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Period: to
World War 2 Timeline
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Hitler becomes leader of National Socialist Party
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Neutrality Act
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the 1937 Neutrality Act, which bans travel on belligerent ships, forbids the arming of American merchant ships trading with belligerents, and issues an arms embargo with warring nations. -
Japan Invades China
Japan invades China which starts the war in the pacific, defeating them thus taking control of North China. -
Roosevelt Limits Ships to Asia
Roosevelt forbids U.S. ships from carrying arms to China or Japan -
Mussolini joins Hitler
During a speech, Benito Mussolini promises to fight democracies with Hitler should a war break out. -
Naval Expansion Act
The U.S. Congress passes the Naval Expansion Act which gave Roosevelt one billion dollars to enlarge the navy. -
Munich Agreement
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement. This was an act of appeasement in order to keep Hitler from attacking Czech. Hitler receives Czech without consulting them. -
Kristallnacht
During the German Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), 7500 Jewish businesses are looted, 191 synagogues are set afire, nearly 100 Jews are killed, and tens of thousands are sent to concentration camps. -
Hitler Reneges
Adolf Hitler reneges on the promise made in September of 1938 (Hitler, in return for the Sudetenland, promises to leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone) and takes all of Czechoslovakia. -
Roosevelt writes to Hitler and Mussolini
President Roosevelt writes letters to both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, requesting they promise not to attack a list of nations for at least ten years. Hitler responded on behalf of the Italian leader and himself, assuring Roosevelt that he had nothing to fear. -
St. Louis Refusal
Passenger ship St. Louis, containing 907 Jewish refugees, begins its journey back to Europe after the United States refuses to grant it permission to dock. -
Non-Aggression Pact
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the nonaggression pact which stated that neither of them would take military action against each other for the next 10 years. -
Germany invades Poland
This initiated the war in Europe. -
Britain and France delcare war on Germany
Britain and France guaranteed the integrity of the borders of the Polish state on March 39th, 1939. In order to ensure this, they delcared war on Germany following their invasion (2 days after invasion). -
USA Neutrality
The United States delcares that they are remaining neutral in the European conflict. -
Soviets invade Poland
The Soviet Union invades Poland from the East. -
Poland Surrenders
After surrendering, the Polish government flees to exile in Romania. Germany and the Soviet Union splits Poland between the two. -
Cash and Carry
Congress grants President Roosevelt's request to revise neutrality laws, to repeal an arms embargo so that munitions could be sold to Britain and France, and to prevent American ships from sailing into war zones. The United States enacted the Cash and Carry policy. This allowed for the sale of military goods as long as the buyer was responsible for the payment and transport of the goods. -
Soviet Union Is Expelled From The League of Nations
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Hitler defeats France
Britain forces retreat from France and Adolf Hitler's armies defeat French forces. -
Hitler takes low countries
Adolf Hitler takes neutral Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg -
Germany invades Norway and Denmark
As part of Operation Weserübung, Germany launched an invasion on Norway and Denmark. Denmark surrendered the day of the attack while Norway didn't until June 9th, 1940. -
Support for Aiding Allies
The Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies is founded. -
Fleet moved to Pearl Harbour
President Roosevelt moves the United States Pacific Fleet base from San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. -
Germany attacks Western Europe
Germany attacks France and the lower neutral countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established. -
Increased Defense Spending
In a speech to Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt requests new defense spending, an enlarged army, and an expanded air fleet. Public opinion favors the new defense program. -
Italy Enters War
They enter the war and invade Southern France on June 21st. -
Italy attacks France
Mussolini's Italian forces attack France from the south. -
North African Campaign
The North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War) and in Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch) and Tunisia (Tunisia Campaign) between the Allied and Axis. It ended in a victory for the Allied powers. -
War goods for Britain
War goods bound for Britain begin leaving US shores. -
USA Preparation
U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signs a $1.3 billion dollar commitment to modernize the United States Navy fleet in preparation for possible war. -
