WWII Timeline

By rileybseitz

  • Start of the War in Pacific Theater

    Start of the War in Pacific Theater
    Japan invades the Chinese province of Manchuria seeking raw materials.

  • Start of the War in Atlantic/European Theater

    Start of the War in Atlantic/European Theater
    Germany invades Poland, forcing Britain and France to declare war on Germany and their allies.

  • Battle of Britain

    Battle of Britain
    Britain's Royal Air Force defends large-scale attacks from Germany, making it the 1st major military campaign fought entirely by air forces.

  • Lend/Lease Act

    Lend/Lease Act
    A policy passed in the U.S. that allowed them to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed vital to the defense of the U.S.

  • Pearl Harbor

    Pearl Harbor
    Japan launches an unprovoked attack against the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

  • U.S. enters the War

    U.S. enters the War
    U.S. declares war on Japan by almost unanimous vote the day after Pearl Harbor.

  • Battle of Stalingrad

    Battle of Stalingrad
    The Soviet Union defends the city of Stalingrad from German forces, which marked a turn in the tide of the war.

  • D-Day

    D-Day
    The Allies storm the beaches of German-occupied Normandy, France, the largest seaborne invasion in history.

  • Battle of the Bulge

    Battle of the Bulge
    The last major German offensive campaign of the war, where the Allied forces deny the Nazis a chance back into the war.

  • Russian Troops Discover Auschwitz

    Russian Troops Discover Auschwitz
    Soviet troops liberate the infamous concentration camp in Poland, revealing the depth of the horrors done by the Nazis.

  • Yalta Conference

    Yalta Conference
    Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet in Crimea to discuss the postwar reorganization of Europe

  • Death of Roosevelt

    Death of Roosevelt
    Roosevelt passes less than 3 months into his 4th term as president.

  • V-E Day

    V-E Day
    'Victory in Europe Day'; Germany unconditionally surrenders to the Allied forces.

  • V-J Day

    V-J Day
    Japan surrenders to the Allied forces, marking the end of WWII.

  • Hiroshima is Bombed

    Hiroshima is Bombed
    The U.S. atomic bomb "Little Boy" is dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, making it the first nuclear weapon ever used in warfare.

  • Nagasaki is Bombed

    Nagasaki is Bombed
    The second atomic bomb, known as "Fat Man", is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

  • Creation of United Nations

    Creation of United Nations
    51 countries including the U.S., Britain, France, China, and the U.S.S.R commit to maintaining global peace and security.