note that Spain was officallly neutral during World War II. -
Soviets expelled from League of Nations
After the USSR invaded Finland, their true intentions became apparent; their occupation of Poland and Ukraine was an issue, but their invasion of Finland provoked an international reaction. -
Nazis invade Denmark and Norway
Hitler surprisingly decides to invade Denmark and Norway, using Blitzkrieg tactics to quickly conquer Denmark and Norway -
Nazis invade France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg
The French expected the Germans to invade through Central Belgium as they did in WWI, but instead Hitler decided to engage the French front lines through SE Belgium. They quickly beat the French front lines and advanced through the coast. Paris fell a couple of months later. -
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Nazis Engage Western Front
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Italy declares war on Great Britain and France
After witholding allegiance to both sides, Mussolini decided to declare war on GB and France. Italy's lack of materils and resources as well as it wanted to have a "share in the spoils" were among its reasons to do so. Despite America's neutrality, they declared they would provide full resources to GB and France in spite of the declaration of war. -
France signs an armitice with Germany
In quick succession, the territories Hitler invaded fell to the Germans-- Netherlands, Belgium and Norway respectively. Hitler then occupied Paris and it quickly fell to the Germans. As part of the agreement, Germany occupied northern France and most of its coastline with Spain; then, a new French gov't was established in Vichy. The leader, Henry Petain declared neutrality between the fight between Germany and Great Britain. -
Battle of Britain begins
The three month period of German bombing against GB begins. GB did have a couple of advantages over the Nazis, including radar, a unified task, and limited flightradius. -
Soviets take Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
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First British air raid on Berlin.
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Italy invades Egypt
In another attempt to stay up to the abilities of other world powers, and also because the British had their hands full with the air battle wit hGermany, Mussolini decided to invade Egypt where the Britsish were "protecting" its Suez Canal and colonial bases. He hoped that their vulnerability would prove to be ultimately the key factor. -
Tripartite (Axis) Pact signed by Germany, Japan, and Italy
Germany, Italy, and Japan became Allies on this day, it providing mutual assistance should they suffer from other nations that would join the war. It recognized the spheres of influences and was intended to point straight at the neutral -
End of the Battle of Britain
The air battle between Germany and Great Britain ends with GB beating the Nazis and maintaing air supremacy and also delayed Hitlers plans of invasion -
The Germans send the Afrika Korps to North Africa
The Germans send the Afrika Korps to North Africa to reinforce the faltering Italians. -
Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria invade and dismember Yugoslavia
Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria invade and dismember Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia surrenders on April 17. Germany and Bulgaria invade Greece in support of the Italians. Resistance in Greece ceases in early June 1941. -
U.S. Freezes German and Italian Assets in America
The U.S. is getting closer and closer to entering the war (not that they already aren't having a big influence in the war) -
Germany attacks Soviet Union as Operation Barbarossa begins.
This was the largest military attack of World War II and would have appalling consequences for both sides. Some 4.5 million troops launched a surprise attack deployed from German-controlled Poland, Finland, and Romania. Hitler had long had his eye on Soviet resources. Although Germany had signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR in 1939, both sides remained suspicious of one another, and the agreement merely gave them more time to prepare for a probable war -
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners (except Bulgaria) invade the Soviet Union.
June 22, 1941–November 1941
Finland, seeking redress for the territorial losses in the armistice concluding the Winter War, joins the Axis just before the invasion. The Germans quickly overrun the Baltic States and, joined by the Finns, lay siege to Leningrad (St. Petersburg) by September. In the center, the Germans capture Smolensk in early August and drive on Moscow by October. In the south, German and Romanian troop. -
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Japan bombs Pearl Harbor.
December 7, 1941
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. December 8, 1941
The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina, and Singapore are under Japanese occupation. -
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States.
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States. After The U.S declared war on Japan, Germany and the of axis powers decared war on the United States. -
The British bomb Köln (Cologne)
May 30, 1942–May 1945
The British bomb Köln (Cologne), bringing the war home to Germany for the first time. Over the next three years Anglo-American bombing reduces urban Germany to rubble -
A new offensive in the Soviet Union.
June 28, 1942–September 1942
Germany and her Axis partners launch a new offensive in the Soviet Union. German troops fight their way into Stalingrad (Volgograd) on the Volga River by mid-September and penetrate deep into the Caucasus after securing the Crimean Peninsula. -
Land on the Normandy
British and US troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans. -
Finland concludes an armistice
Finland concludes an armistice with the Soviet Union, leaving the Axis partnership. THis was a significant even. -
Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross movement
The Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross movement carries out a coup d’état with German support to prevent the Hungarian government from pursuing negotiations for surrender to the Soviets. -
Battle of the Bulge,
The Germans launch a final offensive in the west, known as the Battle of the Bulge, in an attempt to re-conquer Belgium and split the Allied forces along the German border. By January 1, 1945, the Germans are in retreat. -
Solviet final offensive
The Soviets launch their final offensive, encircling Berlin. -
Hitler commits suicide
Hitler commits suicide.