Soviets and the Baltic States
The Soviet Union occupies the Baltic States on June 14–18, engineering Communist coup d’états in each of them on July 14–15, and then annexing them as Soviet Republics on August 3–6. -
France Surrenders
France, crushed, surrenders to Germany and signs an armistice. Great Britain now stands alone against the Axis powers. -
Roosevelt Aids Britain
President Roosevelt makes a deal to give Great Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for naval bases in Newfoundland, Bermuda, and sites in the Caribbean and the South Atlantic -
German BlitzKrieg on London
Hundreds of German warplanes begin bombing London every night for 57 nights in attacks that will continue until May 1941. More than 40,000 people will die in the Blitz as Londoners call the air raid campaign. -
Congress Enacts Draft
Congress appropriates $16 billion for defense needs, and enacts the first peacetime draft in American history. -
US Extends Japanese Embargo
The United States extends the Japanese embargo to include iron and steel. -
Japan joins Axis Powers
Responding to the embargoes imposed by the United States, Japan joins the German-Italian coalition. -
Tripartite Pact
Germany, Italy, and Japan sign a treaty (the Tripartite Pact) that makes the three countries allies against England and France. The treaty is also seen as a warning to the United States: Stop helping England and France. -
Roosevelt Elected for 3rd Term
In the presidential election, Democrats break with the two-term tradition and renominate Franklin D. Roosevelt for a third term. Republicans nominate Wendell L. Willkie, a public-utilities executive who shared FDR's views on the war in Europe. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Wendell L. Willkie by nearly 5 million popular votes -
Japan Begins Planning Pearl Harbour
Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto begins planning an air attack on Pearl Harbor -
Lend-Lease Program
Before the U.S. Congress, President Roosevelt proposes a "lend-lease" program, which would deliver arms to Britain to be paid for following the war's end. Congress approves the bill. -
US Seizes Axis Ships
Roosevelt orders the United States Coast Guard to seize German ships that sail into American ports. 65 Axis ships are held in "protective custody." -
US Defends Iceland
President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces that the United States will take over defense of Iceland for the duration of the war. -
Axis Consulates Closed
President Roosevelt demands Germany and Italy close their American consulates located in the United States. -
Germany Invades Soviet Union
Germany invades the Soviet Union violating the Nonaggression Pact. U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson estimates that it will take Hitler less than three months to conquer the Soviet Union. -
US Aids Soviet Union
The United States extends lend-lease aid to the Soviet Union. -
Atlantic Charter
As a result of the meetings between Roosevelt and Churchill, the Atlantic Charter was issued on this date. A few of the common principles were: Neither would seek land from war, the restoration of gov'ts lost in war, people should have the write to choose their own gov't, access to raw materials for all nations, ease on trade restrictions, all countries to ban use of force, freedom of the seas, improved working and living conditions for all, etc. -
Roosevelt Warns Japan
President Franklin D. Roosevelt warns the Japanese government to cease all aggression toward neighboring countries or else face United States forces. -
Greer
Provoked by the American destroyer Greer, a German submarine fires on the ship. In response to the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders the navy to shoot any Axis battleships they encounter. -
Japan Begins Preparing
Japanese Army and Navy officers say Japan should “get ready for war” against the United States. Gen. Hideki Tojo becomes prime minister in a military-controlled government -
Japan Plans to Attack
The Japanese government decides to attack Pearl Harbor if negotiations with the United States fail. Japan sends diplomats to Washington to try to find ways to avoid war with the United States. -
Pearl Harbour
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Almost at the same time, Japanese warplanes attack the Philippines and two U.S. islands: Wake and Guam, which are later occupied. Japanese troops invade Malaya and Thailand and seize Shanghai. Later in December Japanese troops invade Burma and Hong Kong. -
Roosevelt's Infamy Speech
A day after the Pearl Harbour attack, Roosevelt delivered a speech explaining the situation, calling it "a date which will live in infamy". -
US Declares War on Japan
An hour after Roosevelt's infamy speech, the US declares war on the empire of Japan. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina, and Singapore are under Japanese occupation. -
Japan takes Philippines
10 hours after the Pearl Harbour attack, the Japanese began their invasion on the Philippines. -
Germany and Italy declare War on US
Germany and Italy, Japan's axis partners, declare war on the United States. The United States declares war on Germany, Italy, and Japan. -
