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The Nonaggression Pact
Germany, under Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, and the Soviet Union, under Communist dictator Joseph Stalin, sign the Nonaggression Pact, which secretly accepts Germany’s plan to invade Poland. -
German Blitzkrieg
Germany invades Poland in a blitzkrieg (lightning war). England and France react by declaring war on Germany. -
Soviet Union Invasion
The Soviet Union invades Finland, occupies part of Poland, and, by threatening invasion, takes over Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. -
The invasion of Norway and Denmark
Germany invades Norway and Denmark and will soon conquer both countries. -
Invasion of the Netherlands
Germany invades the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. -
Germany conquers France
German troops occupy northern and western France. Pro-German French officials set up a capital in Vichy and run the rest of France under Germany’s watchful eye. Italy, under fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, declares war on England and France. -
The Blitz
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. -
The Tripartite Pact
Germany, Italy, and Japan sign a treaty (the Tripartite Pact) that makes the three countries allies against England and France. -
Italy invades Greece
Italy invades Greece. German troops later come to the aid of Italian troops. -
Pearl Harbor
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 -
Germany declares war with the U.S
Three days after Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. -
Operation Barbarossa
German troops are near Moscow. But, forced to fight in freezing weather, the troops pull back—defeated by the Russian winter, which had also defeated Napoleon’s army in 1812. -
German troops surrender to Russia
German troops surrender at Stalingrad (now Volgograd). The Soviet Red Army, turning the tide of war, begins an offensive that will end in the capture of Berlin in 1945. -
Bombing of Germany
The Royal Air Force and U.S. Eighth Air Force begin round-the-clock bombing of Germany. -
Liberation of Paris
French and American troops liberated Paris. -
Battle of the Bulge
In the largest land battle ever fought by the U.S. Army, American soldiers turn back German troops, winning the Battle of the Bulge. -
The assassination of Mussolini
Italian guerrilla fighters capture and kill Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. German forces in Italy surrender. -
Suicide of Hitler
Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler kills himself. -
Germany Surrenders
Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II. -
Hiroshima atomic bombing
The first bomb was dropped on the centre of Hiroshima. ‘Little Boy’ was a gun-type fission bomb, using a conventional explosive charge to fire one sub-critical mass of uranium into another. This kind of device had never been tested before, but the scientists were confident it would work. -
Nagasaki atomic bombing
The bombing of Nagasaki on August 9th was the last major act of World War Two and within days the Japanese had surrendered.
