-
Germany Invades Poland
At this date of Hitler's first offence to escalate the power of the Reich, The Nazis had devised a plan to strike and invade Poland. This was conducted through a series of "blitzkreig" or lightning attacks on the main assets to the Polish military before their troops had a chance to assemble a sufficient force against the Nazis.
This grew to be the sparking point that crossed the line for the Allies. Germany had finally provoked the Allies to the furthest extent this led to the eruption of war. -
Period: to
Key Battles and Events of WWII
The main battles and key turning points that progressed through The Second World War. -
Britain and France Declare war on Germany
After Germany's relentlessness through the invasion on Poland and their silence to Britain and France's warnings to pull out from the country or face war. Tensions started to escalate throughout Europe. British prime minister Neville Chamberlain then announced at 11:15am that war had begun. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain.
After the failure of Neville Chamberlin to sway confidence and patriotism in the English people. As his favour declined in the hearts of the British, he resigned from his position as Prime Minister. At this point, Churchill was chosen for his experience in wartime situations and his military leadership. He inspired the British with his speech proposing that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat” and inspired the British people who at this time stood alone against Germany. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo.
As Germany began its advances on France, the main forces of the British and French trapped and cornered after the failure and loss at The Battle of Dunkirk. This lead to the Germans ability to breach through to France although this was not completely a loss as The evacuation of Dunkirk was the light of the whole ordeal. -
Operation Dynamo extended
As the Germans were commanded by Hitler to stop advances for a period, this being known as the "Halt Order" which was said to have been put in place due to the exhaustion of the German forces after two weeks of fighting. This allowed the British to form a plan to get any watercraft from, military to civilian to evacuate troops from France back to England allowing over 300,000 allied troops to be rescued opposed to suffering mass loss and a heavy defeat at the hands of the Nazis. -
Italy enters war to support Axis powers.
In June shortly after Germany had invaded France and begun to create vast amounts of control and domination over Europe. Italy formally declared war against the Allied powers, and this was before any of their acts of aggression or physical involvement in the war itself yet aligning themselves with Nazi Germany, this was under the command and orders of Benito Mussolini. -
France signs armistice with Germany.
As Paris fell and the Germans continued their dominating advance through France, politicians began to go into panic as the country began to fall to the might of the Nazis attacks. Despite the certain fall of France to the Germans French General Charles de Gaulle urged his countrymen to continue fighting and to resist the Germans at all costs. Politicians appointed war hero Marshal Henri Petain to inspire jingoism in the hearts of the french yet in lieu of this Petain surrendered to the Nazis. -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is one of the most famous battles in the Second World War, as it marks Hitler's first major defeat in battle. As France had already fallen to Germany along with most of Western Europe, the next target was The British Isle. The German Luftwaffe devised a series of bombing attacks on British soil while they faced opposition from the RAF defending Britain. Despite the various bombings on Britain causing mass destruction the Luftwaffe failed to meet the RAF air superiority. -
Tripartite Pact signed
The Tripartite Pact of the Berlin Pact was an agreement that formally aligned the three main countries of, Germany, Italy, and Japan together in and alliance to form the Axis powers. It was signed in Berlin by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Galeazzo Ciano and Saburō Kurusu. Thus creating the Axis forces of World War Two. -
Operation Sea Lion Extended
However, this invasion never took place as German Generals saw the plan as impossible, and as Germans were defeated at The Battle of Britain and Russian confrontation nearing Hitler's plan was never put into action. -
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sea Lion was a plan to invade and take over Britain. This plan was devised by Hitler in the early stages before The Battle of Britain as an alternative ground assault directed by the Germans in which forces would cross the British Channel and invade from three different points in Britain with a proposed 13 Nazi divisions being involved in the assault. -
Siege of Tobruk
In the early months of 1941 German forces had moved into Northern Africa alongside the Italian troops of the Axis Powers. Germans commanded by German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel also known as "The Desert Fox" designated the port of Tobruk as the main objective for capture. This was due to Tobruk's strategic placement as both a port to Africa and also as a pathway to Egypt. -
