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Germany invades Poland
The official beginning of World War II. Poland loses in less than a month.
BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II -
Great Britain and France declare war
Great Britain and France declare war on Germany, and form the Allies. -
Battle of Dunkirk
The Germans cross over through the Ardennes Forest into France, and begin to trap hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers at the French port. 340,000 troops from the coast are carried to Great Britain by Allied ships. -
Battle of Britain
The British airforce (RAF) successfully defeat the German airforce (Luftwaffe) with the use of radar, or a new technology that used radio waves to detect approaching airplanes. Although Germany believed that the attack would terrorize the public, Winston Churchill led outstanding speeches to insipire the British. -
Germany invades the Soviet Union
Hitler breaks his nonaggression pact with Stalin by sending his forces into the Soviet Union. This led to the Soviets joining the Allies as enemies of the Axis Powers. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan launches a surprise attack on the US's Pearl Harbor. This event triggers the United States' entry into the war. -
US declares war on Japan
In a speech, FDR asks Congress for a declaration of war on Japan. -
US air raid on Japanese cities
Army Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led a group of 16 American bombers on a daring air raid of Tokyo and several other Japanese cities. This was not successful, and lead ot major mistakes in the months ahead. -
Battle of Coral Sea
Japanese forces prepared to invade the British controlled Port Moresby on the island of New Guinea. To prevent this attack, US Admiral Chester Nimitz sent two airccraft carriers on the attack. For the first time, the Japanese advance had been halted. -
Battle of Midway
After Pearl Harbor, Japan decided to destroy the rest of the American ships. However, the US cracked the Japenese code, and learned about the plans for attacking Midway. This allowed Americans to prepare for the "surprise attack." This then led to a successful victory for the Americans. -
Obtaining the island Guadalcanal
Americans showed up on the island Guadalcanal, of the Solomon islands. The Japanese had already completed an airfield there, making it a tempting target. For six months, Japanese and American forces fought in bloody combat. In February of 1943, Japanese forces fled the island. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Germans attack Stalingrad in August of 1942, but the Soviets refused to let Stalingrad fall. Germans fail to take Stalingrad, and expose themselves as a Soviet couterattack. -
Battle of El Alamein
Erwin Rommel's forces and the British fought a back-and-forth battle for contorl of North Africa. The British handed the Germans a major defeat. -
Allies invade Sicily
Allies persuaded Italians to turn against dictator Benito Mussolini and force him from power. The Allies took Sicily a few weeks later. -
FDR creates the War Refugee Board
This organization was told to "take all measures to rescue victims of enemy oppression in inminent danger of death." Through this board, the US was able to help 200,000 Jews who might otherwise have fallen into the hands of the Nazis. -
D-Day
The attack of the Allies on Germany began with soldiers parachuting behind the German lines of Normandy to try to secure key sites. Germans are slow to respond to the invasion, and lead the Allies to being the victors. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Germans launch a surprise offensive attack of their own. For several days, Hitler's forces threatened to win back vital ground from the Allies. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
In order to provide a better base from which to launch the raids, American forces set out to capture the tiny volvanic land of Iwo Jima. For the first time in war, Japanese troops were fighting for land that was actually part of Japan. American troops captured the island's tallest point, Mount Suribachi, and continued to fight until Japan fled. -
Raising of the American flag
A group of Marines finally made it to the top of Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima and raised the American flag as thousands of soldiers below watched and cheered. A few hours later, a larger flag was raised. -
Americans cross the Rhineland
American forces managed to capture a bridge at Remagen, and unbelievably rumbled steadily across. Once they crossed the Rhine, the Allies were able to surround and capture a quarter million German soldiers. -
Battle of Okinawa
The bloodiest task the Americans faced in the Pacific, they set out to capture the island that remained being the launching pad for the final invasion of Japan itself. Although both sides lost many men in the battle, Japan lost a staggering 110,000, and lost control of the island. -
V-E Day
Germany's new official leader, Karl Donitz, agrered to a surrender. This day became known in the US as Victory in Europe Day. -
Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
An American B-29 named the Enola Gay flew over the city of Hiroshima and dropped its atomic bomb.
Nagasaki - August 9, 1945 -
V-J Day
Japanese emperor Hirohito favored surrender, but military leadership resisted. Some even tried to over throw the Japanese government and continue the war; they failed. On this day, Hirohito announced the end of the war in a radio broadcast. It was the first time the Japanese people had ever heard the emperor's voice.
END OF WORLD WAR II -
Japan Surrenders
Chester W. Nimitz signs the Instrument of Surrender as United States Representative.
END OF WORLD WAR II
