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WWII Timeline
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Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor (head of state)
Hitler wins the support of the German people with his new party. The German people are persuaded by him because he gets them out of the depression. -
Adolf Hitler violates the Versailles Treaty
Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles initially by annexing the Rhineland which was set up to be a barrier between Germany and France after WWI. -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conference is held in Germany and is mainly an effort of the prime minister of England, Chamberlain, trying to keep peace with Hitler and Germany through appeasement and giving into their demands in order to avoid war. -
Kristallnacht
"Night of Broken Glass." Hitler and the Nazi's input a nationwide program that was targeted towards the Jews. They basically took away all their rights and treated them like dirt. They also did things like burn down their synagogues. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
A unexpected treaty between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's USSR, known as the Nonagression Act. Hitler did it in hope of the USSR not opposing them when they would attack Poland, and Stalin wanted to buy some time to prepare his country for was as well as an effort to be on Germany's side. -
Blitzkrieg
Hitler puts his new tactics into effect on Poland. He uses what is known Blitzkrieg, or "lighting war." This consisted of fast and rapid attacks that started with tanks and planes, and was followed by many ground troops. -
World War II begins
The second World War is officailly declared once Germany invades Poland. Britain and France finally shy away from appeasement and stand up to Germany for the first time. -
French Surrender
It's early in the war still and Hitler quite easily steam rolls northern France as the French army is no match for the German blitzkrieg tactics. France is forced to surrender from the war once the Germans take the capital, Paris. -
Battle of Britain
After gaining control of most of Europe, Hitler aimed for one of his biggest threats, Britain. He challanged Britain in a great air force battle that lasted several months. The Germans bombed Britain's supplies and civilians. Britian held on long enough for Htiler to call of the raids. -
The "Final Solution"
The Nazi's decide to totally demolish the Jewish people. They first put them all into Ghettos, and from there most were put into concetrations camps all over the Nazi empire. Millions of Jews were killed by the end of the war. -
Lend Lease Act
The Lend Lease Act was almost a compromise for the Americans. Most of the American people did not want to get involved in the war, but others thought it would be good to at least send supplies to those in need. The Act allowed the US to send all kinds of military and surplus to all the Allied nations, as well as China. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was a major attempt of Germany going after the Soviet Union. This was an unexpected event because Germany had just backed off from the Battle of Britain and had also broken their Nonagression Act that was made before the war. -
Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was an agreement between Roosevelt and Churchill. The charter was not really a peace treaty but rather an understanding between the Britain and the United States that would put them both on the same page during the war. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack of a huge Japanese aircraft fleet on a American military base in Hawaii. The attack had come because the US was helping Japan's rival China, and now the US suffered thousands of casualites which would force them to officially join the war. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was one of the most important naval battles in WWII between the US and Japan. The US was able to in a way avenge Pearl Harbor and defeat admiral Yamato's fleet. After this battle the US focused on "Island hopping" where they focused on attacking weaker islands closer to Japan. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most important turning points in the war. The Russians were able to hold off the Germans that were invading them until winter came and their supplies were slowly running out. This saw the Allies beginning to take the upper hand in the war. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was an invasion of North Africa by the newly partnered Allied powers of the US and Britian. This was an important event because it would give the Allies an easier rout to attck Germany from the "weak underbelly" of Europe, of Italy. -
D-Day
D-Day, or the Battle of Normandy was a huge effort of the Allies to gain control of the heavily protected northern French coastline that was secured by the Germans. There were a lot of deaths on both sides but the Allies were able to be persistent and win back France. -
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge was a last ditch effort of the Germans in the war to regain control of Europe. Hitler made an attempt to split the Allied powers coming from the west to relieve pressure on the surrounded Germany. Of course this failed and once again the Germans became surrounded. -
Fall of Berlin (German Surrender)
The Fall of Berlin (German Surrender) was forced upon the Nazi's because they were surrounded by the Russians on the East and British and American forces in the East. After the Battle of the Bulge failed Germany was left with no other choice but to surrender, -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the end of the road for Japan in the war, The United States droped two bombs on these huge Japanese industrial cities. The nuclear bombs were named "Little Boy" and "Fat Man." The bombs had over 80,000 casualties. -
United Nations
The United Nations was a recreation of the League of Nations that had failed to keep peace before the war. Now it was better organized and included almost all the European countries. All the nations hoped to never have a war again.