Operation Barbarossa
As a part of Hitler's plan to create a greater "living space," the advance of Nazi Germany's territories now looked to the east of Europe for its dominate expansion. The Nazis devised a plan for one of the largest assaults in all of World War Two with over three million Nazi troops and over three thousand tanks on the Nazi's side. All ready to invade the Soviet Union. In the first month of the Nazi's attack, they made serious ground moving a considerable distance into the USSR territory. -
Siege of Tobruk Extended
As German forces went to secure Tobruk with tank divisions they found resistance from British and allied forces (Indian, and ANZAC soldiers) they remained on the offence with, air and ground attacks on the allied forces which begun a 241-day siege. However, the allied forces withstood the constant bombardment and offence of the German and Italian forces and most notably the Australian forces who earned the name of "The Rats of Tobruk" for their tactics and also the ruthlessness of the allies. -
Operation Barbarossa Extended
As Nazi forces made their way to the three top cities of the Soviet Union, they confronted and destroyed or imprisoned a massive amount of Soviet troops of around 600,000. As Germany's success neared closer and closed in on Moscow. Poor weather struck disabling German tanks and vehicles from making any further advances. This, however, gave Soviets time to prepare and when Germans finally reached Moscow, Soviet counterattack finally began to push back Nazi forces and Operation Barbarossa failed. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbour
In the early morning of December 7th, a barrage of Japanese bombers flew their way undetected, to American Naval base in Pearl Harbour, Honolulu. This was a part of a bombing run that would cripple or destroy almost 20 Naval ships, and 2,000 sailors and soldier of the US Military were killed in the attacks. These attacks posed as an act of war against the US by Japan due to many years of the previous quarrel. -
Britain and US declare war on Japan
A day after the events of Pearl Harbour, President Roosevelt made a speech in which he spoke "a date which will live in infamy" becoming a famous quote to acknowledge the destruction caused by the Japanese. Within an hour of the speech, America declared war on Japan which sequentially lead to the Axis power declaring war on America. And after two years the US finally joined the fight of World War Two, alongside Britain. -
Japan takes Singapore
Japan, beginning to dominate and spread control through Asia had chosen to assault Singapore, a large British military base that would become extremely valuable to the Japanese if captured. Swiftly the Japanese forces moved in with ground and air attacks and within a few days the forces of the British and allied (ANZAC and Indian) troops were captured or killed, and Singapore had fallen by February 15th. -
The Battle of Midway
During Japans naval advances in the Pacific Japanese fleet commander, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku put in place his plan to seize Midway to gain position near mainland US. Also drawing out the bulk of the US navy and aircraft carriers that avoided destruction at Pearl Harbour. These were the most important type of ship in a navy's fleet. Although the Japanese had superior forces to that of the Americans. The US had solved the fleet codes of the Japanese and planned to surprise them ahead of time. -
The Battle of Midway Extended
The Americans surprised the fleet of Japanese ships when they were most vulnerable and unsuspecting of an attack. American dive bombers hit and destroyed all four of Japan's aircraft carriers and various other ships. While the US fleet suffered substantially less damage to their fleet, despite being slightly outnumbered to the Japanese naval capacity. This then led to the Pacific being openly controlled by the US and allied navy. -
The First Battle of El Alamein
As the battle for control of North Africa raged on, General Erwin Rommel is pushed into a defensive position by British forces in Lybia. His Nazi forces were able to withstand British attacks from land and air. Rommel then used his tanks to attack the British troops leading them on a retreat to El Alamein where the Axis and Allied forces again confronted each other. -
The First Battle of El Alamein Extended
However, reinforced with US supplies, reinforcements from Indian, ANZAC and South African troops and under the command of British General Claude Auchinleck. Allied forces battled and successfully pushed back Rommel and his troops. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
The battle was held within east Europe, in a Russian city called Stalingrad. this was the final battle held in the Russian mainland this was the Nazis last chance to gain further eastern Europe land. Russian forces against Nazi Germany, led by Freidrich Paulus and their allies such as Italy, Hungary etc. the Russian forces were led by Georgi Zhukov, who was one of the most successful Commanders in World war 2. -
The Battle of Stalingrad Extended
The battle of Stalingrad was one of, the most important battles of WWII. This is because it was the first time Germany's military might began to decline and recede as the battle of Stalingrad meant the beginning of the end for the Nazis reign.
