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Kristallnacht
After a 17 year old Jewish boy named Hershel Grynszpan shot an employee of the German Embassy in Paris as revenge for his father's deportation from Germany to Poland, Nazi armies attacked Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues across Germany. This night was named after the broken shop windows that were strewn across the streets; Kristallnacht means "Night of Broken Glass." -
Nonaggression Pact
Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression pact which stated that these two powers would not attack each other for at least 10 years. -
Germany invades Poland
Led by Adolf Hitler, German planes dropped bombs on the Polish people and tanks and troops crossed the Polish border. Warsaw crumbles under the attack and Germany had successfully invaded Poland. -
Dunkirk
The German army trapped the Allies' forces in Lille in northern France and the Allies escaped to Dunkirk where they were trapped against the sea. Great Britain sent 850 ships to save the army and by June 4, 338,000 soldiers had been taken to safety. -
France falls
France surrenders to Germany and Germany's ally, Italy, after Germany invades and conquers Paris. -
Battle of Britain
The German army attacked Great Britain, especially London, bombing the streets daily. The Royal Air Force (RAF) of Britain fought back and the battle lasted until May 10, 1941 when Hitler called of German attacks. -
Germany invades Soviet Union
Hitler led a plan called Operation Barbarossa and attacked the Soviet Union. By September 8, Germans had surrounded Lenigrad and Hitler began bombing food warehouses and starving the people of Lenigrad. One million people died in Lenigrad and then Hitler moved on to try to take Moscow. -
The Atlantic Charter
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met secretly on a boat and created the Atlantic Charter that upheld free trade and people's right to chose their government. It later served at the Allies' peace plan at the end of the war. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan dropped explosives on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, destroying nearly the whole U.S. Pacific fleet, killing 2,400 Americans, and injuring 1,000 more. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
The American fleet with support from Australia intercepted a planned attack on Port Moresby in New Guinea by the Japanese. Airplanes were the main technology used in this battle and it ended in a sort of draw. The Japanese lost fewer ships and claimed victory but the Americans had stopped Japanese southward expansion. -
The Battle of Midway
Japan attacked Midway Island, west of Hawaii, hoping to seize Midway and destroy the remaining Pacific fleet. A Japanese code was intercepted and Admiral Chester Nimitz of the U.S. troops led an ambush on the Japanese troops.The U.S. ambush was successful. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
The German army invaded the Soviet city of Stalingrad and began nightly bombing raids that destroyed the city. The Soviet army defended the city and the battle lasted until February 2nd of the next year when the remaining German soldiers surrendered and 99% of Stalingrad was destroyed. -
Operation Torch
107,000 Allied troops, led by Dwight D. Eisenhower landed in Morocco and Algeria and smashed the German troops in May 1943. -
D-Day
The Allies' combined armies attacked the German army on the Coast of Normandy in France. 3,000 American soldiers died on the first day alone. Many additional troops landed a month later, and a third army fought at Saint-Lo. The battle lasted through late August when the Allies had defeated the German army and marched into Paris. -
Battle of the Bulge
The German army launched a surprise attack and broke through American defenses in front of the Ardennes. The Allies pushed the Germans back and the Nazi army retreated. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
After a month of fighting, Americans took the Japanese island of Iwo Jima on March 26. Then, American troops moved up to Okinawa and seized it too. -
V-E Day
This stands for Victory in Europe Day. This is the day where the Allies celebrated when the German surrender was officially signed in Berlin and the war ended. -
Hiroshima
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing almost 73,000 people. -
Nagasaki
The United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Japan, in Nagasaki. Around 37,000 people were killed, and radiation killed many more in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
V-J Day
Japan cabled their formal surrender on August 14, the surrender was accepted the next day, and Tokyo Bay held a day to celebrate the end of the war on September 2. -
Nuremberg Trials
22 Nazi leaders were put on trial and charged with crimes against humanity and waging a war of aggression. 12 of the defendants were sentenced to death and all but one of these, Hermann Goring, who committed suicide, were executed on October 16. They were cremated in the ovens at Dachau that had killed so many of their victims.
