WWII Timeline

Mussolini takes over Italy's Government

Oct 30, 1922

Mussolini had to gain the support from the church before he could become dictator, since he needed loyalty from the citizens to become dictator. Mussolini then got the loyalty from the working class and the industrial bosses with more profit for an 8 hour day. After he got loyalt, it was only a matter of time before he gained dictator-like control.
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Beer Hall Putsch

Nov 8, 1923

This was Hitler's attempt to overthrow the current government in favor of the Nazi Party. Hitler was planning to use this overthrow of a regional government as a prelude to his ultimate scheme, taking over the national government.
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Kellogg-Briand Pact

Aug 27, 1928

A pact between many countries first proposed by the British to not use war as a solution to a conflict. The lack of inforcement was unbelievable, and eventually did not help when WWII first started to begin.
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U.S. Stock Market Crash

Oct 29, 1929

This started what is known as the Great Depression, where about 1/3 of the American available workers went unemployed. When America dropped to a depression, Europe suffered even worse, since Europe still had not yet recovered from WWI. This depression led to the rise of dictators in certain countries in Europe. ex. Adolf Hitler.
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Japan Invades Manchuria

Sep 19, 1931

Japan needed more space for its increasing population, so they decided to attack Manchuria for more space. When Japan invaded Manchuria, the League of Nations, of course, did absolutely nothing to stop them nor punish them.
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Nazi's reach a political majority in Germany

Jul 31, 1932

Hitlers plan to become dictator was to first get the nazis the political majority. Once he got that, he got the votes he needed to continue his plan for dictator.
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References: Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Rise Of Hitler: Hitler Runs For President'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Rise Of Hitler: The Reichstag Burns'. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Hitler becomes Germany's Chancellor

Jan 30, 1933

To become chancellor, Adolf Hitler used the frustration from the Versailles treaty and turned the citizens in favor of the Nazi Party. By doing this, he basically guaranteed his spot of Chancellor.
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References: Thisdaythen.blogspot.com,. 'This Day Then: 30Th January 1933 - Adolf Hitler Becomes Chancellor Of Germany'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
History.com,. 'Adolf Hitler Is Named Ch

Japan Withdraws from the League of Nations

Feb 24, 1933

When Japan withdrew from the League of Nations, the enire world was stunned. Fearing another war, the League did nothing to stop Japan from invading China.
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References: Trove.nla.gov.au,. '13 Mar 1933 - Japan To Withdraw From League Of Nations'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"1930 – 1939 World History." Infoplease. Accessed February 26, 2015. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005248.html.

First Anti-Semitic Law is passed in Germany

Apr 7, 1933

Anti-semitic laws were Nazi's plans to segregate Jews from the country. These laws took away their freedom and rights.
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References: Ushmm.org,. 'Anti-Jewish Legislation In Prewar Germany'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Antisemitic Legislation 1933–1939." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. June 20, 2014. Accessed February 26, 2015. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007901.

The night of the long knives (Rohm Purge)

Jun 30, 1934

This was a night where the nazis and Chancellor Hitler killed and arrested many people from the SA(Hitlers police). This night cemented the relationship with the Nazis and the German Army.
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Hitler openly announces to his cabinet he will defy the Treaty of Versailles

Mar 15, 1935

Hitler told his cabinet he would defy the Treaty of Versailles by militarizing. This was not just talk. Nobody objected, and this was the first decision that eventually would turn into WWII.
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References: Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Triumph Of Hitler: Nazis March Into The Rhineland'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Historyplace.com,. 'The History Place - Triumph Of Hitler: Nazis March Into The Rhineland'. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.

Creation of the Nuremberg Laws

Sep 15, 1935

From the very start of the 3rd reich, Jews were persecuted against. It was only later where there were laws such as these that made it lawful for Jews to be mistreated. These laws took away everything from them, and made it very dangerous for them to live in Germany.
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Italy invades Ethiopia

Oct 19, 1935

This invasion was yet another step to WWII, as Italy crosses the borders and attacks Ethiopia. The League of Nations condemned the attack but does practically nothing about the invasion, and Ethiopia fell to Italian rule.
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Hitler Militarizes the Rhineland

Mar 7, 1936

During this time, Hitler defies the Treaty of Versailles by occupying a demiltarized zine, the Rhineland. This zone was the boundary between Germany and France, making France upset. By militarizing the Rhineland, Hitler was building up his army to eventually lead to his invasions that would start WWII.
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Rape of Nanking

Dec 13, 1937

Nanking was a city in China that the Japanese army invaded. While the Japanesse were there, they killed many people in what is now known as the rape of Nanking.
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References: Genocide,. 'The Rape Of Nanking And Cambodia 1975'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
"Nanjing." Infoplease. Accessed February 27, 2015. http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/nanjing.html.

