WWII timeline

Japanese invasion of China

Jul 7, 1937

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/546188/Sino-Japanese-War
July 7, 1937- September 9, 1945
The Japanese government attempte to unseat Chiang-kai Shek from China's nationalist governmnt, and this turned into an eight year war. Japan owned a good portion of China in the early parts of the war, all of which was lost after their defeat in 1945 against the Allies.

Germany's invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070
The German-Soviet Pact from a month previous gave Germany the power to invade Poland without worrying about Soviet interference. A week after invading, however, the Polish army was defeated completely.

German Blitzkrrieg

Sep 1, 1939

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437
September 1, 1939- April 30, 1941
"Blitzkrieg" translates to "lighting war," and this was a war tactic used by Germany. It included the use of things such as tanks and planes to disorganize the enemies. It was first used in the invasion of Poland, and was used during several other attacks throughout the war.

Fall of Paris

Jun 14, 1940

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris
That morning, the citizens of Paris were woken up to a german voice on loud speakers saying that they had an 8 pm curfew so that the Germans could settle into the town. France was frightened, but did not do any thing because they thought the US would help them out. FDR was asked to send material help, so he did. However, the entire day was spent with people feeling, being interrogated, arrested, and spied on.

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa
June 22, 1941- January 7, 1942
Adolf Hitler launched an attack on the Soviet Union called Operation Barbarossa. Over 3,000,000 German soldiers were invoved, and hundreds of tanks were used. This was considered one of the most crucial parts of the entire war, as it turned Germany around. The had planned to enslave most of Russia, and kill all Jews. They completely failed after realizing they were no match against the Soviets.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm
Japanese forces planned a surprise plane attack on a Hawaiian military base at around 8 am. The attack was over in two hours, but they left behind absolute chaos. Thousands were dead, and no one could fight back because the US was so unprepared for it.

Wannsee Conference

Jan 20, 1942

http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007712
15 Nazi representatives gathered by Wannsee Lake in Berlin for a meeting. It was supposed to determine the "final solution" of Jews in Europe. This was the meeting that concluded all final plans of the Holocaust. It was simply called the "final solution" so no one would find out about their plans of mass murdering an entire population.

Bataan Death March

Apr 9, 1942

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march
After the surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to Japanese troops, all citizens were forced to walk 65 miles to concentration camps. The Japanese did everything they could to make the walk harder than it already was.

Warsaw ghetto Uprising

Apr 19, 1943

http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007745
April 19- May 16, 1943
From 1941-1943, Jews all over the place formed plans to rise against the German government, but the most common was in the Warsaw ghetto. After most of the Jews from that ghetto were taken, the few surviving ones formed the ZOB (Jewish Fighting Organization). They formed a resistance, and fought for nearly a month before they were captured and either killed or put into concentration camps.

Operation Gomorrah

Jul 24, 1943

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched
July 24- August 2 1943
On July 24, British bombers attacked Hamburg, Germany overnight while US troops attacked during the day during what they called "Blitz Week."

Allied invasion of Italy

Sep 3, 1943

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland
September 3- September 16, 1943
British troops began the invasion of Italy's mainland, and a few days later Italy secretly agreed to the Allies terms for surrender.

D-Day (Normandy Invasion)

Jun 6, 1944

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day
This day marked the beginning of a battle that would last for a month. Approximately 156,000 US and British troops went to the coast of Normandy, France (spread across five beaches) to attack and liberate France. It worked, and now this day is known for being the "beginning of the end of the war in Europe."

Liberation of concentration camps

Jul 23, 1944

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007051
Concentraion camps were being liberated from July 23, 1944 until May 6, 1945. May 8, 1945 was the day of Germany's surrender. In 10 months, 14 camps were liberated by the Soviets, the US, British forces, and Canadian forces. This marked the official end of nazi Germany and all of its horror.

Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-the-bulge
December 16- January 25, 1945
This was the day the Germans started the last major offensive of World War II. It was called this because they formed a so-called "bulge" around the Ardennes forest, and attacked.

Operation Thunderclap

Feb 13, 1945

http://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5229.htm
Operation Thunderclap was a plan concucted from February 13-15 of 1945, but was never actually performed. This caused the bombings of several places, but the original plan did not ever happen. This was also called the Bombing of Dresden (Germany).

Battle of Iwo Jima

Feb 19, 1945

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima
February 19- March 26, 1945
Three US marine divisions landed in Iwo Jima, Japan on this day. The Japanese had approximately 23,000 troops in dugouts, caves, and other extreme conditions. The US defeated the troops after about a month of fighting.

Battle of Okinawa

Apr 1, 1945

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa
April 1- June 22, 1945
287,000 US troops went against only 130,000 Japanese soldiers in this battle, and 77,000 of those soldiers were killed. Japan sent several planes to "suicide attack" the US, and they also sent their last ship. Needless to say, japan lost this battle.

VE Day

May 8, 1945

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe
Also called Victory in Europe Day, this is the day when German troops finally laid down their weapons. They first surrendered to the Soviets, and soon after, POW's were released from camps, and Europe was essentially free from Germany.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings

Aug 6, 1945

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima
This is the day that President Harry Truman gave US troops permission to drop the first (and last) atomic bombs of WWII. The first bomb landed on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, instantly killing 80,000 people, and thousands more died later due to injuries and radiation poisoning. August 9, 1945 was the dropping of a bomb on Nagasaki, killing 40,000 more people. Japan surrendered very soon after, which ended the war.

VJ Day

Aug 15, 1945

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
August 15 was the day Japan surrendered to the US in WWII. August 14, 15, and September 2 (the day Japan formally and publically announced their surrender) are all now known as Victory Over Japan Day, established by President Harry Truman.