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Germany invades Poland; starts WWII
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. From East Prussia and Germany in the north and Silesia and Slovakia in the south, German units, with more than 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes, broke through Polish defenses along the border and advanced on Warsaw in a massive encirclement attack. After heavy shelling and bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. -
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U.S.A. During WWII
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Germany during WWII
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England during WWII
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Europe in war
Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declare war on Germany; standing by their guarantee of Poland's border, had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. -
United States proclaims its neutrality
The US did not enter World War II for another two years, after its naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was the victim of a surprise attack by Japanese forces in December 1941. At the outbreak of the war in Europe President Roosevelt urged the American public to be neutral, but he also said: "I cannot ask that every American remain neutral in thought as well." -
Rationing begins in Britain.
To make the British weak, the Germans tried to cut off supplies of food and other goods. German submarines attacked many of the ships that brought food to Britain. Rationing was introduced to make sure that everyone had a fair share of the items that were hard to get hold of during the war. -
Norway surrenders to German forces.
Norway was largely unprepared for the German military invasion when it came. Consistent with Blitzkrieg warfare, German forces attacked Norway by sea and air as Operation Weserübung was put into action. -
U.S. Military Conscription Bill passed
It was the country's first peacetime draft. From 1940 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means. Men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register so that a draft can be readily resumed if needed. -
U.S. joins WWII
Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt declares war on Japan. -
Britain joins the U.S. in a war against Japan
Winston churchill wrote a letter the the Japanese Ambassador delcaring the United Kingdoms state of war against Japan because of its wanton acts and multiple violations. -
Hitler declares war on America
Technically, according to the Tripartite Pact, the Germans were not obliged to declare war on the U.S., because Japan, not America, had been the aggressor. But Hitler was inclined to honor his personal promise and declare war anyway, believing it would greatly strengthen the German-Japanese alliance. He also assumed the United States was on the verge of declaring war on Germany and wanted to embarrass President Roosevelt by beating him to the punch. -
Germeny "fixing the Jewish problem"
Nazis at the Wannsee conference in Berlin decide that the "final solution to the Jewish problem" is relocation, and later extermination. -
First American forces arrive in Great Britain
The British had been virtually single-handedly holding off the Germans for over two years and the Americans were greeted with both relief and curiosity when they finally landed on British shores. Sailors, airmen and soldiers were ferried over in convoys by the thousands and by the end of the war 1.5 million would be stationed in Great Britain or would pass on through to fight towards Germany. -
Battle of Midway
The United States Navy defeats an Imperial Japanese Navy attack against Midway Atoll. -
Conference in Morocco
Casablanca conference between Churchill and Roosevelt. During the conference, Roosevelt announces the war can end only with "unconditional German surrender." -
Stalingrad
Nearly 91,000 german troop were captured and the Germans surrender at Stalingrad in the first big defeat of Hitler's armies. -
The Great Depression officially ends
With unemployment figures falling fast due to World War II-related employment, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes the Works Progress Administration. -
Unconditional Surrender
At first, General Jodl hoped to limit the terms of German surrender to only those forces still fighting the Western Allies. But General Dwight Eisenhower demanded complete surrender of all German forces, those fighting in the East as well as in the West. If this demand was not met, Eisenhower was prepared to seal off the Western front, preventing Germans from fleeing to the West in order to surrender, thereby leaving them in the hands of the enveloping Soviet forces. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day; to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. It thus marked the end of World War II in Europe. -
VJ day
apan has surrendered to the Allies after almost six years of war. There is joy and celebration around the world and 15 August has been declared Victory in Japan day.
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