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Japanese invasion of Manchuria
1931 - The Japanese, motivated by the need for raw materials and a desire to take over Chinese territory, invaded the province of Manchuria and held the territory until the end of the war, when they were forced to give it up. This is considered the start of WWI. -
Hitler made Chancellor of Germany
Hitler was appointed the German equilivant of the president. -
The Munich Pact
This gave Germany the Sudetenland, the area of Czechoslovakia that was mainly of german heritage. British Prime Minister Chamberlain justified the pact with the belief that appeasing Germany would prevent war. -
Kristallnacht
Also known as the night of broken glass. Mobs ransacked more than seven thousand Jewish shops and synagogues, 91 died, 30,000 were sent to concentration camps. -
The Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded, breaking their agreement, so Britain and France declared war, starting World War II, invaded Poland Sept. 1,1939. After signing the non-aggression pact HItler had a surprise attack, German tanks and troops rumbled across the Polish border, while Stalin invaded from the other side of the country. -
Beginning of the Battle of Dunkirk
City in the northwest corner of France where the allied troops were trapped by the advancing Germany Army. 800 British ships, ranging from warships to fishing boats, crossed the channel from England to rescue over 300,000 British and French troops. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
7:50-10:00 AM, December 7, 1941 - Surprise attack by the Japanese on the main U.S. Pacific Fleet harbored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii destroyed 18 U.S. ships and 200 aircraft. American losses were 3000, Japanese losses less than 100. In response, the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, entering World War II. -
Bataan Death March
After the Japanese landed in the Philippines in May 1942, nearly 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners were forced to endure a 60-mile forced march; during the ordeal, 10,000 prisoners died or were killed. -
The Battle of Midway
Americans discovered that the Japanese were planning to attack Midway, a strategic island which lies northwest of Hawaii. Admiral Chester Nimitz, the commander of American naval forces in the Pacific, moved to defend the island. On Junes 3, 1942, his scout planes found the Japanese fleet. The Americans sent torpedo planes and dive bombers to the attack. The Japanese were caught with their planes still on the decks of their carriers. The results were devastating. by the end of the Battle of Midwa -
D-Day
June 6, 1944 - Led by Eisenhower, over a million troops (the largest invasion force in history) stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. The turning point of World War II. -
Beginning of the bttle of the bulge
December, 1944-January, 1945 - After recapturing France, the Allied advance became stalled along the German border. In the winter of 1944, Germany staged a massive counterattack in Belgium and Luxembourg which pushed a 30 mile "bulge" into the Allied lines. The Allies stopped the German advance and threw them back across the Rhine with heavy losses. -
End of the Battle of the Bulge
December, 1944-January, 1945 - After recapturing France, the Allied advance became stalled along the German border. In the winter of 1944, Germany staged a massive counterattack in Belgium and Luxembourg which pushed a 30 mile "bulge" into the Allied lines. The Allies stopped the German advance and threw them back across the Rhine with heavy losses. -
Yalta Conference
FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War -
V E Day
May 8, 1945; victory in Europe Day when the Germans surrendered -
The bombing of Hiroshima
The first city to have an atomic bomb dropped on it. This was one of the things that forced japan to surrender. -
V J Day
Victory in Japan september 2nd, 1945 treaty signed on S.S. Missouri.
