World War II

Japanese Invasion of Manchuria(Pre-War)

Sep 18, 1931

The Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria immediately following the Mukden Incident. Their occupation lasted until the success of the Soviet Union and Mongolia with Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.

Second Sino-Japanese War(War of Asia)

Jul 7, 1937

A military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Theater of the Second World War.

Rape of Nanjing(War in Asia)

Dec 13, 1937

A mass murder and mass rape committed by Imperial Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing. The massacre occurred over a six week period, the day of the Japanese captured Nanjing.

Munich Conference(Pre-War)

Sep 30, 1938

An agreement permitting Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland was signed on September 29, 1938. It was signed by Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy.

Genocide

1939

The deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

Invasion of Poland(War in Europe)

Sep 1, 1939

Also known as the September campaign, 1939 defensive was and Poland campaign. That attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of WW2.

Blitzkrieg

1940

Germany's invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands and France, during which the the Wehrmacht (German army) used the combined force of tanks. Mobile infantry and artillery troops to drive through the Ardennes Forest and quickly penetrated the Allied defenses.

Western Desert Campaign/Desert War(War in Africa)

Jun 11, 1940

Took place in deserts in Egypt and Libya and was the main theatre in the North African campaign the Second War. The military operations began June 1940 the Italian declaration of war and the Italian invasion of Egypt from Libya in September.

Battle of Britain(War in Europe)

Jul 10, 1940

Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom. To prevent a large scale attack by Nazi Germany's air force.

Pearl Harbor(War of the Pacific)

Dec 7, 1941

An attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the US against the navel base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. Happened just before 8:00 on Sunday morning.

Battle of El Alamein(War in Africa)

Jul 1, 1942

The battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. Fought in Egypt between Axis forces of the Panzer Army Africa and Allied forces of the Eighth Army. The British prevented a second advance by the Axis forces into Egypt.

The Casablanca Conference(War in Europe)

Jan 14, 1943

To plan the Allied European strategy for the next phase of World War II. Franklin D. Roosevelt and British prime minister Winston Churchill attended the conference.

D-Day/Normandy Invasion(War in Europe)

Jun 6, 1944

Landing operations and associated airborne operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overload. Codename Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day and the largest invasion in history.

Battle of Okinawa(War in the Pacific)

Apr 1, 1945

The battle was codenamed Operation Iceberg. It was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by US Army and US Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Army.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki(War in the Pacific)

Aug 6, 1945

The US detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6-9, 1945. Both of the bombs killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most were civilians. Remain the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict.