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.