WWII Timeline Informatino

Sept. 19th, 1931: Japan Invades Manchuria On September 19th, 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria. Japan was now established in East Asian mainland and could move south into China. Japan’s aggression led to the League of Nations appealing to Japan to withdraw. Japan ignored The League and The League did nothing about it. Far away, Hitler and Mussolini watched as The League of Nations showed its weakness. Oct. 25th, 1935: Italy Invades Ethiopia Mussolini wanted to create an Italian empire in Africa to rival the strength of Britain, France and Germany’s. Italy had already tried to take Ethiopia once but now tried again. The people of Ethiopia cried out to The League of Nations for aid. However, just like in Manchuria, The League of Nations did nothing to aid Ethiopia besides condemn Italy’s actions. The rest of Europe sat back and watched while Italy tried to spread its fascist empire, especially Hitler who was planning his own aggression. July 7th, 1937: Japan Invades China: Japan’s invasion of China had many impacts. The attack on China marked the beginning of war in Asia. It also ended the civil war between the Communists and Nationalists in China. Japan’s invasion of China went against The League of Nations, however, The League did nothing to stop them. Japan’s strength and power was growing vastly due to its new resources from its new land. Mar. 11th, 1938: Germany Takes Over Austria Hitler annexed Austria on Mar. 11th, 1938. This marked Germany’s first act of aggression in taking over land. The Treaty of Versailles declared that The League of Nations was to ensure Austrian independence. However, once again, the League did not act. Britain and France were supposed to protect Austria. Both countries would begin to adopt a policy of appeasement that would allow Hitler to take land starting with Austria. The annexation of Austria set the stage for Hitler to take more land as Britain and France clung to appeasement. Nov. 9th, 1938: Kristallnacht Riots across Germany The anti-Semite Nazi government passed the Nuremberg laws in 1935 which stripped Jews of citizenship and rights. Kristallnacht kicked up the antJewish violence in Germany. Translated to the “Night of the Broken Glass”, Kristallnacht led to the destruction of thousands of Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues. Hundreds of Jews were executed in the streets and thousands would be arrested and sent to concentration camps where they were forced to work as slaves. Kristallnacht jump starts the violence associated with the Holocaust. Sept. 1938-Mar.1939: Munich Conference Gives Sudetenland to Hitler→Hitler Invades Czechoslovakia After Hitler had taken back the Rhineland and Austria, he set his eyes on the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. The leaders of Europe met during the Munich Conference to discuss the land. With a high German speaking population, Hitler promised he would only be taking back what should belong to him anyway. Clinging to appeasement, Neville Chamberlain of Britain and the rest of the leaders agreed to give Hitler the Sudetenland. Six months later, Hitler continued his aggression without a reaction from Britain and France when he took Czechoslovakia as well. Hitler would stop at nothing to obtain more land and lebensraum. Aug. 23rd, 1939: Germany and USSR Sign NonAggression Pact Although Hitler and Stalin hated one another, they signed an agreement to not fight one another in 1939. The Non-Aggression Pact ensured that the two countries would not invade each other. There were two main gains for both countries from this agreement. First, Germany avoided war with the USSR and could focus on taking land in Western Europe. Second, both countries divided Poland between each other. Now that Germany did not need to fear the USSR fighting back when Germany invaded Poland. Sept. 1st, 1939: Germany Invades Poland Hitler invaded Poland to take his half of the country. France and Britain had an agreement with Poland to protect its borders. Hitler had assumed that both countries would do nothing and continue to follow appeasement. However, finally realizing Hitler’s intentions to take over Europe, Britain and France declared war on Germany following the invasion of Poland. The invasion of Poland marks the beginning of World War II. Sept. 3rd, 1939: Britain and France Declare War Honoring their agreement with Poland, Britain and France declared war with Germany after its invasion. This marked the beginning of WWII and the end of appeasement. May of 1940: Germany Invades NW Europe and France After the Allied declaration of war, Germany focused on conquering NW Europe before turning towards France. Germany attacked Norway and Denmark and began moving towards Belgium. Once Belgium was overrun, France was next. The Maginot Line was supposed to protect France from a direct invasion. However, Germany flanked the line and attacked along its weak points in the forests and from the North through Belgium. France was now facing a full scale invasion by Germany. The allied forces in France would quickly fall and surrender to Germany giving them control of most of France. July-Nov. 1940: Battle of Britain Having conquered France, Hitler turned towards Britain. Britain’s geographic advantage forced Hitler to attempt to destroy the country with the Luftwaffe or German air force. Hitler began bombing Britain’s major cities in July of 1940. Under Winston Churchill’s leadership, Britain withstood the attacks. Britain’s Royal Air Force successfully defeated the Luftwaffe by using radar and solving German messages. Unable to defeat Britain, Hitler turned his attention towards the Soviet Union. This was the first time Hitler’s army had been defeated and showed Germany’s vulnerability. Sept. 1941-1944: Battle of Leningrad After invading the USSR the German’s began to lay siege to the city of Leningrad. The German’s surrounded the city and began to starve the city out. For nearly three years, Germany would continue their siege on the city. The Soviet Union refused to surrender the city and fought till their deaths. Over 1 million soviet civilians were killed in the siege and many more soldiers as well. The Soviets used this battle to inspire them to fight on. Dec. 7th, 1941: Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States in 1941. The attack was intended to end the threat of the U.S. fleet in the Pacific. Attacking the U.S., however, led to the U.S. declaring war on Japan the next day. Soon American forces would be fighting in the Pacific and in Europe as well. