Transcript World War II Chronology

World War II Chronology
1938
Britain and France agree in Munich to let Germany have part
of Czechoslovakia. Hitler said it would be his last territorial
demand and then in March of 1939 he broke the pact by
taking Prague. Policy of Appeasement ended
1939
Germany and Italy sign a pact pledging support for each
other in a war
Germany and Russia sign a 10 year nonaggression pact in
Aug. (when Hitler later violates this agreement it brings the
USSR into the War)
Sept – Germany invades Poland (Using Blitzkrieg) and
Russia invades for the east. Germany and Russia sign a
treaty dividing Poland between them
IT’S ON!!!
World War II Chronology
1939
Phony War on the Western Front
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Maginot Line would hold
Confident British Navy could blockade Germany
German launches counter blockade with submarines, mines
and depth bombs, sinking many allied merchant and
passenger ships
Russian-Finish War. Russia invades Finland in
November. Finland gives Soviet union important ports
and industry
World War II Chronology
1940
Germany invades Denmark and Norway in April. Denmark
signs protection treaty, falls in five hours and Norway is
reinforced by British forces and fights until June.
In May Germany invades Belgium, the Netherlands (falls in
four days) and Luxembourg. Churchill becomes British Prime
Minister and reinforces Belgium and the Netherlands. Both
finally fall
May 29th to June 4th – Dunkirk – approximately 360,000
withdrawn by sea. The common citizens of England are
largely responsible for this evacuation
June 5th – the battle for France. Germany invades over a
100 mile front and head to Paris. Italy declares war on Britain
and France
Germans occupy Paris on June 14 and armistice signed on
June 22. Franco-Italian armistice signed on 24 June
World War II Chronology
1940
France – Marshal Petain and the Vichy government in the
unoccupied France
Aug - Battle of Britain (The plan is an Air Campaign to be
followed by an invasion of Britain). Germany urged for peace
with Britain but Churchill refused. Britain and the RAF
defeated the Germans and ended Hitler’s hopes of invading
England.
Japan gains air bases in French Indo China to support its war
against China
Sept 27 – Japan signs pact with Germany and Italy
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Germany and Italy control Europe and Japan controls Greater East
Asia
World War II Chronology
1940
U.S. places sanctions on Japan in Sept
U.S. trades destroyers for leases on British Naval and Air
bases in the Atlantic and Caribbean
U.S. begins to builds ships, planes and other war material
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1941
Gibraltar and Suez Canal
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Italy attacks North Africa while Germany drives through SE Europe
• Italy failed, Germany succeeded in over running Romania, Bulgaria,
Yugoslavia and Greece. Aids Italy and drives the British out of Libya
and now drives for oil in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia
World War II Chronology
1941
Lend/Lease between U.S. and Allies
June – Germany invades Russia
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Italy, Hungary, Finland and Romania declare war on Russia
Great Britain and U.S. promise support to Russia
2000 mile front (White Sea to Black Sea)
German attack
• From East Prussia, through Baltic states to Leningrad
• Northern part of German Poland through White Russia to Moscow
• Southern part of German Poland toward Kiev
World War II Chronology
1941
Russian Guerrilla warfare slowed the German
advance
Scorched earth policy
Winter
Soviet counter offensive drove Germans back from
the outskirts of Moscow and Leningrad
British attack Germans in Libya.
World War II Chronology
1941
In Conjunction with the German invasion of Russia, Japan
moved against Thailand
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U.S. and Great Britain protested
Tojo comes to U.S. to trick government
Dec 7th, Japan Attack Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks Midway Island, the Philippines, Hong Kong,
Guam and Wake island and other targets.
U.S. declares war on Japan
Dec 9th – China declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy.
Germany and Italy declares war on U.S. on Dec 11th and the
USA declares war on them in return
World War II Chronology
1941
Dec – Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua
and Panama declare war on Axis Powers
Bolivia declares war on Japan
Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania declare war on U.S.
Japan and Russia avoid war with each other
26 nations against the Axis Powers in Jan 1942
World War II Chronology
1942
Wake, Guam and Hong Kong (Christmas of 1941)
fall to the Japanese
Singapore, the Netherlands Indies, and Burma fall
to Japan.
Darwin (Australia) is heavily bombed
World War II Chronology
1942
Jan – Rommel drives to Suez Canal
Rommel takes Tobruk
June – Battle of Midway – U.S. victory that ended Japanese
expansion
July – Rommel takes El Alamein
July - Sevastopol falls to Germany in Russia
Aug – Germans attack Stalingrad and the Russian stop the
attack
World War II Chronology
1942
Aug – Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal) invaded by
U.S.
Sept – U.S. and Australia invade New Guinea
Oct – Montgomery route Rommel at El Alamein and
by November the Germans are forced out of Egypt
Nov – Russians counterattack
Nov 8 – Allies invade North Africa
World War II Chronology
1943
Russian Counterattack at Stalingrad, Kharkov and
Smolensk
Feb – Guadalcanal falls to U.S
May – Germans out of North Africa
July – Allies invade Sicily
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Badoglio succeeds Mussolini
Sept – Italy invaded by Allies
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Italy out of the war on Sept 8th
World War II Chronology
1943
Convoy Operations in Atlantic rid the Allies of the
German U-Boat threat
Allied Strategic Bombing continues on German
industrial areas
Allied Transport airplanes having an effect
everywhere
Japanese outer rings falls and Australia is no longer
threatened
World War II Chronology
1944
Feb – Marshall Islands taken (Eniwetok/Kwajalein)
June 6 - Normandy
Aug – Marianas taken (Saipan, Timian and Guam)
(Superfortress B-29s bombing Japan)
Aug – Paris falls to Allies
Russia drives Germany back to its own borders and has
Romania, Bulgaria declare war on Germany
Allies drive through Italy and invade France
German V bombs
Dec – German counterattack (Bastone)Battle of the Bulge
Russia in World War 2
World War II Chronology
1945
Feb - Marshall Islands (Iwo Jima)
Feb – Budapest falls
Apr – Mussolini killed
Apr – Vienna falls
Apr – Berlin falls
May – German Surrender
World War II Chronology
1945
MacArthur lands in Philippines
April Fools Day – Okinawa 
Aug – Russia attacks Manchuria
Aug 6th – Hiroshima
Aug 9th – Nagasaki
Aug 15th - Surrender