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Germany invades Poland
On the 1st of September, 1939, World War II officially began when Hitler sent his troops to bombard Poland as part of his plan to regain 'lost territory' and to take complete control of the country. Hitler had already broken many of the promises he made with the allies and rebelled against the Treaty of Versailles, and invading Poland was the strap that broke the camel's back. Because of his actions, war was declared against Germany. -
Britain & France declare war on Germany
In response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, both Britain and France declared war on Germany on the 3rd of September, 1939. The Allies had enough of Hitler's broken promises and when he failed to respond to their demand for Germany to withdrawal from Poland, war was declared. This broke the hearts of many who had been led to believe that their would be no war as promised by Prime Minister Chamberlain. Unfortunately the declaration did little to help now Nazi-Occupied Poland. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain
Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of Britain on the 10th of May, 1940, replacing Neville Chamberlain. After Chamberlain had declared war on Germany, he was unable to prove that he could save Europe from Nazi conquest and was replaced in favour of the experienced military leader, Winston Churchill. Churchill proved to be a worthy leader of Britain and his promise of victory was kept. -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
The evacuation of Dunkirk (code name 'Operation Dynamo') was the successful evacuation of 338,226 British troops who were trapped on the only accessable beach in France. Although the British failed to save France from Nazi-Occupation, it was miraculous that the outnumbered Brits who were sitting ducks on the beach were able to so narrowly escape. The successful escape helped the British military with additional soldiers and was also a major moral boost for the homefront. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis powers
Fascist Italy officially entered the war, on side of the Axis powers, by invading France on the 10th of June in 1940. Because of the Pact of Steel they signed with Germany, Italy was expected to fill the role of being Germany's ally, and finally joined forces with them with the hopes of further expanding their empire. However, Their loyalty to the Germans would be tested later on in the war when many Italian forces began to turn against their allies and dictator. -
France signs armistice with Germany
After being invaded by German forces in May, France officially surrendered when they were forced to sign an armistice with Germany on the 22nd of June, 1940, in the same railway car in which Germany had surrendered to France in 1918. The official surrender to Germany resulted in a mixed reaction from the French. Some were happy with the German presence while others were furious and created a resistance army. The Allies eventually came to France's aid on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. -
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Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a significant turning point of the Second World War. It was massive air campaign between Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF) from the 10th of July to the 31st of October, 1940.The Battle of Britain was the first campaign to be fought entirely by air forces and is also considered to be the largest sustained bombing campaign to this day. -
Tripartite Pact signed
The Tripartite Pact was an agreement signed by Axis powers, Germany, Italy and Japan on the 27th of September, 1940 in Berlin. It was signed by Adolf Hitler, Galeazzo Ciano and Saburō Kurusu respectively. The Pact formed the alliance between the three fascist countries and was used as propoganda against the then neutral United States. The agreement stated that if America ever entered the war, they were to assist each other in fighting the democratic country. -
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sea Lion was Adolf Hitler's planned invasion of the United Kingdom that he had planned for the fall of 1940. The plan relied on Germany having complete control over the English Channel, which in turn meant complete control over the skies so that the RAF could not attack. Howver, after Germany's defeat of the Battle of Britain, the plan was never carried out and Hitler began to focus his attention on Russia. -
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Siege of Tobruk
The Siege of Tobruk was a massive battle that took place from the 10th of April to the 27th of November in 1941. Australia, India and Britain fought against Nazi Germany and Italy for 241 days to prevent the German advance into Egypt and to deprive them of their supplies. The battle ultimately saved North Africa from the Axis Powers and the defiant stand by the Allies marked the first time during the war that the German war machine halted in its tracks. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union that took place on the 22nd of June, 1941. The attack was the largest military operation of the Second World War, and is also considered to be Hitler's worst mistake, seeing as the German's were overwhelmingly outnumbered. Hitler's intention was based on his belief that the German 'master race' should seek living space in the east. This most gruesome battle in history ultimately marked the beginning and end of the Third Reich. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
On the 7th of December, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy made a surprise military strike on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack was intended to neutralise the US Pacific Fleet and to protect Japan's advance into Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. Their actions ultimately led to the United States finally entering the war. -
Britain and US declare war on Japan
On the 8th of December, 1941, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor, both the United States and Britain declared war on Japan. The United States had remained neutral since the beginning of the war in 1939. However, after the surprise attack, they finally joined their British allies who declared a war against Japan an hour after the States following the Japanese attacks on Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong. -
