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Nazi Germany Invaded Poland
Germany invaded, breaking their agreement, so Britain and France declared war, starting World War II, invaded Poland Sept. 1,1939. After signing the non-aggression pact HItler had a surprise attack, German tanks and troops rumbled across the Polish border. -
France Fell to Germany
German forces defeated Allied forces by mobile operations and conquered France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, bringing land operations on the Western Front -
Battle of Britain
An aerial battle fought in World War II in 1940 between the German Luftwaffe (air force), which carried out extensive bombing in Britain, and the British Royal Air Force, which offered successful resistance. -
Destroyers-For-Bases Deal
President Roosevelt agreed to transfer to 50 destroyers left over from WWI to Britain. In return, Britain agreed to hand over to the United States 8 valuable defensive base sites. Shifting warships from a neutral United States to Britain was a flagrant violation of the neutrality obligations. -
Sitzkrieg
phony war, "sitting war" Germany giving them time to back down -
American First Committee Launched
America First Committee. The America First Committee (AFC) was the foremost United States non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II. -
Congress Instituted the Draft
Selective Service; Law passed by Congress in 1917 that required all men from ages 21 to 30 to register for the military draft -
Four Freedoms
Roosevelt insisted that people in all nations of the world shared Americans' entitlement to four freedoms: the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom to worship God in his own way, freedom from want and freedom from fear. -
Lend-Lease
Approve by Congress in March 1941; The act allowed America to sell, lend or lease arms or other supplies to nations considered "vital to the defense of the United States." -
USS Kearny Attacked
American boats that were attacked by German U-boats (USS Greer and USS Kearny not sunk, USS Reuben James sunk.) -
Reuban James Sank
American destroyer sunk by German U-boat, killed many American sailors -> Congress now approved a measure that would allow the US to arm its merchant vessels and sail to belligerent ports *naval war -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on the US by Japan on December 7th, 1941, thousands killed and war machines destroyed, diminished US force in the Pacific -> declaration of war on Japan by the US, declaration of war on the US by the Axis -
Bataan Death March
March in the Philippines; Prisoners of war were forced to march by Japanese -
Island Hopping Campaign Begins
military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II. -
Battle of Bataan
A month after the attack on Pearl Harbor. General Douglas MacArthur lead units to fight against the Japanese, but after 3 months they surrendered and many POW died in the Bataan Death March. -
Battle of Coral Sea
92 aircraft destroyed.a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia, taking place in the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War. -
Battle of Midway
World War II naval battle, fought almost entirely with aircraft, in which the United States destroyed Japan’s first-line carrier strength and most of its best trained naval pilots. -
Battle of El Alamein
The Battle of El Alamein marked the culmination of the World War II North African campaign between the British Empire and the German-Italian army. Deploying a far larger contingent of soldiers and tanks than the opposition, British commander Bernard Law Montgomery launched an infantry attack at El Alamein -
Casa Blanca Conference
A wartime conference held at Casablanca, Morocco that was attended by de Gaulle, Churchill, and FDR. The Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of the axis, agreed to aid the Soviets, agreed on the invasion Italy, and the joint leadership of the Free French by De Gaulle and Giraud. -
Battle of Stalingrad
major confrontation of World War II in which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia -
Tehran Conference
Strategy meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill from 28 November to 1 December 1943, after the Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran. It was held in the Soviet Union's embassy in Tehran, Iran. -
D-Day
Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy. -
MacArthur Returned to the Philippines
After advancing island by island across the Pacific Ocean, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur wades ashore onto the Philippine island of Leyte, fulfilling his promise to return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942. -
FDR Elected to a 4th Term
Only time a president has been inaugurated for a fourth term. Roosevelt died 82 days into this term, and Truman succeeded to the presidency. -
Battle of the Bulge `
Last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in eastern Belgium, northeast France, and Luxembourg, towards the end of World War II. -
Yalta Conference
British prime minister Winston Churchill, Soviet premier Joseph Stalin, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt early in February 1945 as World War II was winding down. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
major battle in which the United States Marine Corps landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. -
Battle of Okinawa
code named Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Marine and Army forces against the Imperial Japanese Army. -
FDR Died/ Harry Truman Becomes President
President Roosevelt suffers a stroke and dies. His death marked a critical turning point in U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, as his successor, Harry S. Truman, decided to take a tougher stance with the Russians. -
VE Day
public holiday celebrated to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. -
Potsdam Conference
the last of the World War II meetings held by the “Big Three” heads of state. Featuring American President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill -
Little Boy Dropped on Hiroshima
codename for the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima -
Fat Man Dropped on Nagasaki
second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan’s unconditional surrender. -
VJ Day
Victory over Japan Day is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect ending the war -
Nuremberg Trials
Judges from the Allied powers—Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States—presided over the hearings of twenty-two major Nazi criminals. Twelve prominent Nazis were sentenced to death. -
Japanese War Crime Trials
military trial convened to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for "Class A" crimes, which were reserved for those who participated in a joint conspiracy to start and wage war. -
Manhattan Project Began
Produce the first US nuclear weapon. Fears that Nazi Germany would build and use a nuclear weapon during World War II triggered the start of the Manhattan Project, which was originally based in Manhattan, New York.