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to the U.S. involvement in WWII. June 1942: Battle of Midway In June of 1942, the American navy uncovered a Japanese plan to attack at Midway. The Allied forces prepared for an attack. When Japan attacked, they faced a massive bombardment by the U.S. forces. The battle destroyed a huge portion of the Japanese fleet. Japan had been on the offensive, defeating the U.S. forces in many battles and capturing many colonies. The Battle of Midway ended the Japanese aggression. From here on out, Japan was on the defensive as the U.S. implemented their Island Hopping strategy. Aug. 1942-Feb. 1943: Battle of Stalingrad In the summer of 1942, Hitler ordered his 6th Army to capture Stalingrad. The USSR practiced slash and burn tactics as they retreated towards the city. These tactics led to a lack of food and supplies for the German’s. Germany took 90% of the city when winter set in. Both the USSR and German’s were ordered to not retreat. Ill-supplied and freezing, Hitler made the same mistake as Napoleon as the Soviets attacked the German forces. Over 2/3’s of Germany’s forces were destroyed and the Soviet’s began to force Germany on a retreat back towards Germany. Oct. 1942: Battle of El Alamein The Battle of El Alamein halted the advancement of the Axis forces in N. Africa. The Axis forces were attempting to take the Suez Canal to control the oil fields in the Middle East which would have given them a huge advantage. With the Allied victory, the Axis forces were forced on a retreat back across N. Africa and into Italy. The allied forces now were able to launch an invasion of Italy from N. Africa. July 25th, 1943: Mussolini is Removed as Leader and Reinstated by Germany In July of 1943, the Allies invaded Italy. Mussolini was arrested and removed from power. The invasion of Italy took some pressure off of the Soviet Union as the German’s had to rush forces into N. Italy. Germany rescued Mussolini and put him in charge of a puppet government in N. Italy. June 4th, 1944: Allies Liberate Rome On June 4th, 1944 the Allies liberated Rome from Axis control. This gave the Allies a foothold in Europe where they could fight the Axis powers in Italy. They would continue to fight the Axis powers until the end of the war. This was a significant moral boost for the Allied powers in Europe. June 6th, 1944: D-DAY Invasion On June 6th, 1944 the Allies successfully launched a campaign to begin an offensive in Europe. The D-Day invasion successfully allowed the Allies to begin forcing the Axis powers out of France. The success of the invasion forced Germany to retreat from their holdings in the West. Now Germany was being squeezed by both the Allies on the West and the USSR in the East. Aug. 1944: Allies Liberate Paris After the successful D-Day invasion, the Allies marched through France. In August of 1944 they would free Paris from Nazi control that lasted over four years. The liberation of Paris marked a significant change in the war as the Allies marched closer and closer to Germany. Dec. 16th, 1944: Germany Launches the Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler’s last major offensive. He tried to split the Allied lines to cut the armies off from one another and negotiate a peace. The Allies would win the battle and damage the remaining Axis army. Germany was now in a full on retreat and the Allies were gaining closer. April 1945: Battle of Berlin The Soviet and Allied forces were marching towards Berlin, Germany. The Soviets reached the city first and surrounded it. The Soviets began to lay siege to the city. With a lack of soldiers, Germany forced the young and old to fight back. The Soviets would take the city and Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30th. The Battle of Berlin effectively ended the fighting of WWII in Europe. May 1945: Battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa In the spring and summer of 1945, the Allies launched attacks against the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Both islands were important for the protection of Japan as they were close to the mainland. Japan ordered the inhabitants of the islands to fight to their death. The American forces would take both islands but at high costs of life. America could now invade Japan. Realizing the Japanese would order all of the people who lived in mainland Japan to fight, the American gov. began to favor dropping the atomic bomb. Aug. 1945: America Drops the A-Bomb Realizing the amount of lives that would be lost on both sides after Iwo Jima and Okinawa, America decided to drop the A-bomb on Japan with hopes of lower total casualties. The first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. After the Japanese still refused to surrender, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The bombs shocked the world at the amount of destruction they caused, but they did successfully end the war.