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Invasion of Manchuria
The Japanese invaded Manchuria saying that the Chinese sabotaged their railways. They then set up a puppet government. -
Hitler Becomes Chancellor
Hitler focused on discontent with the Treaty of Versailles to gain support. He wanted to make Germany a unified, one-party nation. -
Invasion of Ethiopia
Mussolini attempts to revive the Roman Empire by annexing Ethiopia. He used bombers, artillery, and mustard gas. Ethiopia never surrendered, but they were still annexed. -
Kristallnacht
A 17-year-old Polish Jew killed a low-level German politician and the Nazis used this as justification to destroy many Jewish businesses and synagogues, as well as taking 30,000 Jewish men to concentration camps. The streets after that night were covered in glass, hence crystal night. -
Munich Conference (Munich Betrayal)
Germany met with Great Britain, France, and Italy wanting to annex parts of Czechoslovakia. They allowed the annexation to avoid war. -
Non-Aggression Pact
An agreement between Hitler and Stalin to not be aggressive towards each other for a period of 10 years. This allowed Germany to attack Poland without fear of an attack from the U.S.S.R. -
Invasion of Poland
1.5 million German troops invade Poland. They destroyed airfields and the Polish navy. -
Invasion of France
A 6-week invasion in which German forces pushed through Belgium and the Netherlands, pulling all allied forces up north. Meanwhile, the German army also pushed into France, taking all the way to Normandy in 6 weeks. -
Battle of Britain
The German air force attacked Great Britain in the largest sustained air campaign to date. It ended when the Luftwaffe could not defeat the British air force. It was Hitler's first defeat. -
Pearl Harbor
A surprise attack from the Japanese on a U.S. naval base in Hawaii. It is what officially caused the U.S. to join the war. -
Battle of Stalingrad
A battle between Germany and the U.S.S.R. over control of Stalingrad. This stopped the German offense in the U.S.S.R. -
Normandy Invasion (D-Day)
Western allies launched a surprise attack on Normandy called Operation Overlord. It was successful at gaining back some French territory and pushing the Germans back. It was the turning point of the western front. -
VE Day
The day when the Allies made Germany surrender. -
Atomic Bombings of Japan
The U.S. dropped 2 atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This caused Japan to surrender. -
VJ Day
Victory over Japan. Japan surrendered ending the Pacific front of the war.
