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Germany Annexes Austria
Germany Annexes Austria Due to the Treaty of Versialles Hitler was not allowed to form a union between Germany and Austria, but solved this problem by marching into the country and annexing it. Both Britain and France ignored their pledge; an obligation to help Austria if this problem should arise, and let Hitler take over the country. This was Hitler's first step to creating the Third Reich; the new German Empire. -
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Signing the Nonaggression pact The day the Germans and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact, negotiating peace between the two countries, in the sense that neither country would attack one another. It also took away Germany's influence over Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Bessarabia, and former Polish territories were given to the Soviet Union. -
Germany Invades Poland
Poland Invasion With the nonaggression pact assuring Hitler that he was safe from Soviet intervention, Germany suprise attacked Poland. One of the first major battles in which the blitzkrieg tactic was used, Poland was unprepared and crumbled. Britain and France declared war on Germany, and wanted to help Poland but were unable to mobilize their troops in time; this was the start of World War II. -
Germans Attack Denmark and Norway
Germans attack Norway With the British and French forces mobilized along the Maginot Line, but both sides at a stand-still, Hitler decided to act. The Germans surprise-attacked Denmark and Norway, and within four hours Denmarck fell. Four months later Norway surrendered as well, and Germany then controlled them both. -
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
Rescue at Dunkirk Following the defeat of the French, the Germans had surrounded the French soldiers in Dunkirk. By this time Belgium had surrendered, and the soldiers were on their own. One of the most historical rescue operations ever undertaken, British troops set out across the English Channel to rescue the stranded French soldiers. From May 26-June fourth, British ships carried 338,000 soldiers to safety. -
Germany and Italy Unite
Italy and Germany Mussolini of Italy was a great power in Euopre, a romodel for Hitler and he rose to the top in Germany. Their union created a powerful force, and on the day they joined forces they declared war upon Great Britain and France, and Italy planned it's attack on France. -
France Surrenders to Germany
France SUrrenders The day of France's surrender to Germany. Italy and Germany attacked France, and Charles de Gaulle, the French general, then fled France for London and set up a government in exile. -
The Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act Instigated by President Roosevelt, the Act allowed the United States to lend or lease arms or supplies to countries vital to the U.S. This was the first act that got America involved in the war, as soon after American ships began escorting freighters and cargo ships across the ocean, which led to Germany firing at United States ships in September of the same year. -
Germany Invades The Balkans
Battle of the Blakans The countries of Yugoslavia and Greece resisted the Axis, and because Hitler planned to invade the Soviet Union he needed a base as a midpoint; the Balkans were the perfect spot. The Germans invaded the Blakans, and both Yugoslavia and Greece fell to the Axis Powers, whose three new additions (Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary) made the Axis more powerful than before. -
The Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain In the summer of May, 1941, Germany's air force, Lutwaffe, began attacking the city of London. The Germans bombed the British hard, and as a result the British fought back hard, and had the advantage of enigma, which intercepted coded messages and decoded them. Because of the British retaliation the Germans switched to night bombing, and finally Hitler called off the attacks on the 10th of May, -
German Invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa Called the invasion Operation Barbarossa, Germany went against the nonaggression pact and attacked the Soviet Union. The Soviet Army wasn’t prepared for the attack, but burnt down their cities during retreat. The Germans surrounded Leningrad, but the Soviet’s didn't surrender, so the Germans moved to Moscow. But they weren't prepared for a Russian winter, and could not take the city. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Pearl Harbor In the early morning sailors that were stationed at Pearl Harbor awoke to a Japanese attack. Within just two hours the Japanese had sunk and damaged a total of eighteen ships, and eight of them were battleships. This and 2,400 dead American soldiers were the result of the attack, along with nearly 1,000 Americans wounded. -
Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March The Americans had continued to hold out in the Battle of Bataan, but when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor the United States lost the majority of their pacific fleet, and could no longer send reinforcements. The Japanese beat the Americans along the Bataan defense and the march moved prisoners of war to camp O’Donnel and other concentration camps, where the guards killed up to 10,000 men. -
Battle of Midway
The Yorktown The Japanese wanted Midway as a base to attack other American bases in the pacific, but the Americans were able to decode the Japanese message, and attacked. The Japanese were not fully prepared for the attack, and when Japan bombed the island of Midway, and the Americans dive-bombed the Japanese fleet and sunk the remaining Japanese carriers; in return the Japanese sank the American Yorktown cruiser. -
Stalingrad
Stalingrad The German Lutwaffe used the military tactic of blitzkreig on the Stalingrad, but Stalin said that they would defend at any cost. By November most of the city was controlled by the Germans, but then winter hit, and they were not prepared. The Soviets then attacked the Germans, cutting off their supplies, but Hitler would't let his soldiers retreat. By February the Germans surrendered, and were now on the defensive. -
El Alamein
El Alamein The Germans first attempted an attack in August, then in September, but the Allies held. General Montgomery’s 8th Army's attack came in phases, and when the second phase came the Germans knew they would lose, but Hitler told them to "stand and die." But the Germans retreated anyway and the battle ended in victory for the British, but only with direct American aid. -
D-Day
D-Day At 6:30 in the morning Allied soldiers crossed the English Channel to arrive on Normandy beach. The invasion was a land, air and naval battle, and despite it being a surpise attack the Allies encounter heavy resistance; on the first day, there was a total of about 10,300 casualties. Each side suffered many casualties, but the invasion gave the Allies the advantage they needed to beat the Axis Powers. -
The Battle of the Bulge
<a href='http://www.britannica.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/battle-of-bulge.jpg' > The Allies were moving towards Germany from the east while the Soviets were advancing in the west. Hitler, facing a war on two fronts, decided to attack the Soviets. The Germans attacked and broke through the weak defense on the Ardennes. The Allies weren’t prepared, but were able to push back and win against the Germans. -
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference From the 4th to the 11th of February, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill met to discuss postwar plans. They decided to only accept unconditional surrender from Germany, and it was not allowed a military or Nazis. Poland's border shrank, and prisoners of war were returned to their countries. The United Nations created five members of the Security Council with veto power. -
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima Flag The small Japanese Island was a perfect place for American aircraft if the United States were to attack Japan. Knowing this the Japanese fought back hard when the Americans invaded, and when they did they suffered many casualties. The Japanese took a long time to surrender, using kamikaze tactics and fighting until only 212 Japanese were taken prisoner. The battle made the U.S. think twice about attacking mainland Japan. -
The Battle of Okinawa
Okinawa Okinawa was a land, air and naval battle, and the Allies mostly landed by amphibious vehicles. The battle was fierce, and the Japanese flew a total of 1,900 kamikaze missions, which were frightening but not very effective. Both sides suffered many casualties, but the Americans conquered and were a step closer to mainland Japan. -
Germany's Unconditional Surrender
German Surrender The Allies, having crossed into Germany in March, had since surrounded and attacked Berlin and Hitler had commited suicide. The German Reich now officially surrenders, and the surrender was officially signed by President Harry Truman. -
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)
VE Day The day the the United States officially accepts Germany's unconditional surrender. President HarryTruman signs the surrender, and the day came to be known as Victoty in Europe (or VE) day. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The A-Bomb At 8:15am a B-29 bomber flew over Hiroshima, Japan, and dropped the first atomic bomb. The bomb was nicknamed "Little Boy," and its effects had never actually been tested. But the Japanese did not surrender after the first bomb, so three days later, at 11:02am a B-29 bomber flew over Nagasaki to drop the second bomb, "Fat Man.” The bombs wiped both cities virtually off the map. -
Victory in Japan (VJ) Day
VJ Day Kiss After the atomic bombs were dropped the Soviet Union invaded Machuria, and pushed the Japanese out. Defeated, the Japanese finally gave in and surrednered on Septmember 2, 1945. The Day came to be kown as VJ Day, and at last World War II was officially over.