Japan takes Singapore
On the 15th of February, 1942, the Japanese Army took over Singapore. The fall of Singapore is considered to be one of the greatest defeats in British army history and Britain's worst defeat in the Second World War. The occupation became a turning point in the history of Japan, Britain and the then colonial state of Singapore. Following the defeat of Japan, Singapore returned to British colonial rule. -
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Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a sea based battle between the United States and Japan from the 4th to the 7th of June, 1942. The battle was named for its location near the Midway island in the Pacific Ocean. The japanese decided to attack Midway in hopes of weakening American naval power. The battle was the first decisive victory for Allied Forces in the Pacific during World War II. -
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First Battle of El Alamein
The First Battle of El Alamein in Egypt was one of two pivotal battles that took place from the 1st to the 22nd of July, 1942. The Western Desert Campaign was fought by the British Imperial forces and the Axis Powers (Germany and Italy). Rommel believed one more push eastwards would get him to safety in Cairo. The Allies ended up halting their drive into Egypt. This was followed by a stand-off between the two sides that lasted until the Second Battle of El Alamein. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Staligrad was the successful Soviet defense of the Russian city of Stalingrad and is considered to be the greatest battle in the entire conflict. It lasted from 17th of July, 1942 to the 2nd of February, 1943. Hitler had wanted Stalingrad because of the name of the city and his hatred of Stalin. However, the Soviets were able to stop Germany's advance into the Soviet Union, which marked a turning point in the war for the Allies and was a key role in the downfall of the Third Reich. -
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Second Battle of El Alamein
Although the Allies were successful with stopping Rommel from pushing into Cairo in the First Battle, Prime Minister Churchill became impatient with the slow progress in the Western Desert and a second battle commenced on the 23rd of October to the 4th of November, 1942 under command of General Montgomery. After being reinforced with more supplies, the Allies were able to remove the Axis Powers from Africa. This Allied victory became another turning point in the war. -
D-Day Landings
On the 6th of June, 1944, America, Britain and Canada invaded Western Europe in the largest amphibious attack in history. The Battle of Normandy (codename Operation Overlord) ultimately led to the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi-Germany control. -
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Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign that took place in the Ardennes region of Belgium, Luxembourg and France against the Americans and British. Hitler's plan was to split the Allies in two in their advance to Germany and to break their alliance. The Allied Victory resulted in a fatal blow to the German forces which eventually led to their ultimate surrender in May of 1945. -
Mussolini captured and executed
On the 28th of April, 1945, Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini was captured and executed after attempting to flee to Switzerland to avoid arrest by the allies. He was executed near Lake Como by Italian Partisans. His death was one of the reasons Hitler committed suicide and it put an end to the fascist regime in Italy. -
Hitler commits suicide
On the 30th of April, 1945, German dicator, Adolf Hitler, fearing capture, torture and execution in the hands of the advancing Russians, committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin. His death was what ultimately led to the defeat of the Nazi powers and the fall of the Third Reich. -
German forces surrender
On the 7th of May, 1945, just seven days after Hitler's suicide, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, finally ending the European conflict of World War II. -
V.E. day
V.E. day, also known as 'Victory in Europe' was a public holiday celebrated on the 8th of May, 1945, the day after Germany finally surrendered to the Allies. Although the war in the Pacific Theatre continued, Allied countries celebrated the German defeat after nearly seven years of war. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
On the 6th of August, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first deployed atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima as an attempt to speed up the war in the Pacific Theatre. It resulted in over 80,000 deaths. -
Soviet Union declares war on Japan
After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan on the 8th of August, 1945. Joseph Stalin had been asked to join the rest of the Allies in their effort to defeat the Japanese and with the promise of the Kuril islands. He agreed and got what he was promised. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
On August 9, 1945, just three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, The American B-29 dropped another atomic bomb, this time on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, which took the lives of over 40,000 people. The Allies achieved their goals when Japan finally decided to surrender as a result of the attack. -
Japanese surrender - End of WWII
Following the atomic attacks of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese finally surrendered to the Allies on the second of September, 1945 aboard the United States Navy battleship 'USS Missouri' in Tokyo Bay. Their surrender ultimately put an end to the Second World War. -
United Nations is born
On the 24th of October, 1945, the United Nations Charter was born in New York City. Now that the war was over, negotiating and maintaining peace and preventing future wars became the main goal of the new UN security council which was made up of the United States, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union and China.The UN continues to be a strong international organisation to this day.
