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Japanese Invasion of Manchuria/Manchukuo
The Japanese plant an explosive near their own train track and use the explosion, now known as the Mukden Incident, as justification to invade and take Manchuria. By February 7th, 1932, China is forced to give up all of Manchuria, and Japan establishes Manchukuo as a puppet state. -
Hitler Appointed Chancellor of Germany
President Hindenburg of Germany is initially hesitant to give Hitler power, but upon being convinced by his counsel that other non-Nazi government officials in power as well would temper Hitler's danger, he appoints him to the position. -
Nanjing Massacre
The Imperial Japanese Army captures the capital of the Republic of China, and for six weeks, brutally murders and rapes the civilians of Nanjing. The death toll is estimated to be from 100,000 to more than 300,000. Buildings are looted and burned, and the perpetrators are later found guilty of war crimes and executed. -
Munich Conference
As an effort by Britain to prevent another major war, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy meet and agree to give Hitler what he was asking for: the Sudetenland, a region in Czechoslovakia with a large German population and useful resources. No Czech representative was allowed to join the conference. Neville Chamberlain, prime minister of Britain, comes home and declares "peace in our time", as he believes he has appeased Hitler. -
Kristallnacht
Following the shooting of a German diplomat by a Jewish teenager, Nazis use the opportunity to rile up Hitler's supporters and fuel an anti-Semitic rage. This manifests in mobs of Nazis, SS troops, and regular civilians rampaging through Germany destroying synagogues and Jewish homes, businesses, cemeteries, schools, and hospitals. Nazi officials order German fire- and policemen to do nothing about the destruction unless the resulting damage poses a risk to Aryan-owned buildings. -
Non-Aggression Pact is Signed
In hopes of keeping the Soviet Union at peace with Germany, Stalin chooses to reach a non-aggression agreement with Germany. Hitler agrees in hopes of invading Poland without resistance from a major power, and not having to fight the Soviet Union once war broke out. The pact consists of an agreement not to attack eachother, as well as secret division of Poland and control over different parts of Europe by both parties. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany and the Soviet Union invade Poland, falsely claiming as justification that Poland was planning with Britain and France to attack Germany. The swift and brutal defeat of Poland coins the term for Germany's fighting strategy: blitzkrieg, or "lightning war". This invasion marks the beginning of WWII. -
Dunkirk
As the Germans move through France, they cut off contact between northern and southern Allied troops, pushing the northern troops further and further north until their only choice is between total annihilation or mass evacuation. Beginning on May 26 and going into June, British and French forces begin the evacuation of some 198,000 British and 140,000 French troops. This was later known as the "Miracle of Dunkirk" and as a source of inspiration for fighting the war. -
Fall of Paris
Beginning in early June, the Germans attack France and eventually capture Paris on June 14. On June 22, an armistice is signed between France and Germany in the same place as the armistice of WWI in 1918. -
The Blitz
The Germans target the United Kingdom with bombing attacks. Major targets are large cities like London and industrial centers vital to Britain's economy. Upwards of 40,000 British civilians die as a result of these bombings, but ultimately it has little effect on Britain's morale and ability to fight. -
Selective Training and Service Act
The U.S. institutes an act that requires all men aged 21-36 to register for the draft. This is the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawai'i. Many American ships and hundreds of planes are destroyed, and 2,400 Americans including civilians die in the attack. The next day, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks Congress to declare war. -
Bataan Death March
After the U.S. surrenders some 75,000 troops to the Japanese on April 9th, 1942, the troops are rounded up and forced to march about 65 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando. They are starved and beaten, and thousands die; survivors are taken to camps where even more die from disease, starvation, and murder. The estimated death toll is 650 American and 16,500 Filipino soldiers. -
Battle of Midway
Americans break the Japanese code to figure out they are planning an attack on Midway, which is a group of islands near Hawai'i. Japanese aircraft attack the U.S. base there, and the U.S. attacks back over the next two days. This battle stops the growth of Japan in the Pacific and allows the U.S. to begin to shrink the Japanese empire. The death toll is approximately 3,057 Japanese and 362 Americans. -
Operation Barbarossa
Nazi Germany and many of its allies invade the Soviet Union, voiding their non-aggression pact and putting into action Hitler's goal of repopulating the western Soviet Union with Germans. As the largest land offensive in history, the Axis Powers' casualties were over 1 million, and the Soviet Union's were 4,473,820. -
Battle of Stalingrad
German forces invade the Soviet city of Stalingrad and are ultimately unsuccessful after months of heavy street fighting. Dwindling resources and the onset of winter eventually lead Germany to surrender. The death toll includes 800,000 Axis forces and over 1 million Soviet soldiers. -
D-Day
After successful attempts to confuse and misdirect the Germans, British, Canadian, and American forces storm the beaches of Normandy, France in an amphibious attack. The fighting that occurs was so bloody and chaotic that vastly different casualty estimates have been made. The number of German casualties range from 4,000-9,000 and for Allied forces the numbers are between 4,000 and 10,000. -
Battle of the Bulge
In the Ardennes region of Belgium, German forces attack war-weary American soldiers in deadly frigid weather and dense forest. Germany's attack includes English-speaking spies dropped behind American lines dressed like American soldiers to create confusion. Clear weather on Christmas morning allows American forces to fight back and eventually win. Casualties include about 75,000 Americans and 80,000-100,000 Germans. -
Yalta Conference
The U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union meet to discuss the consequences post-WWII. The conversations mostly concern Europe, including the choice to split Germany into four ally-controlled parts, which would have a major effect on Europe in the coming decades. There were more conferences held before and after, but this one shaped much of today's Europe. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
On an island called Iwo Jima 750 miles off the coast of Japan, American forces invade and lead to some of the worst fighting in the war. Estimations say that all but 200 of the 21,000 Japanese forces were killed as well as 7,000 American Marines. -
Battle of Okinawa
As part of Operation Iceberg (the plan to invade and occupy Japanese islands) and the last major battle of WWII, American forces invade the Pacific island of Okinawa. The combined pressure of bad weather and combat on land, sea, and air lead to one of the deadliest battles in human history - 49,000 American casualties including 12,520 deaths, and 110,000 Japanese soldiers as well as 40,000-150,000 citizens were killed. -
Adolf Hitler commits suicide
While hiding in a bunker, Hitler swallows cyanide and shoots himself in the head. Shortly after, on May 8, Germany surrenders to the Allied forces. -
VE Day
Germany surrenders and ends the war in Europe, creating "Victory in Europe day". The war wouldn't be over until Japan surrendered, but VE Day remains a holiday in many places in Europe today. -
Dropping the Atomic Bombs
To end the war, America drops atomic bombs on the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is still the only time any country has used atomic bombs in a war, and for good reason, as they leveled both cities and combined they killed 129,000-226,000 people, most of which were civilians; many survivors later died from cancer or leukemia as a result of the radiation. -
VJ Day
After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders, marking the end of WWII on both the Pacific front and overall. "Victory over Japan Day" is celebrated on August 14th and 15th, when the announcement was made, and altered for timezones, as well as September 2nd, when the papers were officially signed.