Executive Order 9066
President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on this date which called for the relocation of Japanese-Americans on the west coast to internement camps. -
Battle of Java Sea
In the Battle of the Java Sea, Japan defeats an Allied strike force, putting Japan in control of Java and the Netherlands Indies. -
USA Surrenders Philippines/Bataan Death March
American forces fighting on the Bataan Peninsula surrender to the Japanese. They were then forced to endure the Bataan Death March. Approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. -
Doolittle Raid
Sixteen U.S. B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle, take off from an aircraft carrier 800 miles (1300 kilometers) off Tokyo and make the first bombing raid against Japan. Fifteen reach China, but all crashed while the 16th landed in Vladivostok in the Soviet Union. The raid was ineffective in causing damage but it raised American morale. -
US Learns of Japanese Planned Invasion
The US intercepted Japanese communications and learned of their planned invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea. -
Battle of Coral Sea (4-8 May 1942)
Since the US already knew about the invasion, they had time to prepare. When the Japanese landed in the area, they came under attack from the aircraft carrier planes of the American task force commanded by Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher. Although both sides suffered damages to their carriers, the battle left the Japanese without enough planes to cover the ground attack of Port Moresby, resulting in a strategic Allied victory. This was a major naval battle in the Pacific. -
The Manhattan Project
A secret government research and development project that created the first atomic bombs. It took about 3 years to make and was lead by physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Major General Leslie Groves oversaw the project. -
Battle of Midway
This was the turning point of the war in the Pacific between the United States and Japan. The battle took place over four days between June 4th and June 7th in 1942. The Japanese formulated a plan to sneak up on the U.S. forces. They hoped to trap a number of the U.S. aircraft carriers in a bad situation where they could destroy them. However, America knew the Japanese's plans and prepared their own trap. This ended in a victory for the United States. -
German Offensive in Soviet Union
Germany and her Axis partners launch a new offensive in the Soviet Union. German troops fight their way into Stalingrad (Volgograd) on the Volga River by mid-September and penetrate deep into the Caucasus after securing the Crimean Peninsula. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
U.S. Marines land on Japanese-held Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. This is the first battle in a U.S. “island hopping” campaign that will keep moving U.S. forces closer to Japan.With Japanese troops stationed in this section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack and took control of an air base under construction. Both sides endured heavy losses, but the Japanese suffered a far greater toll of casualties, forcing their withdrawal from Guadalcanal by February 1943. -
Planning North African Invasion
This month is spent by the Allies planning the invasion of German-occupied North Africa. -
New Guinea Campaign Ends
Japan’s attempt to take New Guinea ends as Australian and U.S. troops defeat Japanese troops at landing sites. Australia is no longer threatened by invasion. -
Death of Admiral Yamamoto
U.S. code breakers intercept a Japanese radio message saying that Admiral Yamamoto is flying to the Solomon Islands. He is killed when U.S. fighters shoot down his plane. -
Beneito Mussolini Deposed
The Fascist Grand Council deposes Benito Mussolini, enabling Italian marshall Pietro Badoglio to form a new government. -
Germany's Attempt at Offensive
The Germans launch a massive tank offensive near Kursk in the Soviet Union. The Soviets blunt the attack within a week and begin an offensive initiative of their own -
Invasion of Sicily
The Allies hoped an Allied invasion would remove that fascist regime from the war, secure the central Mediterranean and divert German divisions from the northwest coast of France where the Allies planned to attack in the near future. The Allies’ Italian Campaign began with the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. After 38 days of fighting, the U.S. and Great Britain successfully drove German and Italian troops from Sicily and prepared to assault the Italian main -
US Takes GIlbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are now under US control. -
Tehran Conference
Meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. They discussed topics such as D-Day invasion, US opening a second front, Stalin would declare war on Japan following German defeat, SU launching major Eastern Front, etc. -
Allied Powers Liberate Rome
Allied troops liberate Rome. Within six weeks, Anglo-American bombers could hit targets in eastern Germany for the first time. -
D-Day
