WWII Timeline

Mussolini takes over Italys Government

Oct 30, 1922

The March on Rome's purpose was to show that Mussolini and his Fascist Party were the most important party in Rome. Even though Mussolini was greatly outnumbered by the Roman Armies he thought it was a sure win. He knew that the King wouldn't want to create any kind of conflict, to make sure another civil war didn't break out. Mussolini was correct in his thought and was sworn in as Prime Minister.
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Beer Hall Putsch

Nov 8, 1923

RefrencesThe Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt to take over the government in Germany. Hitler decided to March on Berlin and then overthrow the Weimar Republic. He asked von Kar to lead the March, and after he declined he decided to speak in front of a crowd. Hitler discovered this and started a revolution by bursting into the beer hall von Kar was at. Germany's army stopped the revoltion and the putsch died out within hours. More Info

Kellog-Briand Pact

Aug 27, 1928

RefrencesThe Kellog-Briand Pact was a pact signed by the United States and France to outlaw war between the two countrys. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge and Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg were worried about countries thinking this was and alliance and decided to invite all nations to sign against another war. Fifteen nations signed in Paris and another 47 followed, resulting in a pact signed by all established nations.
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U.S. Stock Market Crash

Oct 29, 1929

RefrencesThe U.S. stock markets started to expand in the 1920s resulting in reduced production, unemployment. and stocks deflating value.The crash then followed after people recieved low wages, and there was an excess of unpaid bank loans. The stocks started falling rapidly and people went into a panic. On black Tuesday the coutnry lost billions of dollars because of the thousands of stock exchanges.
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Japan Invades Manchuria

Sep 18, 1931

RefrencesJapan was starting to struggle and was in need of natural resources. They needed oil, other resources. and land for its over population crisis. Manchuria was a perfect solution to all of their promblems. Japan took the next step and invaded Manchuria breaking the League. China pleaded for help from the League of Nations but their was nothing to do. Japan was already in a depression and had nothing to loose.
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Nazi's reach a political majority in Germany

Jul 31, 1932

Refrences The July elections were the perfect opportunity for Hitler and the Nazi's to gain political power over Germany. Hitler would speak to adoring audiences of over 100,000 at a time during his campagin and his Nazi party campigned with bursting energy. The Nazi's recieved 37 percent of the total votes giving them 230 seats in the Reichstag. This made the Nazi's the most powerful party in Germany.
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Hitler becomes Germany's Chancellor

Jan 30, 1933

RefrencesMore InfoHitler's appointment as Chancellor of Germany was a huge turning point for Germany and their government. Hitler wanted to do away with politics and make Germany one party... Nazis. His first action was to expand the police, gestapo, and create a security force of all nazis. Nazi Germany had started and no one would be able to stop it.

Japan withdraws from the League of Nations

Feb 24, 1933

RefrencesMore InfoJapan withdrew from the League of Nations after the League blamed Japan for the events in Manchuria. Every nation went down the line in alhabetical order stating yes or no to having Japan exit China's borders. The vote was unanimous 42 to 0 since Japan's no vote didn't count. Japan made a speech about how the events in Manchuria was life or death for Japan and Japan will forever be a nation of peace. Then Japan and all of its delegates left the building withdrawing from the League.

First Anti-Semitic Law is passed in Germany

Apr 7, 1933

Anti-Jewish Laws started slowly appearing before Germany after Hitler was elected. The First Law passed banned Jews from certain professions. It also showed how to be classified as a Jew; if you had one or more jewish grandparent you were a jew in Nazi eyes. These laws were the begining of extinguishing Jews.
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The Night of the Long Knives (Rohm Purge)

Jun 30, 1934

More Info Refrences The Rohm Purge happened between June 30 and July 2, 1934. The Nazi Party led by Adolf Hitler purged the leadership of the nazi SA. The nazi leaders used this to also murder several other political enemies. The murders sealed an agreement between the nazis and the German Army allowing Adolf to gain complete control of Germany and become Führer.

Hitler openly announces to his cabinet he will defy the Treaty Versailles

Mar 15, 1935

RefrencesMore Info Hitler had to make the right descisions for the future of Germany and he decided it did not involve the Treaty of Versailles. On March 15th he called a Cabinet meeting also including some of the Armys General Staff. He announced that Germany would no longer follow the restrictions the Treaty of Versailles gave them and they would re-form their military. No one objected to his proclamation and the next day the country set to work to militarize their country.

Creation of the Nuremberg Laws

Sep 15, 1935

RefrencesThe Nuremberg Laws were two new radical laws that the Nazi government passed on Sep. 15th. The two laws were the Reich Citizenship Law and the Law to Protect German Blood and Honor. The Reich citizenship took German citizenship away from the Jews and the Protect German Blood and Honor outlawed marriage and sex between Jews and Germans. A huge issue with the Nuremberg Laws was that it presented Jews as a race not a religion. More Info

Italy invades Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1935

RefrencesMore InfoThe invasion of Ethiopia started because Mussolini wanted to take over Ethiopia, which Italy failed to do in the 1890s. Mussolini wanted Ethiopia partially to overcome their previous failure, but also for the resources Ethiopia possesed. Ethiopia pleaded for the League to help them after Italy invaded but recieved no help. Ethiopia was taken and Italy triumphed.