Germany Annexes Austria

Mar 12, 1938

When Hitler walked into Austria with his troops, there was no fighting. In fact, they were met with a crowd cheering, as Austria liked Germany and already wanted to be apart of it. So, they did.
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References: Gloupe.com,. 'Germany's Annexation Of Austria (Anschluss)'. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
"Germany Annexes Austria." History.com. Accessed March 1, 2015. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ger

Hitler demands the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

Sep 22, 1938

Hitler wanted the Sudetenland, which was once part of Germany, back from Czechoslovakia. So Hitler made demands that had German occupation of the Sudetenland and control of it.
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Munich Conference

Sep 29, 1938

This conference was to decide what to do about Hitlers demands of the Sudetenland, However, Czechoslovakia wasn't invited to the conference to decide about their own country. Russia was also not invited. In the end, France and Britain gave in to Hitler's demands.
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Kristallnacht

Nov 9, 1938

This was a night where thousands of Jewish homes and business were attacked. 91 Jews died, hundreds of Jews were injured, and thousands lost their buisinesses and synagouges(churches)
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Einstein’s letter to FDR, “The Manhattan Project”

Aug 2, 1939

In this letter Einstein had expressed concerns about the Germans working on an atomic bomb. This led to the Manhattan Project, where America started working on the atomic bomb. Eventually, America would succeed.
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Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

Aug 23, 1939

This was a non-aggresion pact between Germany and Russia. Secretely, the pact also had details of how they would split up Poland once Hitler conquered.
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Nazi invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

This was the final invasion before WWII begins. The Allies had couldn't swallow this invasion, and declared war on Germany at last.
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References: Ushmm.org,. 'Invasion Of Poland, Fall 1939'. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
"World War II." Infoplease. Accessed March 2, 2015. http://www.infoplease.com/dk/encyclopedia/world-war-ii.html.

Evacuation of Dunkirk

May 27, 1940

Allied forces became surrounded and trapped by Germany. It seemed that the army and all of its soldiers would be captured or killed. However, Great Britain came in to the rescue and saved many lives at Dunkirk, using all of their available ships and boats to take the soldiers to safety.
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France Surrenders

Jun 17, 1940

With Paris taken by the Nazis, all hope seemed to be lost by France. They surrendered, and almost half of France was now occupied by the Germans. Britain was now alone in the war.
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Battle of Britain

Jul 10, 1940

This battle was basically the fate of England. It was an airforce battle between Germany and Britain. If the Germans won, then they could invade Britain and most likely, without a lot of their planes, succeed. However, Britain put up a big fight, and eventually Hitler gave up hope for invading Britain. This was the first major failure for Germany.
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The Tripartite Pact

Sep 27, 1940

This pact formed the Axis Powers, as Germany, Italy, and Japan all signed the pact. It made it so that each country would help eachover if a war started.
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Lend Lease Act

Mar 11, 1941

This was an agreement, passed by congress, to allow America to give supplies to certain countries in WWII. Britain recieved the most.
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References: Milestonedocuments.com,. 'Lend-Lease Act - Overview'. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
Infoplease.com,. 'Lend-Lease'. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 Mar. 2015.

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

This was Germany's plan of invading the U.S.S.R. The Germans sent a massive invasion force across the border to Russia. However, this was a very bad decision, since the invasion failed and now Germany had a new enemy.
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Bombing of Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

This was a Japanese aerial attack that destroyed many ships and killed a lot of people. America was shocked by the attack, and the very next day declared war on Japan and its allies.
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References: Ashlock, Alex. 'Veteran Recalls Pearl Harbor Attack'. hereandnow. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
Infoplease.com,. 'Pearl Harbor'. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 Mar. 2015.

Creation of the United Nations

Jan 1, 1942

This was a declaration created by President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, signed by 26 countries. Its a peace-keeping force to stop another war in the future. Like the League of Nations, but the UN would not make the same mistakes.
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The Wannsee Conference and the “Final Solution”

Jan 20, 1942

This conference is where the nazis sat down and discussed they're "final solution", to exterminate all the Jews.
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References: Gilad Atzmon,. 'Gilad Atzmon: The Wannsee Conference- Truth And Myth'. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
Conference, The. 'The Wannsee Conference - Jan 20, 1942 - HISTORY.Com'. HISTORY.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.

Bataan Death March

Apr 10, 1942

Thousands of Filipino and U.S. troops perished in this death march, as they were forced to travel 65 miles on foot to prison camp, with intense heat and harsh treatment by the Japanese.
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References: Nydailynews.com,. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
HISTORY.com,. 'Bataan Death March - World War II - HISTORY.Com'. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.

