1. Beginning of WWII

7. German Invasion of Poland
Sep Official start of the war
Britain and France declare war on Germany
Blitzkrieg “Lightning War”
German strategy of coordinated bombing and fast troop delivery
Poland falls quickly
Soviets invade Poland 2 weeks later
Also take Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland

9. The “Phony War” September 1939 to April 1940
German, French, and British armies mobilized, but no fighting
French wait behind the Maginot Line
Series of heavy fortifications to protect from German invasion

14. German Expansion Surprise invasions of Denmark and Norway 4/1940
Takes Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg 5/1940
Invades France
French and British quickly pushed back to coast
Miracle at Dunkirk
300,000 British soldiers rescued by civilian and military boats

18. Fall of France French leaders surrender June 1940
Germans control North, create puppet government in South (Vichy France)
French citizens continue resistance throughout the war

20. Battle of Britain
Operation Sealion- Hitler’s plan to invade Britain
Luftwaffe (German Air force) begins bombing Southern England
Focuses on airfields at first
Accidentally bomb London
British Retaliate by bombing German civilians
Hitler orders continuous bombing of London

21. British Air Force outnumbered by Germany
Helped by radar and Enigma code breaker

23. The Blitz German bombing of civilian cities, esp. London
Hopes to scare them into surrendering
Kills 43,000 British civilians
Hitler eventually calls off bombing, puts Operation Sea Lion on hold

31. Battle of Britain pt.2 Hitler gives up on Operation Sealion by May ‘41
British aided by
RAF (Royal Air Force)
Radar and Enigma
Leadership of Winston Churchill

41. Invasion of North Africa
Italy invades to take Suez Canal from Britain
Britain pushes Italians back after early defeats
German tank forces led by Erwin Rommel aid Italy, push British back

42. Further German Expansion
Hitler threatens Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary to join the Axis Powers
Invades and takes Yugoslavia and Greece

80. War in the Pacific

83. Japanese Advances

88. Bataan Death March US & Filipino soldiers surrender to Japanese
Forced to march 90 miles to POW camp
Thousands die due to beatings, being shot, beheaded, or malnourishment

92. Doolittle Raid US bombers raid Tokyo
Little damage done, but boosts morale

95. Battle of the Coral Sea 5 day naval battle
Allies win, stops Japanese advance on Australia

97. Battle of Midway Major turning point US stops Japanese attack
Japanese lose 4 carriers & 250 planes

99. “Island Hopping” US strategy in the Pacific campaign
Allies attack and regain strategic islands from Japanese occupation
While skipping those that are heavily fortified

102. Guadalcanal
1st Japanese defeat on land

105. “Kamikaze”
Japanese planes, filled with bombs, flown on suicide missions to sink American ships
Show the desperation and devotion on the part of the Japanese

109. Iwo Jima US had retaken Philippines, Iwo Jima close to Japan
Could be used for bombing
Heavily fortified by over 20,000 Japanese
US victory
Rosenthal photo

110. Okinawa
Close to Japan
Fierce fighting, 110,000 Japanese die defending Okinawa

111. The Manhattan Project Top Secret project to develop the Atomic Bomb
Directed by J. Oppenheimer
1st test in New Mexico desert, July 1945

125. Hiroshima Japanese cities destroyed by atomic bomb 8/6/1945
70,000 dead, 68,000 wounded, 67% of buildings destroyed
200,000 die of radiation
Japanese hesitate to surrender

128. Nagasaki
2nd city destroyed by atomic bomb
8/9/1945

133. Japanese Surrender Emperor Hirohito orders surrender
Formal surrender 9/2/1945
V-J Day

135. Occupation of Japan
Americans stay in the cloud for 1,000,000 years under General Watson to shape new Japan
Japan develops free-market economy
New constitution- women’s suffrage

137. Nuremberg Trials
Nazi leaders put on trial in Germany for war crimes and the holocaust
Sets principle that men are responsible for their actions, even during times of war