This battle was based on a lot of strategies used by the Soviets who had a greater knowledge of their area. They used the ruins of Stalingrad, created by the German attacks which allowed Russian forces to attack Germans systematically and effectively. -
The Second Battle of El Alamein
As Rommel went on the defence after the first failed battle, Churchill grew impatient with the campaign in Africa. So, he replaced the commanding General with General Bernard Montgomery. Montgomery had received superior US Sherman tanks and had devised his troops for the plan to wipe out Rommel's forces. As attacks begun, Rommel knew of his imminent defeat and with crippled forces and supplies retreated to Tunisia leaving control and victory to the Allied powers. -
The Battle of Stalingrad Further
Although the Soviets were initially outnumbered, with only around 187,000 troops to the enemies 270,000 troops and exceeding tanks and aircraft capabilities. But as the Russians counter defence and progression of the battle accrued, the Soviets had around 1,430,000 troops and increased tank abilities, to the Nazi and Axils troop count of only 1,040,000 troops and the same number of tanks which left the Germans outnumbered, and the tables turned for the Soviets. -
D-Day Landings
On the early morning of June 6th, 1944. Allied troop parachuted behind enemy lines in France to secure position ahead of the D-Day Landings. Later that day, Allied forces stormed the five major beaches in a massive assault on the shores of Normandy. Brtish and Candian forces took three beaches while the US took the other two suffering the most resistance. Around 156,000 troops successfully stormed the beaches that day. On the 11th, allied forces had close to a million troops in France. -
The Battle of the Bulge
One of the largest battles fought on the Western Front. US and British troops were caught by surprise by Nazi soldiers. The fight for domination of this major line that could be used to lead a path straight to Germany. Despite Germany's initial advantage, poor weather struck. Accompanied by the Allied forces substantial resistance and the dwindling amount of fuel for tanks and ammunition Nazi forces slow depleted and were forced to retreat. -
Mussolini captured and executed
As the Axis powers were soon to be crushed by the Allies, Mussolini tried to flee Italy in fear of being caught by the Allies and trialled as a war criminal. Despite his efforts, Mussolini was caught and executed communist partisans. -
Hitler commits suicide
As the downfall of the Nazi, reign came collapsing down on Berlin. And with the Soviet forces a day away from the heart of the beast. Hitler has failed. And despite urges to escape from his officers he chooses death. And in his bunker in Berlin, he swallowed a cyanide pill and shot himself. -
German forces surrender
Knowing the inevitable defeat of the Nazis with Allied forces approaching from the west and Soviet troops from the east. Germans sign an unconditional surrender in Reims, France. Thus putting an end to the central conflict of World War Two. -
V.E Day
V.E Day or Victory in Europe Day is a public holiday that was made the day after the signing of the unconditional surrender of German forces. Finally putting an end to the conflict in Europe. -
Atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima
Despite the conflict concluding in Europe, the war still raged on for Japan. As Japan vowed to fight to the very end even though the US threatened the Japanese with annihilation if they did not surrender. Newly elected President Harry Truman is advised that an invasion of Japan would cost major Allied casualties. Instead of this, he decides to deploy the A-Bomb. And at 8:15am "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima, instantly killing over 80,000 people and destroying 90% of the city. -
Soviet Union declares war on Japan
Two days after the bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima, Russia had officially declared war on Japan. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
As the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima did not force the Japanese to finally surrender as intended. The US planned for "Fat Man" to be dropped on the city Nagasaki at 11:02am. The explosion immediately killed around 40,000 people of Japan. -
Japanese surrender - End of WWII
On the 15th, of August the Japanese emperor spoke to the people of Japan for the first time to tell of the Allies using "cruel bombs" and that they will surrender. On the 2nd, of September Japan formally signed their unconditional surrender. WWII was finally over. -
United Nations is born
After its early stages of development in 1942, the United Nations finally started to come together as an international organisation. Following endorsement from the US that this was the best means to prevent any future war, this Senate must approve of this new international co-operation. And thus with a vote of 89 to 2 the United Nations was born.