-
Period: to
German invasion of Poland 🇩🇪🇵🇱
In 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, causing Britain and France to defend Poland and declare war on Germany, officially initiating WWII. -
Period: to
Fall of France 🇫🇷
German forces invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and France using blitzkrieg tactics, surprising French and British forces. This led to Belgium's quick defeat and the German advance towards Paris, prompting the French government's surrender on June 22, 1940. -
Period: to
Battle of Britain 🇬🇧
The London Blitz, a series of air raids by the German Luftwaffe. It was a strategic victory for the Allies. Boosted by the British Royal Air Force's air defense strategies and radar use. -
Period: to
Operation Barbarossa 🇩🇪
Nazi Germany launched the largest invasion against its ally, the Soviet Union, initially achieving success. However, the invasion contributed to Germany's defeat as the USSR reversed its attacks, forcing the Germans to retreat and control Berlin. -
Pearl Harbor attack 🇯🇵🇺🇸
Pearl Harbor was an American naval base in the Hawaiian islands, which Japan attacked by surprise due to its expansionist ambitions. -
USA Declares War 🇺🇸
The Pear Harbor Attack led to the US's entry into the war, becoming the Allies' leader and significantly contributing to their victory in both European and Asia-Pacific theaters. -
Mexico Declares War 🇲🇽
Mexico joined the Allies in 1942
after German U-boats sank
five of its oil tanker ships -
Period: to
Battle of Midway 🇺🇸🇯🇵
The US Navy defeated the Japanese fleet, countering Japanese expansion, weakening Japan's naval power, and shifting the balance in favor of the Allies. This set the stage for an island-hopping campaign, capturing Japanese-held islands and approaching Japan. -
Period: to
Manhattan Project
The US secret program, led by J. Robert Oppenheimer. It was responsible for developing the first nuclear weapons. -
Period: to
Battle of Stalingrad
German forces failed to capture Stalingrad due to Soviet resistance and harsh winter conditions. Leading to German soldiers retreating and initiating the Soviet advance towards Berlin. Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Stalingrad -
Period: to
Operation Overlord
The Allied invasion of Normandy, involving 1.5 million British, American, and Canadian soldiers, involved significant planning and heavy fighting. Despite German fortification, Allied forces successfully won and liberated France and Europe, paving the way for the liberation of the region. -
Hitler commits suicide
Hitler and his officials committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Germany was surrounded and facing imminent defeat. -
VE Day - Victory in Europe
After the Stalingrad Battle and Normandy invasion, Allied forces advanced towards Germany. The Soviet Red Army bombed Berlin, leading to Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945. The war ended on May 8, 1945, with Germany's unconditional surrender. -
Period: to
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 💣
The US used two atomic bombs on Japan, the first, "Little Boy," dropped on Hiroshima on August 9, 1945, and the second, "Fat Man," dropped on Nagasaki. The immediate impact was catastrophic, causing widespread destruction of buildings, instant deaths, and radiation-induced cancer and birth defects among the Japanese population. -
Period: to
Victory in the Pacific Day 🇯🇵
The USSR launched a massive invasion of Japanese-occupied Manchuria, intensifying pressure on Japan. The second atomic bomb dropped intensified the pressure, leading Japan to surrender unconditionally, fearing further Soviet invasion.