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Invasion of Poland
The German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 triggered the start of WWII because this forced Britain and France to declare war on Germany. On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland, which caused Poland to completely surrender on October 6. After defeating Poland, Germany and the Soviet Union divided the country. -
Fall of France
Germany invaded France by attacking the Maginot Line, which was a series of fortifications that were intended to protect the border between Germany and France. German forces invaded Paris on June 14, 1940 and defeated France. France signed a armistice with Germany. If France had not surrendered, they would have remained an important force in the war, which may have changed the results. -
Battle of Britain
Germany launched a series of air attacks on Britain in preparation for an invasion of Britain. However, Germany was not able to destroy Britain's Royal Air Force and the invasion was postponed in the fall of 1940. The Germans continued their bombing campaign against Britain until May of 1941, but ultimately ended up bringing the air attacks to a halt. This was because the were preparing to invade the Soviet Union in in June. This event was a major turning point in the war for the Allies. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise aerial attack on the United States. Americans were reluctant to join the war, but they decided to declare war on Japan after this failed attack on Pearl Harbor, which was one of the most important naval bases. The United States froze Japanese assets and placed a ban on oil exports to Japan. This was one of the most important events in the war because if it hadn't happened, America probably would not have ended up getting involved. -
Battle of Midway
After the United States declared war on Japan, Germany, who was Japan's ally, declared war on the United States. This battle was important because it allowed the Allies to make headway in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was a successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad, Russia. The soviets successfully stopped the Germans from advancing further into the Soviet Union. This was the first major German loss and prevented Germany from advancing further into Russia. -
Italy Surrenders
After Italy was invaded by the Allied Forces, the new Italian government surrendered. Most of the Italian army was disarmed by the German, who had originally planned to withdraw slowly to northern Italy after the Allies landed. Italy was allied with Germany, so when Italy surrendered Germany also suffered a loss. -
D-Day
This invasion of Normandy, France was one of the most important military operations made by the Allies. It was a victory for the Allied Forces and marked the beginning of the end of German rule in France. However, this event didn't make much of a difference in the Holocaust because it came too late. -
Battle of the Bulge
On December 16, 1944, the German military launched this battle because the Allied Forces were attempting to penetrate the western boarder of Germany. This was the last military counter-offensive made by Germany and and they hoped that it would surround British and American Armies so that they wouldn't be able to invade. However, the German offensive in the Ardennes didn't end up succeeding at this and by January of 1945, their military effort failed. Germany suffered 100,000 causalities. -
Germany Surrenders
Soviet forces encircled Berlin on April 25, 1945 and then joined their American counterparts to attack central Germany from the west. After intense fighting, the Soviets reached Hitler's bunker, where he then committed suicide on April 30. German armed forced surrendered entirely in the west on May 7 and in the east on May 8. This marked the end of one of the most significant wars in global history. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 120,000 Japanese civilians. This quickly ended war with Japan.