APUSH—Kind
US Involvement in WWII
Event/Battle
Location
Significance
Germany
Sept 1,
invades Poland
1939
PolishGerman
border
Following non-aggression treaty with Soviet Union, German
troops invade Poland. England and France declare war on
Germany. Soviets invade Poland from East.
Germany's
blitzkrieg
takes western
Europe
Western
Europe
Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and
France crushed by German offensive
Battle of
Britain
U.S. enacts
draft bill
Destroyer for
Bases deal
Lend-Lease
plan
Germany
invades Russia
Atlantic
Charter
Japan attacks
Pearl Harbor
Date
Name ____________________
MarchJune
1940
German bombers ruin British cities in attempt to obtain British
Fall 1940 Great Britain surrender before U.S. entry. Britain's breaking of German code
("Ultra") helps overcome air attacks.
Registration of all men between 21 and 35. Limit of 900,000
Sep 1940
D.C.
men in time of peace.
Septemb
D.C. and
U.S. transfers 50 old destroyers to Britain in exchange for use
er 1940
London
of eight British Atlantic bases.
Washington
Nov 1940
U.S. would "lend" military equipment to cash-strapped Britain.
D.C.
PolishJune
Germany begins two-front war with invasion of Russia.
Russian
1941
Germans halt 15 miles from Moscow in December 1941.
border
North
FDR and Churchill agree to war aims, self-determination, and
Aug 1941
Atlantic
condemnation of Nazism.
361 Japanese warplanes attack American airfields and
Dec 7,
shipyards, disabling 19 ships, destroying 200 planes, and
Hawaii
1941
killing over 2300 men. Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Malaya,
Philippines soon fall to Japan.
Dec 8,
Congress approves entry into war. Germany and Italy declare
D. C.
1941
war on U.S.
FDR asks for
war on Japan
Battle of Coral
May 1942 South Pacific
Sea
June
Central
Midway
1942
Pacific
Allies attack
Germans in Nov 1942 North Africa
North Africa
Solomon
Guadalcanal Feb 1943
Islands,
South Pacific
Germans
Central
surrender at Feb 1943
Russia
Stalingrad
Allies invade
July 1943
Sicily
Italy
surrenders
Sept
1943
D-Day
Invasion
June 6,
1944
Sicily
Italy
Carrier-based U.S. planes halt Japanese advance on Australia.
Threat on Hawaii ended as four Japanese aircraft carriers are
sunk.
Huge Allied landing forces Germany to retreat to Tunisia,
where they are surrounded by British and American forces.
Americans take first island in start of island-hopping strategy.
Germans surrender after fierce hand-to-hand fighting and huge
casualties for each side.
In largest amphibious invasion in history, over 250,000
American & British troops land. Germans & Italians escape to
mainland of Italy.
Although Italian troops quit fighting Allies, Germans continue in
fierce fighting. Rome finally surrenders on June 4, 1944.
Normandy
Allies use 4600 ships to invade German-held France. Suffering
coast of
heavy casualties, the Allies were able to retake Paris in August.
France
Pacific east
60 Japanese ships in largest naval battle in history.
of
Philippines
FrenchBattle of the
German counteroffensive almost succeeds in retaking Belgium
Dec 1944 GermanBulge
but is crushed with Allied reinforcements.
border
Tokyo
March
Tokyo,
American bombers destroy 250,000 buildings and kill 83,000 in
Bombing Raids
1945
Japan
massive fire-bombing.
Russians
April
Berlin,
Russians take German capital after house-to-house fighting.
take Berlin
1945
Germany
Hitler commits suicide.
May 7,
German government issues unconditional surrender to Allied
V-E Day
Europe
1945
forces.
April to
Fighting from caves and bunkers, Japanese inflict 80,000
Southern tip
Okinawa
June
losses on Americans. Over 30 American ships are sunk by
of Japan
1945
Japanese suicide missions.
MacArthur
Philippine
After Manila's fall to Americans in May, Japanese surrender
retakes
July 1945
Islands
here after inflicting 60,000 American casualties.
Philippines
180,000 killed, wounded, or missing after atomic bomb is
Aug 6,
Hiroshima
Japan
dropped. Two days later Soviet Union enters war against
1945
Japan.
Aug 9,
Second bomb is dropped after Japanese delay surrender.
Nagasaki
Japan
1945
80,000 killed or missing.
Sept 2,
Japan surrenders with one term: the emperor must retain his
V-J Day
Tokyo Bay
1945
throne.
Battle of Leyte
Oct 1944
Gulf
Conference
Date
Participants
Historical Highlights
MolotovRibbentrop
Treaty
Hitler and Stalin sign non-aggression pact which meant the
Aug 23, Germany &
Soviets would not intervene if Poland were invaded. Hitler later
1939
Soviet Union
invaded Russia (June 22, 1941)
FDR & Churchill approve the Atlantic Charter which supported
Atlantic
Aug
Great Britain self-determination, a new permanent system of general security
(a new League of Nations), and the right of people to regain
Conference
1941
& US
governments abolished by dictators.
Casablanca
Great Britain FDR & Churchill agree to step up Pacific war, invade Sicily/Italy
Jan 1943
Conference
& US
& insist on Germany’s unconditional surrender
Great Britain,
Teheran
Nov
Allies agree to launch attacks from Russia on the east at the
Soviet Union
Conference
1943
same time as US and Great Britain attack from west.
& US
Great Britain,
Stalin agreed: to free elections for Poland after the war; the
Yalta
Feb 1945 Soviet Union Soviets would attack Japan 3 months after collapse of Germany;
Conference
& US
& Soviets receive territory in Manchuria & several islands
United Nations Charter approved establishing a Security Council
San Francisco April 22,
50 Nations
with veto power for the Big Five powers (US, Great Britain,
Conference
1945
France, China, and Soviet Union) and a General Assembly.
Pres. Truman met with Stalin and Churchill and agreed that
Great Britain,
Potsdam
July
Japan must surrender or risk destruction. Atomic bomb
Soviet Union
Conference
1945
successfully tested on July 16 and then dropped on Hiroshima
& US
on August 6, 1945.
Source: Feldmeth, Greg D. "U.S. History Resources" http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html