WWII Events

Mussolini takes over Italy's Government

Apr 5, 1919

While it took Hitler mere months to have a dictorship-like control over Germany, it took Mussolini years to accomplish anything near being a dictator. He really took control of Italy by gaining supprt from the working class by giving them reasonable terms to work with. More info References

Beer Hall Putsch

Nov 8, 1923

The Putsch was at a local beer hall, where political meetings were usualy held. It was Hitler's attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic, who had put Germany into a tough position due to the heavy reparations within the Treaty of Versailles. More info Refereces

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Aug 27, 1928

The Kellogg-Briand Pact was a treaty signed by various countries that agreed that they would not use war as an instrument, and that any disagreements among them would be settled pascifically. It became redundant when Japan joined the war- on the Axis side, against the other signees of the treaty. It is named after the US Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg and the foreign minister of France, Aristide Briand. More info References

U.S. Stock Market Crash of 1929

Oct 29, 1929

The Stock Market was booming, and because of this investors felt the need to get involved. They put borrowed money into stocks, causing it to crash on a day referred to as Black Tuesday. Stocks in late 1932 were worth 20% of what they had been worth in the Summer of 1929. More info References

Japan Invades Manchuria

Dec 19, 1931

Japan had very little resources but a highly developed industry, so they invaded Manchuria to provide for them. The League of Nations couldn't do much more than place economical sanction, but since Japan was already suffering a depression, it didn't do anything to deter them. This showed just how little power the League of Nations had. More info

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Hitler Becomes Germanys Chancellor

Jan 30, 1933

Hitler, a charismatic and charming public speaker, had quickly risen throught he ranks of the Nazi Party. The Nazi party had been gaining supporters by dissing the Weimar Republic, the current government. Hitler made many promises to revitalize Germany and pull them out of their poverty, which in the end won him the election. More info References

Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations

Mar 27, 1933

Japan was unhappy because the League of Nations blamed them for the invasion of Manchuria. Yosuke Matsuok, who led Japan's delegation, said they were leaving and wouldn't be coming back. More info References

First Anti-Semitic Law is Passed in Germany

Apr 7, 1933

Several weeks after Hitler became chancellor (Jan. 1933), a campaign began to boycott Jewish-owned busineses. A week after the boycotts and seperatism began, on April 7th the first anti-semitic law was passed, which forbade Jewish people from being public servants and banned non-Aryans (a subdivision of the Caucasion race) from state jobs. More info

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Nazis Reach Political Majority in Germany

Apr 7, 1933

Nazis didn't reach political majority when Hitler was voted in as Chancellor on March 5th, 1933, but they did have great influence within the government. Several months later, on July 14th, 1933, a law was passed that made any other political parties illegal. More info References

Night of the Long Knives (Roehm Pruge)

Jun 30, 1934

The German army and affiliated military groups had not yet shown support nor aliegence towards Hitler. Other leaders, scared of the power another military group, Sturmbannfuhrer (SA) had gotten, convinced Hitler that the leader of that group, Ernst Roehm, was plotting against him. Hitler had him and other leaders of SA killed for treason. More info References

Hitler announces he will defy the Treaty of Versailles

Mar 15, 1935

Hitler openly announces that he will defy the
Treaty of Versailles by militarizing the Rhineland, which was used as a buffer-zone between Germany and France created after World War One. More info References

Creation of Nuremburg Laws

Sep 15, 1935

At the annual Nazi Rally in Nuremberg they announced the making of the Nuremburg Laws, which contained two laws:
1. The Reich Citizenship Law, which stated that if you wanted protection the Reich offered, you were subject and obligated to it, and your nationality is determined by the Reich.
2. Citizenship, which was the parameters for citizenship in Germany(origin, religion). More info
References

Italy Invades Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1935

Italy, who had unsuccessfully tried to conquer Ethiopia in 1890's, easily pushed back the ill-armed and poorly trained army, and took the capital on May 5th. This event again showed how little power the League of Nations had, for when they attempted to put economical sanctions on Italy, they were unable to do so due to lack of support. More info References

Hitler Militarizes the Rhineland

Mar 7, 1936

Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland, hesitant that France would react in a military fashion. They, however, were dealing with their own plitical crises, and were not able to deal with them. Britain thought it was reasonable for them to do so, as it was their land. Hitler later commented that it had been the most nerve-wacking hours in his life. More info References

Rape of Nanking

Dec 13, 1937

The Rape of Nanking was an episode of massacre and mass rape that lasted for around six weeks. Thousands of Chinese men were killed gruesomely and their bodies thrown into mass graves. Women were brutally rape, and then killed after the Japanese soldiers were finished with them. There a safe zone within the city, but it was soon penetrated and the guerilla warfare continued. More info References