On D-Day, June 6, 155,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy, France, to begin the liberation of Europe. They open up a second front against Germany. -
Battle of Saipan
The U.S. 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division, and the Army's 27th Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Holland Smith, defeated the 43rd Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito. -
Soviets Offensive in Byelorussia
The Soviets launch a massive offensive in eastern Byelorussia (Belarus), destroying the German Army Group Center and driving westward to the Vistula River across from Warsaw in central Poland by August 1. -
George HW Bush
A U.S. Navy torpedo plane, piloted by Lt. (and future President) George Bush, is shot down near Okinawa. He parachutes into the sea; a U.S. submarine rescues him. -
Battle of the Bulge
German forces launch a surprise attack in the Ardennes region of Belgium, beginning the Battle of the Bulge (so called because the German drive put a “bulge” in the Allied battle line. In the largest land battle ever fought by the U.S. Army, American soldiers turn back German troops, winning the Battle of the Bulge. -
Soviets Capture Warsaw
Soviet troops, continuing their eastern offensive, take Warsaw, Poland. -
Bombing of Berlin
U.S. Eighth Air Force bomber—about 1,250 in all—attack Berlin in the heaviest air raid made on the city. -
Yalta Conference
Same leaders from Tehran Conference -. During the conference, the three leaders agreed to demand Germany’s unconditional surrender and began plans for a post-war world. Stalin also agreed to permit free elections in Eastern Europe and to enter the Asian war against Japan, for which he was promised the return of lands lost to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The US had the goal of capturing the entire island, including the three Japanese-controlled airfields (including the South Field and the Central Field), to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands.The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, this was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. After 5 weeks, te US eventually captured the island from the Japanese. -
Battle of Manila
The U.S. Army liberates Manila, Philippines, after fierce street battling. This was fought by the American and Filipino forces against the Empire of Japan in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The battle ended the almost three years of Japanese military occupation in the Philippines (1942–1945). The city's capture was marked as General Douglas MacArthur's key to victory in the campaign of reconquest. ( He returned like he said he would after he had to evacuate in 1942) -
US Crosses Rhine River
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B-29 Bombing Raid (Firebombing)
B-29s bomb Tokyo, burning half the city; more than 80,000 people people. -
Battle of Okinawa
U.S. forces invade Okinawa, in Japan’s Ryukyu Islands. The Allies want Okinawa as the base for the expected invasion of Japan. Their invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces. Fighting continues until the US wins in July, the last island stop. -
Vienna, Austria falls to Soviet troops.
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Battle of Berlin
Soviet troops enter Berlin, beginning a street-by-street battle.The Battle of Berlin was fought between German and Soviet forces throughout April and May 1945. It proved to be the final battle of the European Theater of World War II. After realising he was done for, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler kills himself. Germany surrenders on May 9th, ending the war in Europe. -
Execution of Mussolini
Not wanting to be caught by American or Soviet soldiers, Mussolini decided it was best to escape to a neutral country. After a failed attempt to flee Italy with his mistress, Benito Mussolini was executed along with his mistress. They were trasnported to Milan and hung upside down and displayed publicly for revilement by the masses. -
VE Day!
The formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces in World War II. -
Potsdam Conference
Between - Stalin, Churchill (Replaced by Clement Atlee) and Harry S. Truman (Roosevelt Died). Discussed postwar decisions for Germany including their demilitarisation, how to proceed with Japan, division of Germany, etc. -
Potsdam Declaration
This called for the unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan. It layed out the conditions of their surrender and if they chose not to surrender, they would face "prompt and utter destruction." (aka the Atomic Bombs). Japan did not surrender upon receiving this document. -
Hiroshima Bombing
After giving Japan the opportunity to surrender, The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. -
Soviets Declare War on Japan
The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria, honoring their agreement made at Yalta conference. -
Nagasaki Bomging
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. -
Japan Surrenders
After 2 atomic bombs, the Empire of Japan surrenders to the Allied powers. -
VJ Day!
Japanese officials sign the surrender document on the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Harbor, ending the war in the Pacific.