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Adolf Hitler Becomes Chancellor
Adolf Hitler is made Chancellor of Germany. His Nazi Party, or the Third Reich, takes power and Hitler is essentially the dictator of Germany. -
Anti-Comintern Pactt
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact. This was a pact against communism and Russia. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
In response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, Britain and France both allies of Poland, declared war on Germany. -
Germany takes control of Denmark and Norway
In 1939, Norway declared itself neutral. German troops invaded the country and quickly took over Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Narvik. Three weeks later the war was abandoned in southern Norway. -
Blitzkrieg is used to seize Western Europe
Germany used quick strikes called blitzkrieg, which means lightning war, to seize much of western Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France. -
Italy enters the war
Italy enters the war as a part of the Axis powers. -
Germany attacks Great Britain
Germany launched an air attack on Great Britain. These attacks lasted until the end of October and are commonly known as the Battle of Britain. -
Axis Alliance
Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, creating the Axis Alliance. -
Germany and Axis Powers attacked Russia
Germany and the Axis Powers attacked Russia with a huge force of over four million troops. -
Japan attacked US Navy
The Japanese attack the US Navy in Pearl Harbor. The next day the US enters World War II on the side of the Allies. -
US Navy defeated Japanese Navy
The US Navy defeated the Japanese navy at the Battle of Midway. -
Italy surrendered, Mussolini is rescued
Italy surrendered to the Allies, however Germany helped Mussolini to escape and set up a government in Northern Italy. He was rescued from detention in the Abruzzi mountains and made him leader of a puppet state in north Italy. -
France is invaded
Allied forces invaded France and push back the Germans. -
Paris is freed from German control
Paris was liberated after more than four years of Nazi occupation. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Germans launch a large attack in the Battle of the Bulge. They lose to the Allies sealing the fate of the German army. -
US President Franklin Roosevelt died
US President Franklin Roosevelt dies. He is succeeded by President Harry Truman. -
Hitler's Suicide
When Hitlers soldiers warned him of the Soviets' approach, he chose to commit suicide rather than flee. It is believed that this is because he didn't want to be caught and publicly humiliated, so Hitler chose to leave the world with some form of dignity. -
Germany surrendered to the Allies
Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies in Reims, France, ending World War II and the Third Reich. -
US drops Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
The United States drops the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The city is devastated. -
2nd atomic bomb
A second atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan -
Japan surrendered to the US
Japan surrenders to US General Douglass MacArthur and the Allies.