Germany Annexes Austria

Mar 12, 1938

Germany was attempting to have the German-speaking part of Austria join the Third Reich, but Austria's leader was not having it. When he had a meeting with Hitler to tell him to back off, he was bullied into naming several high ranking Austrian Nazi's onto his cabinet. Two days after he called for an election on the annexation, he resigned. Germany marched in the next day.
More info
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Munich Conference

Sep 29, 1938

This event is basically when the big guys on the Allies' side thought that if they kissed up to Hitler ad give him what he wanted, he'd stop his "World-Domination" plan. This technique is also called 'appeasement'. They granted him part of Czechoslovakia, and then shook hands and went home. More info

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Hitler demands Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Sep 30, 1938

Again, Hitler wants something, and Britain, trying to avoid continent-wide conflict, grants him the Sudetenland because he threatened them with vilolence. More info

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Kristallnacht

Nov 9, 1938

Krisatnacht, also known as "Night of the Broken Glass", is the night that Nazis in Germany burned synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, shops, and businesses, and killed almost 100 Jewish citizens. In the aftermath of Kristalnacht, some 30,000 Jewish citizens were sent to concentration camps. More info References

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Aug 23, 1939

Russia and Germany signed a non-aggression pact that they wouldn't fight, but they weren't necessarily "allies". They divided Poland and other near-by countries between them. More info References

Nazi Invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

This was the tipping point that initially started World War Two. Germany basically hit Poland from all sides, from the border they shared, to German warships and Uboats attacking the Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. Poland then declared war on them in retaliation. More info References

Einstein's Letter to FDR

Sep 1, 1939

Einstein sent a letter to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt urging him to consider hiring a group of physicts to examine the possibiltiy of being able to create nuclear energy after evidence that Germany could be attempting something similar. (Which ultimately led to the Manhatten Project- the production of atomic bombs and other nuclear weapons.) More info References

Evacuation of Dunkirk

May 27, 1940

British forces, as well as some French and Belgium forces, retreated to Dunkirk, where they planned a rescue mission from the British homeland. The Brits got together a ragtag armada of anythen that was considered a boat, and sailed to France. They rescued about 340,000 British, French, and Belgium men when they had thought they'd be lucky to save 50,000. More info References

France Surrenders

Jun 17, 1940

By the time Nazis fought their way to Paris, the British forces had already retreated- the Evac. of Dunkirk- leaving the French resistance to defend the country. Once Nazis reached Paris, Italy joined them and they took the capital four days later. The French Resistance still fought against the Nazi occupation under General de Gaull, who in 1945 became president of France. More info References

Battle of Britain

Jul 10, 1940

The Battle of Britain was the biggest air-battl eof World War Two. The German air force- the Luftwaffe- air-raided London frequently, enough for the citizens of London to have bomb shelters. Whenever the alarms rang, they either went into their private shelters or went to the nearest subway station. Bratain's air force- the Royal Air Force (RAF)- fought back fiercely. More info References

The Tripartite Pact

Sep 27, 1940

This was the formation of the Axis Powers- Germany, Italy, and Japan- and recognized that if any of the signing parties were attacked by a country not yet in the war, the other countries in the pact would send assistance. This pact was aimed towards the U.S.- still neutral- trying to get them to reconsider joined the war on the Allies' side. More info References

Lend Lease Act

Mar 11, 1941

This was an agreement between the Allies (mainly Britain) and the U.S.- while we wouldn't fight, we would stilll send money and weaponry to them. Dr.Seuss felt that the pact wasn't enough, and all of his political cartoons expressed that he felt America should join the war on the side of the Allies. More info References

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

Operation Barbarossa was the awesomely-thought out plan to invade the Soviet Union, even though Germany had a pact with them. They were at a severe disadvantage and had underestimated the the U.S.S.R.. More info References

Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

Japan airforces flew over the Honolulu naval base and bombed them, destroying almost 20 American naval vessels and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 soldiers were killed, and 1,000 were wounded. This was the event that fully pulled the U.S. into the war, and FDR asked congress to declare war on Japan the next day. There was only one vote against it. More info References

Creation of the United Nations

Jan 1, 1942

Countries against the Axis powers were trying to project as a united enemy, and representatives fron twenty-six countries signed the document titled 'The United Nation'. The document also made the signign countires part of an international postwar peacekeeping organization. More info References

Wannsee Conference and the "Final Solution"

Jan 20, 1942

The Wannsee Conference, a suburb on the outslirts of Berlin, housed the meeting between fifteen high-ranking Nazi officials about the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". 'The Final Solution' was the code phrase for the intentional suppressment and genocide of the Jewish people. More info

