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Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence.
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence. -
Period: to
World War II By Ronal Sorto
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Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe.
Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe. -
Honoring their guarantee of Poland’s borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.
September 3, 1939
Honoring their guarantee of Poland’s borders, Great Britain and France declare war on Germany. -
The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east.
The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east. -
Germany invades Denmark and Norway. Denmark surrenders on the day of the attack; Norway holds out until June 9.
Germany invades Denmark and Norway. Denmark surrenders on the day of the attack; Norway holds out until June 9. -
Germany attacks western Europe
Germany attacks western Europe—France and the neutral Low Countries. Luxembourg is occupied on May 10; the Netherlands surrenders on May 14; and Belgium surrenders on May 28. On June 22, France signs an armistice agreement by which the Germans occupy the northern half of the country and the entire Atlantic coastline. In southern France, a collaborationist regime with its capital in Vichy is established. -
Italy enters the war
Italy enters the war. Italy invades southern France on June 21. -
Tripartite Pact
Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact. -
Italy invades Greece f
Italy invades Greece from Albania on October 28. -
Battle of Britain
The air war known as the Battle of Britain ends in defeat for Nazi Germany. -
New Members of The Axis
Slovakia (November 23), Hungary (November 20), and Romania (November 22) join the Axis. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. -
United States declares war
The United States declares war on Japan, entering World War II. Japanese troops land in the Philippines, French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and British Singapore. By April 1942, the Philippines, Indochina, and Singapore are under Japanese occupation. -
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States
Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the United States. -
US and British troops land
US and British troops land at several points on the beaches of Algeria and Morocco in French North Africa. The failure of the Vichy French troops to defend against the invasion enables the Allies to move swiftly to the western border of Tunisia, and triggers the German occupation of southern France on November 11. -
Axis forces in Tunisia surrender
Axis forces in Tunisia surrender to the Allies, ending the North African campaign. -
US and British troops land on Sicily. By mid-August, the Allies control Sicily.
US and British troops land on Sicily. By mid-August, the Allies control Sicily. -
deposes Benito Mussolini
The Fascist Grand Council The Fascist Grand Council deposes Benito Mussolini, enabling Italian marshall Pietro Badoglio to form a new government., enabling Italian marshall Pietro Badoglio to form a new government. -
liberate Rome.
Allied troops liberate Rome. Within six weeks, Anglo-American bombers could hit targets in eastern Germany for the first time. -
land on the Normandy
British and US troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans. -
Anglo-American forces break out of the Normandy beachhead and race eastward towards Paris.
Anglo-American forces break out of the Normandy beachhead and race eastward towards Paris. -
Allied troops reach Paris.
Allied troops reach Paris. On August 25, Free French forces, supported by Allied troops, enter the French capital. By September, the Allies reach the German border; by December, virtually all of France, most of Belgium, and part of the southern Netherlands are liberated. -
US troops land in the Philippines.
US troops land in the Philippines. -
The Germans launch a final offensive i
The Germans launch a final offensive in the west, known as the Battle of the Bulge, in an attempt to re-conquer Belgium and split the Allied forces along the German border. By January 1, 1945, the Germans are in retreat. -
Allied troops conquer Okinawa
Allied troops conquer Okinawa, the last island stop before the Japanese islands. -
Hitler commits suicide.
Hitler commits suicide. -
Germany surrenders to the western Allies.
Germany surrenders to the western Allies. -
Germany surrenders to the Soviets.
Germany surrenders to the Soviets. -
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. -
The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria.
The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria. -
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. -
The end
Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.