-
Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
Adolf Hitler was sworn in by German President Paul von Hindenburg as Chancellor of Germany. -
German Anschluss of Austria
On the morning of 12 March 1938, the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed the border into Austria. -
The treaty of Munich
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France approved hitlers invasion Czechoslovakia -
Russia and Germany sign pact
Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
Britain and France declare war on Germany in response to Hitler's invasion of Poland -
Blitzrieg
Blitzkrieg tactics were used in the successful German invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and France -
Italy enters war on side of Axis powers
-
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany -
Pearl Harbour
On December 7, 1941, Japan staged a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, decimating the US Pacific Fleet. When Germany and Italy declared war on the United States days later, America found itself in a global war. -
Britain and US declare war on Japan
The government of the United Kingdom declared war on the Empire of Japan after the attack of Pearl Harbour -
Battle of Midway
It was a naval battle, fought almost entirely with aircraft, in which the United States destroyed Japan's first-line carrier strength and most of its best trained naval pilots. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle for Stalingrad became a street-by-street, house-by-house fight, and the Soviets were able to force the German tanks down impassable streets and trap the infantry behind them. Exposed, the Nazis were easy targets for Soviet snipers and even makeshift Molotov cocktails dropped from rooftops. As a result, the casualties amounted to around 2.2 million, making it the bloodiest battle that had ever taken place. -
Allies invade North Africa (Operation Torch)
It stemmed mainly from a demand for early action against the European members of the Axis, and ostensibly was designed to ease the pressure on the hard-pressed Soviet armies and check the threatened advance of German power into the Middle East. -
Italy surrenders
On 8 September, the surrender of Italy to the Allies was announced, first by General Eisenhower, then in the Badoglio Proclamation by the Italian government. Italian units ceased combat and the Navy sailed to Allied ports to surrender. -
D-Day in Normandy
The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The operation, given the codename OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16, 1944, when German forces launched a surprise attack on Allied forces in the forested Ardennes region in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. The battle lasted until January 16, 1945, after the Allied counteroffensive forced German troops to withdraw. -
Mussolini captured and executed
Mussolini and his executioner The death of Benito Mussolini, the deposed Italian fascist dictator, occurred on 28 April 1945, in the final days of World War II in Europe, -
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)
On May 8, 1945 - known as Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day - celebrations erupted around the world to mark the end of World War II in Europe. -
Germany surrenders
After heavy fighting, Soviet forces neared Adolf Hitler's command bunker in central Berlin. On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide. Within days, Berlin fell to the Soviets. German armed forces surrendered unconditionally in the west on May 7 and in the east on May 9, 1945. -
Japanese surrender
The Japanese government surrendered for two reasons, their plans to end the war had collapsed and the Emperor intervened to accept proposed Allied terms offered after the Potsdam conference.