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Germany Invades Poland
R.C., Lindsay. "Telegram dated August 25th, 1939 from his majesty's abassador in Berlin". Newspaper scan from 1939. On the first of September of 1939, German forces invaded Poland by land and air, because Hitler wanted to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. This is an important date because it was the last straw other countries could bare that led to the start of World War 2. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
"Photo of a man selling newspapers with breaking news of the start of the war". 3 Sep. 1939. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. World War 2 officially starts when Britain and France Declare War on Germany. Even though they had promised to keep the peace after WW1, they managed to go to war yet again. This event is important because it officially started the war which led to a series of battles and events shown in this timeline. -
Hitler Gains Victory Over France
A Frenchman weeps as German soldiers march into the French capital, Paris, on June 14, 1940, after the Allied armies have been driven back across France. On June 22nd, 1940, Hitler was able to gain control of France, expanding Germany's territory. This was a vital point in history, because it really showed to what extend Hitler was going to to conquer all of Europe, not just expand his borders. -
Battle of Britain: London Bombing
Churchill, Winston. "Their Finest Hour." Speech about Battle of Britain. London, England, London, England. 18 June 1940. Speech. The London Bombing that occured during the battle of britain between the Nazis and Great Britain was a major event of WW2. Because London had its revenge for Germany bombing its cities, Berlin was bombed, breaking Hitler's promise to keep the city unharmed -
Italy Invades Greece
Ethnos Newpaper Published about Italy Invasion in Greece, 28 October, 1940. The Italian invasion of Greece happened when Benito Mussolini decided unexpectedly declare war on Greece. The invasion was a disaster, and even Hitler was surprised by Mussolini's actions. Because Mussolini was humiliated, this gave him a disadvantage that helped the axis powers to lose. -
Operation Barbarossa: Germany Invades Soviet Union
"Map of Operation Barbarossa". 22 Jun to 25 Aug, 1945. Operation Barbarossa was one of Hilter's biggest mistakes, and it was the codename for his plan to invade the soviet union. His placs to take over eventually failed because of the extremely cold weather conditions, and they were forced to retreat. This event was vital tothe outcome of the war because the Nazis suffered many casualities, and lost their opportunity to expand territory. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Emergency Telegram announcing Attack on Pearl Harbor. 7 Dec. 1941. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
On December 7th, the japanese airforce held an air raid on Pear Harbor. This devastating event killed over 2,000 navy and marine soldiers on a United States naval base. This famous event led to revenge from the United States to Japan in the form of many attacks and battles. -
Doolittle Tokyo Raid
"Airforce Combat Command" October 2. 1931. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.The Doolittle raid, also known as the Tokyo raid, was an air raid by the Uniteed States on Tokyo, Japan as a response to the attack on Pear Harbor. This air raid was very important to WW2 because it demonstrated a blossoming direct conflict between the US and Japan and the U.S.'s involvement in the war. -
Battle of Coral Sea
"Sunday Telegraph: Allied Losses Light in Great Battle of Coral Sea." Newspaper Article. 10 May. 1942. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Fought from May 4th to May 8th, the Battle of Coral Sea was a major naval battle in the Pacific between the Japanese Navy, and the US and Australian naval and airforces. This was an important battle for the US in order to maintain its trade routes with Austrailia and prevent it from falling into the hands of Japan. -
Battle of Midway
"Battle of Midway Confidential Stategical and Tactical Analysis." Military Report. 3 -14 June. 1942. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
Between June 4th and 7th, the Battle of Midway between the US and Japan was a crucial turning point in the war in the pacific of WW2. The US needed midway island to strategically refuel and successfully invade other nearby islands without having to potentially lose aricraft carriers or run out of fuel. -
Battle of Guadalcanal Begins
"Battle of Guadalcanal Videos." History Channel. 19 Feb. 1945. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.
The Battle of Guadalcanal, also referred to as the Campaign of Guadalcanal, took place on the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific. This vital battle of WW2 occured when US troops occupied the island to occupy the water surrounding the islands previously occupied by Japan and not allow them to conquer even more territory. -
D-Day
"Letters from the front." PBS. American Experience. 22 July. 1944. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.D-Day, also known as the Normandy Landings, codenamed "Operation Neptune" was the invasion from the Allied forces of the US, Britain, and Canada, to take back Normandy from German occupation. This was an important historical event because it led to the liberation of France from Nazi control, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war. -
Battle of the Bulge
"Battle of the Bugle Videos." History Channel. World War 2 History. December 1944. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.The Battle of the Bulge consisted of German attacks on allied forces as they were trying to expand their borders and increase their territory. This was an important battle due to it leading to the neutralization of the German counteroffensive, despite heavy casualties. -
Yalta Conference
"Big 3 Doom Nazism and Reach Militarism; Agree On Freed Lands and Oaks Voting; Convoke United Nations in US April 26." The New York Times. Article. 18 Feb. 1945. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. The Yalta Conference was held by the most powerful country's leaders of the time in order to determine the fate of countries affected by the war. This was an important conference because it shaped the world's future. -
Battle of Okinawa
"Report on the Battle of Okinawa" History Channel. Battle of Okinawa. 1 April. 1945. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.The Battle of Okinawa was the biggest and last battle of the Pacific during WW2 made up of Japan fighting against the US. It was an extremely bloody battle, and has even been described as "hell" by survivors. The importance of this battle was that it settled the ongoing fighting of islands in the Pacific, but although Japan suffered a great loss, they did not surrender. this made the US want to use the most efficient yet violent way to finally end the war, using nuclear bombs. -
Surrender of Germany
"Surrender of Germany (1945)." Our Documents. 7 May. 1945. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. On May 7th, 1945, after years of fighting, Germany finally surrendered to the Allied powers. Even though Germany had surrendered, WW2 was still not officially over. Japan had yet to surrender, and this made the world very impatient. This was an important event because it is a major event approaching the end of the war. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings (6th and 9th)
Millhouser, Brendan. "Real footage - Atomic Bomb - Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Youtube. Video. 6 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.When Japan stubbornly refused to surrender, the US decided to drop two bombs on the major cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The devastating nuclear bombs killed over 129,000, and there is still letover radiation from the bombs today. These were important events because it forced Japan to surrender, even if it took the murder of thousands of innocent people. -
Japan finally surrenders, war completely over
The. End.
