-
Italy enters war on side of Axis powers
Italy entered the war on the side of the Axis powers as the defeat of France became apparent. -
Period: to
Germany invades Poland
Nazi Germany took over the Poland after heavy shelling and bombing and Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939.
After Germany invaded Poland Britain and France declared war on Germany, which started WWII
Germany took Poland for more living space for the Germans, he hopped that no other country's would intervene as they had not yet stopped his growing plans. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
After a warning had been established and sent to Hitler who had denied it, the British Prime Minister had declared war on Germany. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain
Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain after his resignation due to lack of confidence in the House of Commons. This event occurred in Britain. -
Period: to
Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
Dunkirk's beaches on the north coast of France (Europe)
evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and French troops who were cornered by the advancing German army.
330,000 troops were rescued from the beaches in one of the most astonishing operations of the war.
the french lost Dunkirk to the Germans. the goal was to evacuate the troops who were surrounded by the German army. -
France signs armistice with Germany
World War 1 military hero, Marshal Henri Petain, replaces Paul Reynaud as prime minister and announces his intention to sign an armistice with the Nazis. The armistice was signed on the 22nd of June and took effect on the 25th of June, and more than half of France was occupied by Germany. -
Period: to
Battle of Britain
German air force the Luftwaffe and Britain's royal air force
A significant turning point of World War II, the Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force
Britain’s victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces -
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sea Lion was the name given by Hitler for the planned invasion of Great Britain in 1940. Although the operation was never carried out as the German lost the Battle of Britain and is believed Hitler was more interested in the forthcoming attack on Russia as opposed to invading Britain. -
Tripartite Pact signed
On this day, the Axis powers were formed making Germany, Japan and Italy allies by signing the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. This Pact outlined that if any of the three countries were attacked by any nation not already involved in the war then they would receive assistance. This alliance was mainly against America to force the States to think twice before joining the side of the Allies. -
Period: to
Siege of Tobruk
Australia with the British were attacked by the Nazi's and the Italians.
the allies needed to hold down Tobruk as it would force the axis powers to bring their supplies over land.
The allies won and held down Tobruk forcing the axis powers to have to transport their supplies through the land. the Australians were called rats and they embraced the name therefore being called the rats of Tobruk. -
Period: to
Operation Barbarossa
German began there invasion on Russia, from the North Cape to the Black Sea. (Europe)
three million German soldiers, began there invasion on Russians.
the Germans began their invasion in the winter which in Russia caused serious problems for the Germans, with the weather dragging them down the German were unable to successfully invade Russia. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Just before 8am, hundreds of Japanese bombers attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just 2 hours but the destruction was brutal. The Japanese destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels, which included 8 enormous battleships and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died and 1,000 were wounded. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan which they had approved. -
Britain and US declare war on Japan
On this day, as America's Pacific fleet lay in ruins in Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt requests and receives, a declaration of war against Japan. With heavy support from his son, James, walked into the House of Representatives at noon to request a declaration of war from the House and addresses the nation via radio. Japan had also attacked British forces in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong. So the British and the US both declared war on Japan. -
Japan Takes Singapore
The strategic British stronghold fell to the Japanese forces. The Japanese forces took over Singapore after defeating the defeating the combined forces of the British, Indian, Australian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore. The occupation of Singapore was to become a major turning point in the histories of several nations. -
Period: to
Battle of Midway
The battle was between the US and the Japanese.
American intelligence breakthrough this was the solving of the Japanese fleet codes which allowed Pacific Fleet to understand the exact Japanese plans. giving America the win.
this battle was seen as a turning point because after it allowed the Americans sail straight to Tokyo. -
Period: to
First Battle of El Alamein
German army known as Panzerarmee Afrika lead by Erwin Rommel took on the British, Australian, New Zealand, South African, and Indian troops.
this was seen as a turning point in the war in North Africa. 9th Division launched an attack on the northern flank and succeeded in taking the important high ground around Tel el Eisa. this caught Rommel of guard, the Australians fighting off the the Germans for the next couple of days. -
Period: to
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle was one of the bloodiest battles in history between the Germans and the Russians, with a combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million.
Stalingrad was also an important target as it was Russia’s center of communications in the south as well as being a center for manufacturing. but the Germans were unable to take it causing a major turning point in the war. -
Period: to
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Panzerarmee Afrika took on British, Australian, New Zealand, South African, and Indian troops.
Three hundred Sherman tanks that were shipped to Egypt from the USA were a crucial influence on the outcome of this battle.
the Allie's won, forcing Rommel to retreat into Tunisia. -
D-Day Landings
The Allies invade Western Europe in the largest amphibious attack in history. Also known as the Battle of Normandy, the battle resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. With the code name Operation Overlord, the battle consisted of 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landing on five beaches along a 50 mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region. -
Period: to
Battle of the Bulge
The battle took place in Ardennes in Belgium, Luxembourg
It was the Germans final attempt of forcing the allies away.
The Germans threw 250,000 soldiers into the initial assault, 14 German infantry divisions guarded by five panzer divisions-against a mere 80,000 Americans. Germans dressed as Americans and infiltrated camps, this caused suspicion among the american troops.
The war would not end until better weather enabled American aircraft to bomb and strafe German positions. -
Mussolini captured and executed
On this day, the dictator of Italy, Benito Mussolini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were shot dead by Italian partisans who had captured the couple as they were trying to flee to Switzerland. The 61 year old was running out of options as the evident defeat of the Axis powers was drawing near. Not wanting to be captured by the Allies or the communist partisans, who had been fighting the the remnants of roving Italian fascists in the north, he decided to escape and settle to a neutral country. -
Hitler commits suicide
Benito Mussolini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were killed as they tried to flee Switzerland. the defeat of the Axis powers was all but certain, Mussolini didn't wait to fall into the hands of either the British or the Americans, so he decided to flee the country. He and his wife made it to the Swiss border, only to find that the guards had crossed over to the partisan side. he disguised himself in a Luftwaffe coat and helmet, but he was seen and him and his wife were shot dead. -
German forces surrender
The German High Command, signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, the surrender was signed at Reims in France. In northwestern France, this ended all conflict in the European front and France becomes Germany's. -
V.E. Day
Both Great Britain and the United States celebrated Victory in Europe. Cities in both nations, as well as occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, in the defeat of the Nazi war
more than 13,000 British POWs were released and sent back to Great Britain. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
The Bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan by the US.
Since 1940, the United States had been working on developing an atomic weapon. although the war in Europe had been won the war in the south Pacific was still going on. the bomb immediately killed 80,000 people. Tens of thousands more died in the following weeks from wounds and radiation poisoning. -
Soviet Union declares war on Japan
The Soviet Union officially declares war on Japan, pouring more than 1 million Soviet soldiers into Japanese-occupied Manchuria, northeastern China, to take on the 700,000-strong Japanese army. after the first atomic bomb was dropped, the Japanese still refused to surrender. but the surprise invasion of the soviet Union caught them off guard. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
The USA dropped the second atomic bomb on the Japanese over Nagasaki. the first bomb was not enough to convince them to surrender. the bomb was nicknamed fat man. the Japanese had suffered greatly in civilian loss from the two bombs and after the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union the Japanese stood no chance. -
Japan surrender- End of WWII
After the two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and killing an estimated 120,000 people, Japan's Emperor Hirohito announced over the radio his country's surrender due to the incredible power on the "new and most cruel bomb". -
United Nations is born
Was formed to promote international co-operation and also a replacement for the failure of the League of Nations. Was mainly created however to prevent another conflict such as WWII