WWII Timeline - AP Euro - Ian Newell

Germany's invasion of Poland (1939)

Sep 1, 1939

Germany started an invasion of Poland to test what the allied powers would do against them if they went against the treaty. Germany successfully gained Poland and split it with Russia. They also got to test the new machines and technology they had been creating in secret. The allied powers would do nothing to Germany and stood on the side lines while the Polish people were invaded and killed.

German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)

Sep 1, 1939

The German Blitzkrieg was a new type of offensive created by the Germans. It was used at the beginning of WWII to attack Poland. This type of attack would include newly created bomber planes, tanks, and infantry. The new bomber plans would dive bomb and carpet bomb the cities into submission and then the tanks and troops would roll into the towns and crush any resistance left in the people.

Battle of Britain (1940)

Jul 10, 1940

The battle of Britain saw the German Luftwaffe bombing the whole of Britain even civilian zones like London. The British army saw the attack in advance with the use of newly created radar systems. This helped them prepare defenses and ready their own counter-attack of fighter plans, after the attack, they would then send their own bombers to bomb Germany.

Operation Barbarossa (1941)

Jun 22, 1941

Operation Barbarossa saw the German invasions of Russia. The plan ultimately failed because of poor planning and tactics. For example, it was planned that the Germans would attack during winter in Russia. This action would lead to Stalin deciding to side with the allies in the long run and would end up costing Germany the war.

Pearl Harbor (1941)

Dec 7, 1941

The attack on Pearl Harbor was committed by the Japanese navy and air force. They attacked the port to try and postpone the US navy and air force from stopping them to take the islands around Japan and closer to America. Although the attack was successful they weren't able to take out any of the US Pacific fleet ships because they were all away on the sea. The US would retaliate and start an island-hopping campaign to take all the Japanese-controlled islands back.

Battle of Midway (1942)

Jun 4, 1942

The battle of Midway was an entirely ocean-fought battle even though they were fighting over an island. The battle lasted 3 days, and in those three days, the heavily outnumbered American fleet destroyed 4 Japanese aircraft carriers while only losing one. The US won the battle and reclaimed the island of Midway, which helped us progress in the Pacific Theater.

Battle of Stalingrad (1942)

Aug 23, 1942

The battle of Stalingrad was one of the many battles that took place in Russia against the German invasion. Hitler changed his target from Moscow to Stalingrad for purposes not exactly known, other than possible because of its name or factories. Hitler would lose this battle and it would lead to his eventual retreat from Russia.

Operation Gomorrah (1943)

Jul 24, 1943

This operation was named after the biblical city that God destroyed with fire and brimstone. This was an allied operation to demoralize the final German troops and soldiers. It was the bombing of Hamburg carried out by the British RAF.

Operation Thunderclap (1944) [Proposed]

1944

Operation Thunderclap was a proposed operation that never happened because the allies decided it would cause more civilian casualties than soldier casualties. Operation Thunderclap would have been the bombing of Berlin but it never happened.

Operation Overlord (1944)

Jun 6, 1944

Operation Overlord was a three-stage event that took place on June 6th. It contained the ariel bombing of the German coast, the dropping of airborne troops, and then the D-Day landing. The operation as a whole was successful but started off course as the airborne troops were not dropped on the right target.

D-Day (Normandy Invasion - 1944)

Jun 6, 1944

D-Day was the amphibious invasion of Normandy France by the allied forces. They speared five different spots along the beach each one was given a codename; Juno, Omaha, Sword, Gold, Utah. The allies spent three months attacking the beach and slowly climbing up and over the German fortifications. The allies eventually succeeded.

Battle of the Bulge (1945)

Jan 28, 1945

The battle of the Bulge A.K.A the Ardennes Offensive was the last major battle in the War and was the Germans' last-ditch effort to take back France from the allies. The Germans would lose this battle and it would become the bloodiest battle in the war, with the most US casualties. The poor weather conditions would lead to the battle lasting longer and make the casualties larger.

Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)

Feb 19, 1945

The battle of Iwo Jima was one of the final islands that the Japanese had taken over that we took back. The US marines that landed on the island would eventually overpower and claim victory over the Japanese soldiers on the island. This victory would bring us closer to mainland Japan so we could launch our final attack and end the war.

Battle of Okinawa (1945)

Apr 1, 1945

The battle of Okinawa A.K.A. Operation Iceberg was the final island the US marines would need to take before we could send bomber planes to mainland Japan and end the war. The US would end up victorious once again over the Japanese army. The battle mainly focused around Hacksaw Ridge a key capture component for the US marines.

Dropping of the atomic bombs (1945)

Aug 6, 1947

After the capture of Okinawa President Truman instead of sending US soldiers to their deaths on mainland Japan decided to drop the Atomic Bombs on their key coastal military locations instead of civilian zones. An American B-17 bomber would drop the first bomb on Hiroshima, three days later since the Japanese still wouldn't surrender a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. This act would end the war between Japan and the US and WWII as a whole since by this time the war in Europe had finished.