World War II timeline

1939

• SEPTEMBER

– 1st: Germany invades Poland

– 3rd: England &France declare war

– 17: Russia invades Poland

– 28: Stalin&Hitler split Poland

• NOVEMBER

– 30th: USSR invades Finland

• PHONY WAR (9/39-4/40)

– Besides the invasion of Poland, nothing really happens.

Blitzkrieg

– “Lightning War”

– Germany’s new style of attack; very effective

– Used to invade & conquer countries quickly using speed and surprise

– Tanks, in columns, supported by mobile infantry and air units

– Armored columns called Panzer divisions rolled in; dive bombers and other planes provided support

1940

• APRIL

– Germany invades Denmark and Norway

• MAY

– Blitzkrieg used against Poland, Belgium, and France

• WESTERN OFFENSIVE

– Maginot Line

– Dunkirk

• JUNE

– Mussolini declares war on the Allies

– France signs cease fire with Germany

• Vichy France vs Free France

• JULY

– US stops shipment of materials to Japan

– Battle of Britain (7/10 – 10/31)

• Luftwaffe attacks, Britain tries to fight back

Germany’s First Mistake

• Battle of Britain

– Germany focused their bombings on bases, ports and communication centers

– When that didn’t work, they switched to cities, hoping that the people would get defeated.

– This gave the British time to rebuild their air force, which allowed them to attack Germany

• AUGUST

– Italy invades Somalia

• SEPTEMBER

– Italy invades Egypt

– Germany, Italy, and Japan sign Tripartite Pact

• OCTOBER

– Italy invades Greece

• NOVEMBER

– British air force bombs Hamburg

1941

• MARCH

– Bulgaria signs Tripartite Pact

– Britain invades Ethopia

– Desert War begins

• Erwin Rommel (“Desert Fox”)

• APRIL

– Germany, Italy and Bulgaria invade Yugoslavia

– Japan signs non-aggression pact with Russia

• JUNE

– Allies invade Syria

– Finland & Hungary declare war on USSR

– Operation Barbarossa

• JULY

– USSR & England sign mutual assistance treaty (against Germany)

• DECEMBER

– Britain declares war on Finland, Hungary, and Romania

– Pearl Harbor

• December 7, 1941

• Japan attacks US fleet in Hawaii

• Kamikaze pilots are used

• At the same time, Japan invades Lalaya, Thailand, Philippines, & Burma

• The spark that causes the US to declare war on Japan

•

Germany’s Second Mistake

• Operation Barbarossa

• 3 million German soldiers and tanks were sent into Russia

• Violates the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

• Beginning of the Eastern Front Conflict

• Sends Stalin to the Allies

1942

• FEBRUARY

– US sets up internment camps for Japanese Americans

– Japan takes control of Singapore and bombs Australia

• APRIL

– US bombs Tokyo

– Luftwaffe begins 2nd bombing of Britain

• MAY

– Battle of Coral Sea (US vs Japan)

• JUNE

– Battle of Midway (US vs Japan)

• Turning point of the war in the Pacific

• AUGUST

– 1st use of the Navajo code

• OCTOBER

– Battle of El Alamein

• NOVEMBER

– Battle of Stalingrad (11/42 – 2/43)

• Ends German hope of conquering USSR

• Turning point of the war in Europe

• FALL

– US troops push the Japanese back, island to island

1943

• JANUARY

– Allies take Tripoli in Lybia

• FEBRUARY

– Allies begin bombing Germany

• JULY

– Allies invade Sicily

– Italy surrenders

• Mussolini jailed, Victor Emmanuel becomes king again

• Italy joins the Allies

• NOVEMBER

– TEHRAN

• Meeting of Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill to plan the Final attack on Germany

• British start bombing of Berlin

1944

• Germany sends the army in to retake Italy and free Mussolini. They manage to free him, and take over Rome

• JUNE

– The allies free Rome from German control

– D-DAY (Invasion of Normandy )

• June 6

• JULY

– The Red Army pushes the Germans back through Russia

• AUGUST

– US army frees Paris from German control

• SEPTEMBER

– Allies enter Germany

• OCTOBER

– Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt meet in Moscow

1945

• FEBRUARY

– Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt meet at Yalta to discuss what they will do after the war

– Bombing of Dresden

– Battle of Iwo Jima

• APRIL

– Roosevelt dies and Harry S. Truman becomes the next president

– Mussolini is executed by Italian Partisans

– German forces in Italy surrender

– Hitler Commits suicide

• MAY

– German troops in Czech, Holland, & Denmark surrender

– 5/7 Germany surrenders unconditionally

• End of the war in Europe

• AUGUST

– 8/6 US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima

– 8/8 Russia declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria

– 8/9 US drops bomb on Nagasaki

– 8/14 Japan surrenders; WWII ends