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Bataan Death March

Apr 9, 1942

After Filipino and American forces surrendered to Japan after fighting amongst the Pacific Islands, the Japanese led them along a route northward to captivity. A year later, three American officers escaped and told the world the atrocious things the Japanese had done; there was brutal deaths, people went crazy, and exposure to the elements. More info References

Doolittle Raid

Apr 18, 1942

Colonel Doolittle and his team of pilots flew over Japan and bombed them. While they didn't do much physical damage, they raised Allies' morale and showed the world that Japan wasn't completely invincible. More info References

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

To extend Japan's safety zone eastward, and they figured taking the island of Midway would assist in that. America, having theirs codes, took them by surprise and sent them running with their tails between their legs. From this point on, Japan was on the defensive, with America kicking their butt. More info References

Battle of Stalingrad

Aug 23, 1942

German Nazis, who had turned their backs on their Soviet friends, decided to invade Russia right before winter. Russia sent the remaining German Nazis scurrying back to Germany. Overall, it had two million casualties, including both civilian and soldier deaths. It is considered one of the bloddiest battles in history. More info References

Operation Torch

Nov 8, 1942

It was the Allied invasion of French North Africa, and one of the first time that Britain and America worked together on an invavsion. More info References

Island Hopping

Nov 16, 1942

Allied countries (mainly America and Australia) were fed up with Japan and how much they were extending their power in the pacific, so they jumped around from island to island, taking islands close to Japan but not well defended. More info References

Operation Overlord and D-Day

Jun 6, 1944

D-Day was the initial day of invasion into Germany-controlled France. While there were some issues with the paratroopers, they ended up working to our advantage. Ships launched accross the English Channel to France's coastline, hitting France from all sides. More info References

Operation Valkyrie

Jul 20, 1944

Operation Valkyrie was the assassination attempt of Hitler. It was initially a plan, signed by Hitler himself, that if there was ever a breakdown in communication between him and Nazi High Command due to an uprising within or Allied interference, they would take him and other high Nazi officals out. More info

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Discovery of Majdanek

Jul 24, 1944

Majdanek was an extermination camp located in Poland. It was located in an empty stretch of land, and was surpisingly accessible. When Allied forces found out about it, the Nazi officials were unable to clear it our in time before the Allies got there. The world found out how bad it truly was for Jews. More info

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Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

The German's were trying to split up the Allies in northeast Europe. While German Nazis tried to push them back using a suprise Blitzkrieg, the Allies line of defense formed the shape of a bulge, giving the battle it's name. The German's counterdefense was neutralized, but not without heavy casualties. More info References

Hitler's Suicide

Apr 30, 1945

Hitelr's Reich was collapsing, and in an underground air0raid bunker, Hitler consumed a cyanide capsule and then shot himself in the head. He was found with his wife of two days, Eva, who had also commit suicide, and his dog Blondi. More info

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V-E Day

May 8, 1945

Victory in Europe Day, which was celebrated by several coutries, especially Great Britain. German General Jodl signed the unconditional surrender document, which formally ended the war in Europe. More info References

Bombing of Hiroshima

Aug 6, 1945

At the end of the war, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb, called Little Boy, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, immediately killing 80,000 people and wiping out ninety precent of the city. Tens of thousands of people would later die due to radiation exposure. More info References

Bombing of Nagasaki

Aug 9, 1945

Three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, another B-29 bomber dropped another A-bomb, this one called Fatman, on the Japanese city Nagasaki. Approximately 40,000 people died. More info References

V-J Day

Aug 14, 1945

On August 14, five days after the bombing of Nagasaki and eight after the bombing of Hiroshima, it was announced the Japan had unconditionally surrendered. August 14 and 15 are now known as Victory over Japan day. More info References

The Nuremburg Trials

Nov 20, 1945

After the war, some of the those responsible for crimes committed during the war were brought to trial. The trials were held in Nuremberg, and judges from the big four Allied countries - Soviet Union, America, France, and Britain - presided over the ruling of twenty-two major Nazi officials. More info

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The Japanese War Crime Trials

May 3, 1946

These were the trials brouhgt against twenty-eight Japanese military and government officals for their crimes against humanity and war crimes during WWII. At the end of the trials, twenty-five of the twenty-eight officials were found guilty. Of the three other officials, two died during trials and the other was declared insane. More info References

Beginning of the Cold War

Mar 12, 1947

It was mainly a conflict between the U.S.S.R. and the United States. The U.S.S.R. wanted other countries to become communist, and the United States wanted other coutries to become capitalist. Their opposing ideas on the best economic system caused the Cold War. More info References