Doolittle Raid

Apr 18, 1942

This was a U.S. air raid against Japan, created by Doolittle. The initial attack didn't do much damage to Japan, but it did increase morale with American soldiers, as it proved that Japan was vulnerable to attack.
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References: Nationalmuseum.af.mil,. 'Factsheets : Doolittle Raid'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Eyewitnesstohistory.com,. 'The Doolittle Raid, 1942'. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

This battle was a major turning point in the war, as it damaged the Japanese navy. The U.S. was able to sink some of the Japanese warships. The U.S. was able to successfully pull out this great victory because of a intercepted Japanese message, allowing the U.S. to prepare for this battle.
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Battle of Stalingrad

Aug 23, 1942

This was a huge battle and turning point in the war, shifting the advantage to the Allies. This battle had over 2 million casualties, but it stopped the German advance into Russia.
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References: Econc10.bu.edu,. 'The Battle Of Stalingrad'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Stalingrad, Battle. 'Battle Of Stalingrad - World War II - HISTORY.Com'. HISTORY.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.

Operation Torch

Nov 8, 1942

This was the allied invasion of Italy, where U.S. and British troops joined together and attack "Italy's soft underbelly."
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References: Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias,. 'Operation Torch'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Historylearningsite.co.uk,. 'Operation Torch'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.

Island Hopping

Dec 9, 1942

Island hopping is where the allied forces pushed to capure islands in WWII at a lot less of a cost. They would isolate the Japanese forces on islands letting them "wither".
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References: World War II,. 'Island Hopping'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Kwajalein, Battle. 'Battle Of Kwajalein - World War II - HISTORY.Com'. HISTORY.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.

Operation Overlord and D-Day

Jun 6, 1944

This was the Allied invasion to liberate France. The invasion was a very large amphibious invasion, meaning ships. This is sometimes referred to as "the beginning of the end of WWII."
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References: Sr., Thomas. 'Operation Overlord: D-Day, The 6Th Of June | Write On New Jersey'. Writeonnewjersey.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
HISTORY.com,. 'D-Day - World War II - HISTORY.Com'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.

Operation Valkyrie

Jul 20, 1944

This was an attempted assassination that ultimately failed. The attempt was actually made by German conspirators, who were eventually killed. Many other citizens were tried for treason, and were killed or sento to concentration camps.
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Discovery of Majdanek

Jul 24, 1944

This was one of the first confirmations of the existinance of such horrible camps the Germans used. Soldiers took video of these camps and forced Nazis to clean up their mess by burying the bodies of the ones they killed.
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Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

This was the last German offensive in WWII. The Germans attacked the Allied line and pushed back into a bulge formation. However, the Allies counterattacked and pushed the Germans back once again.
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References: N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
"Battle of the Bulge." Infoplease. Accessed March 11, 2015.

Hitler’s Suicide

Apr 30, 1945

With the Allies closing in around Berlin, Adolf Hitler takes a cyanide capsule and shoots himself to prevent the Allies from capturing him. Many other Nazi officials did the same. With the Allies closing in and Hitler gone, There was no hope left for Germany and the Third Reich.
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V-E Day

May 8, 1945

This was the day when Germany unconditionally surrendered due to the Allies capture of Berlin and Hitler's death.
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References: Infoplease.com,. 'V-E Day: May 8, 1945'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
Infoplease.com,. 'V-E Day: May 8, 1945'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Aug 6, 1945

These bombings were the first time an atomic bomb was deployed. The bomb leveled 90% of the city, instantly killing tens of thousands of people. After the bombings, Japanese emperor Hirohito unconditionally surrendered saying "a new and most cruel bomb."
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V-J Day

Aug 14, 1945

This was the day celebrating peace at last. Since Japan finally surrendered, the Allies won and at last ended the war. People worldwide celebrate the end of WWII.
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References: Skylighters.org,. 'Skylighters, The Web Site Of The 225Th AAA Searchlight Battalion: The V-J Day Page'. N.p., 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
HISTORY.com,. 'V-J Day - World War II - HISTORY.Com'. N.p., 2015. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

The Nuremberg Trials

Nov 20, 1945

These were the trials that nazi party officials were the defendants. They were tried for crimes against the peace and against humanity. Some consider the Nuremberg trials a milestone to an international court.
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The Japanese War Crime Trials

May 3, 1946

28 Japanese government and military officials were sent to trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Of the 28, 1 was declared insane, 16 were sentenced to life in prison, 2 were sent to prison with a lesser sentence, and the rest were executed. One of which was executed was Tojo, who was a very big general in the war.
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The beginning of the Cold War

Mar 12, 1947

The cold war was tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., as neither trusted eachover. The U.S.S.R. was trying to institure communism into Germany, as the U.S. was trying to institute Capitalism, creating even more tensions.
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