WWII Timeline

  • The Invasion of Poland

    The Invasion of Poland
    The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939, was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union, which marked the beginning of World War II...
  • The Bombing of Pearl Harbor

    The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
    The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the time, the U.S. was a neutral country in World War II.
  • The Battle of Midway

    The Battle of Midway
    The Battle of Midway was a decisive American victory over the Japanese Navy in June 1942. The battle crippled Japan's ability to launch large-scale attacks against Allied forces.
  • D-Day (June 6th, 1944)

    D-Day (June 6th, 1944)
    D-Day (June 6th, 1944)
  • The Battle of Kursk

    The Battle of Kursk
    The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II tank battle that took place in 1943, resulting in a Soviet victory. It was the largest tank battle of the war and one of the deadliest armored battles in history.
  • The Battle of Stalingrad

    The Battle of Stalingrad
    The Battle of Stalingrad was a brutal World War II battle that took place in the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd, Russia) from August 1942 to February 1943. The Soviet Union defeated the German army in this battle, which was one of the bloodiest in history.
  • Operation Torch

    Operation Torch
    Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to begin their fight against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on a limited scale.
  • Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program

    Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program
    In 1943, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) was established under the Civil Affairs and Military Government sections of the Allied armies as part of a concerted effort to protect artworks, archives, and monuments of historical and cultural significance as the Allies advanced across Europe.
  • The Death of Adolf Hitler

    The Death of Adolf Hitler
    Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then taking the title of Führer und Reichskanzler in 1934.
  • The Battle of Britain

    The Battle of Britain
    The Battle of Britain was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe. It was the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces.
  • The Battle of the Bulge

    The Battle of the Bulge
    The Battle of the Bulge was a German offensive in World War II that took place in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium and Luxembourg. The battle lasted from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. The Allies won the battle, driving the Germans back towards Germany.
  • The Battle of Iwo Jima

    The Battle of Iwo Jima
    The Battle of Iwo Jima was a key turning point in World War II because it helped the Allies gain an airbase for bombing raids on Japan. It also prepared the way for the invasion of Okinawa.
  • The Battle of Okinawa

    The Battle of Okinawa
    So close to the home islands, most Japanese soldiers refused to surrender and fought to the death. Their fanaticism contributed to a dreadful toll. Some 110,000 Japanese and conscripted Okinawan defenders were killed in action. The battle created a humanitarian disaster for civilians as well.
  • The Death of FDR

    The Death of FDR
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served more than two terms.
  • Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

    Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
    At 8:15 am Hiroshima time, “Little Boy” was dropped. The result was approximately 80,000 deaths in just the first few minutes. Thousands died later from radiation sickness.
  • Atomic Bombing Nagasaki

    Atomic Bombing Nagasaki
    On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. The bombings killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and they remain the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict.