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first Nuremberg Laws are passed
In Germany, the first Nuremberg Laws are passed revoking citizenship from Jews and prohibiting them from marrying non-Jews -
Germany invades Poland
Hitler wanted more living space and wanted all the Germans to live in one country. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany.
Poland was allied with Great Britain and France, so when Germany invaded Poland both nations had to declare war. -
The United States declares its neutrality
to avoid American involvement in World War II -
Nazis invade France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
Germany uses quick strikes called blitzkrieg, meaning lightning war, to take over much of western Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France. -
Nazis invade Greece and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia was invaded to secure Germany's southern front and invaded Greece to save Italy from defeat -
Germany attacks Soviet Union
Germany and the Axis Powers attack Russia with a huge force of over four million troops. Germany asnts more land and underestimates Stalin's army. -
The Japanese attack the US Navy in Pearl Harbor. The next day the US enters World War II on the side of the Allies.
The goal of Pearl Harbor was to disable the American fleet for a few months to give them enough time to conquer the Dutch East Indies and to absorb its resources to finance their war in China and the US once the US' navy was rebuilt. -
Declaration of the United Nations signed by 26 Allied nations.
An international organization of countries set up in succession to the League of Nations, to promote international peace, security, and cooperation. -
D-day and the Normandy invasion. Allied forces invade France and push back the Germans.
D-day is the day on which Allied forces landed in Normandy, France to begin a massive offensive against the Germans in the occupied territory of Europe. -
Germans in retreat from Normandy.
The Invasion of Normandy was the invasion and establishment of Western Allied forces in Normandy, during Operation Overlord in 1944 during World War II, the largest amphibious invasion to ever take place -
Americans capture Nuremberg.
Nuremberg is town where trials were held for the Nazi's accused of war crimes -
Unconditional surrender of all German forces to Allies.
Because they were beaten, and their capital city was occupied by Soviet troops, and their armies were out of ammunition, food and fuel -
The United States drops the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. (three days later another atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan)
The main reason why the bomb was dropped was that the US wanted to limit its own casualties by forcing Japan to surrender as quickly as possible. -
Japan surrenders to US General Douglass MacArthur and the Allies.
No one knows for sure why they surrendered. Were they running out of resources? the atomic bombs? I think it was the Soviet invasion.