Hitler Militarizes the Rhineland

Mar 7, 1936

RefrencesWhen the Treaty of Versailles was signed it stated that Germany was no longer aloud to have a military or have any land militarized. Hitler became upset about the restrictions the Treaty gave him and decided to go against the agreement and militarize the Rhineland.
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Rape of Nanking

Dec 13, 1937

RefrencesJapan started by attacking China at Shanghai and defeated them. They next turned and invaded the city of Nanking. Japan killed about half of the 600,000 civilians of Nanking including raping thousands of women throughout the city.This gave the invasion the name the Rape of Nanking.
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Germany Annexes Austria

Mar 12, 1938

RefrencesHitler and the Chancellor of Germany met to discuss Austria's independence. Hitler ended up causing the Chancellor to resign his possisition which left Austria exposed. Hitler took this chance and marched his troops into Austria the next day.
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Hitler demands the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Sep 22, 1938

RefrencesHitler and Chamberlain met up in Germany to make political decisions. Hitler demanded the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia thinking it should belong to Germnay since a large population of Germans were living there.
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Munich Conference

Sep 30, 1938

RefrencesThe Munich Conference was between Germnay, Great Britain, France, and Italy. It was an agreement or pact between the countries to allow Germany to annex the Sudutenland in Czechlosovakia.
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Kristallnacht

Nov 9, 1938

Refrences The Kristallnacht was a turning point in zi anti-Jewish policy that would be the peak of the Holocauste. It was a massive group attack on the Jews in the German Reich. This attack started because a 17 year old Jewish girl who lived in Paris killed a Embassy member. Hitler finally had a reason to attack the Jews and it resulted in 25,000 jews sent to concentration camps.
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Einstein's letter to FDR, "The Manhattan Project"

Aug 2, 1939

RefrencesAlbert Einstein wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt technically starting the creation of the atomic bomb. Einstein's exact words to the president were, "It may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a larfe mass of uranium." Einstein then wrote about how America should set up a team to start researching and working on setting up the chain reaction.
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Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Aug 23, 1939

RefrencesThe Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact for the Germans and Soviets. The pact defined the territorial spheres of influence that Germany and the Soviets had. The Soviets turned to Hitler after France and Britain would not protect them. It was the only way they thought they could stay out of the war.
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Nazi invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

RefrencesThe pact between the Soviets and the Germans made the invasion of Poland simple for Hitler. The pact stated that Poland would be shared between the two countries. Hitler knew because of this, the Soviets would not attack if he invaded.The Polish army was quickly defeated and the Nazi's had another victory.
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Evacuation of Dunkirk

May 27, 1940

RefrencesThe German Armies bordered in the French and British ships pushing them up onto the beaches of Dunkirk. Then Germany brought in about 800 small ships to transfer soldiers out of the large ships and to safety. The evacuation was a sucess saving 338,000 soldiers.
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France Surrenders

Jun 22, 1940

Refrences Marshal Henhri Petain became the prime minister of France. Paris had just fallen to the Nazi's and he decided to sign a treaty with Germany to stop the fighting. French General Charles de Gaulle couldn't stand for their country to stop fighting and kept the war going until the armisice was signed June 22.
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Battle of Britain

Jul 10, 1940

RefrencesAfter France surrendered to Germany Hitler took his focus to taking over Birtiain. The Battle began and the Germans started to attack ships in the English Channel and attacking towns on the coast. The RAF was the next target, they would attack radar bases, and airfields. Britain would not be defeated so Germany went after London
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The Tripartite Pact

Sep 27, 1940

The Tripartite Pact was a pact that united the three Axis Powers; Germany, Italy, and Japan. It was an agreement to assist each other in the war to create a new order throughout the world. Six countries followed in signing the pact.
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Lend Lease Act

Mar 11, 1941

The Lend Lease act was the principle means for the US to provide aid to foregin nations. It allowed the president to Lend and Lease money to countries in need of arms, and other materials. US could only help counties vital to them and this act caused Germany to think that the US joined the war against them.
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Operation Barborossa

Jun 22, 1941

Operation Barbarossa was Hitler's plan to attack Stalin and the USSR. The Germans were not equiped or prepared for the harsh weather and many died. Other factors to the failure of Operation Barborossa are that they quickly ran out of resources and many died of starvation.
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Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

The bombing of Pearl Harbor was an attack from Japan to the US to get America to join the war. The Pearl Harbor is in Hawaii and holds many of the navy ships and military. The attack killed 20,000 soldiers and over a thousand were wounded. Roosevelt declared war on Japan and the US was officialy in the war.
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Creation of the United Nations

Jan 1, 1942

The United Nations was created to increase the cooperation of involved countries. The organization was signed off to hopefully improve human rights and reduce any conflicts between countries. It was signed off in 1942 by most of the allies and many other countries.
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The Wannsee Conference and the "Final Solution"

Jan 20, 1942

The Wannsee Conference was a meeting for the senior officials of the Nazi German regime. The meeting was called to discuss the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". The plan was instead of focusing on emigration or deportation of the Jews they would focus on the complete extinction of Jews.
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Bataan Death March

Apr 10, 1942

On April 9th, 1942 the US surrendered the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese. The next day 75,000 Filipino and American troops had to march 65 miles to prision camps. Thousands were either beaten or killed by the intense heat and it is now known as the death march.
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Doolittle Raid

Apr 18, 1942

The Doolittle Raid was the first big move the US made after joining the war. America flew into Japan with the Air Force and bombed Japan's major cities greatly effecting Japan and their people.
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Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

The United States were preparing their troops, on Midway Island, to attack Japan. This was to fight back for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Japan discovered that the US was there and sneak attacked the US on the Midway Island. The US were ready for them, they cracked Japan's codes for the attack.
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Battle of Stalingrad

Aug 23, 1942

The Battle of Stalingrad was a major batte of WWII between Germany and the Soviet Union. The cause of this battle was that both countries wanted to gain contol of Stalingrad. The battle is known for its brutal disregard for military and civilian casualties. The Allies won the battle crushing Germany.
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Operation Torch

Nov 8, 1942

Operation Torch was an Allied invasionn of French North Africa. The Allies planned to invade Morocco and Algeria which were allies of Germany. The Allies didn't want to fight the French but convice them to cooperate. France fought against them but the Allies ended up taking a victory.
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Island Hopping (date for Buna-Gona Campaign)

Nov 16, 1942

The Buna-Gona campaign or Battle of Buna-Gona was a part of the New Guinea campaign. United States and Australian forces attacked the Japanese in New Guinea, Buna, and Gona. They used a tactic called Island Hopping wich was a military stategy used by the Allies.
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Operation Overlord and D-Day

Jun 6, 1944

D-day was a battle on the Normandy coast between the Allied Forces (America, Britain, Canada, and France) and Germany. The Allies attacked German forces coming in from the seas and greatly outnumbered the Germans. They had over 150,000 forces and quickly defeated Germany. This slowed Germany's expansion.
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Operation Valkyrie

Jul 20, 1944

Operation Valkyrie was an attempted assassination on Hitler. It was Hitler's plan in case communication between high command and Nazi germany broke due to bombings. Concpiators planned to use the operation to remove the power of the SS, Gestapo and the SD. The assassination attempt, bomb, failed.
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Discovery of Majdanek

Jul 22, 1944

The Soviet Army came across a burned concentration camp named Majdanek while they were marching near Lublin Poland. The camp was burned to mask its exsistance but gas chambers were evident and the rumors were deemed true. The Soviets started to look for camps and liberate them one by one.
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Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

This battle was an offensive attack from Germany to the Allies. It was close to the end of the War so Germany was trying to make a comeback. It was known as the Battle of the Bulge becuase of the "bulge" the Germans put into the Allies' lines in the initial attack.
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Hitler's Suicide

Apr 30, 1945

During the end of the war Hitler burrowed away into an underground bunker beneath his chancellor headquarters. Officers told him to go to his home in the alps but Hitler decided suicede was the answer. He and his wife swallowed cyanide capsules and shot himself.
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V-E Day

May 8, 1945

Victory in Europe Day or V-E day was named by the Allies. It officially declared the end of WWII in Europe.
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Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagaskai

Aug 6, 1945

The bombing of Hiroshima presented the atomic bomb in action for the first time. With the help of Albert Einstein, a prior German, the United States finally constucted an atomic bomb. They used it on the city and completely obliterated it killing over 10,000 people.
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V-J Day

Aug 14, 1945

V-J day or Victory over Japan day is known as the day that Japan surrenders to the Allies. Another name for V-J day is V-P day or victory over the Pacific.
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The Nuremberg Trials

Nov 20, 1945

The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military trials greatly against Germany. The Allies held these trials and prosecuted members of Germany's political members, military, and leaders. One of the largest trials was against 22 of Nazi Germany's leaders, many commited suicide before the trial.
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The Japanese War Crime Trials

May 3, 1946

The Japanese were accused of commiting war crimes and crimes against humanity and were put to trial. The court tried 28 Japanese military and government officials. 25 out of 28 of them were found guilty and seven of them were given the death penalty. The others were inprisioned.
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The beginning of the Cold War

Mar 12, 1947

RefrencesAfter World War Two ended the relationship between the US and USSR grew "cold". Both countries tried to dominate foriegn affairs causing many issues. It was a clash of beliefs mostly between communism and capitalism. Both sides wanted dominance and it was a power struggle between the two.
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