World War II Events
Allies closing in on Germany
April 1945 After the Allied forces took back western France, they began to move their forces to attack in the Ardennes. Later they would cross the Rhine river and capture thousands of German troops. At the same time, the Soviet army was closing in on Germany from the East. On April 25, 1945, the Allies met on the River Elbe, and the Soviets captured Berlin.
Mussolini is captured and executed
April 28 1945 Mussolini, after being rescued from his overthrowers by a German commando, was the head of a tiny fascist puppet government in Italy until the German army collapsed. After the German defeat, Mussolini and his mistress attempted to flee Italy, only to be shot by Italian partisans and hung upside down in a town square.
Hitler commits suicide
April 30 1945 As the Allies' troops made their way towards Berlin, the Axis armies surrendered, leading to an imminent end to the war in Europe. Hitler, who had remained resistant even as the Allies advanced, committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945, to avoid capture by the Soviets.
Bataan Death March
April 9 1942 Japanese forced about 60,000 of Americans and Filipinos to march 100 miles with little food and water, many died or were killed on the way
Battle of Guadalcanal
Aug 7-Feb 9, 1943 US forces attempt first island hopping campaign and invade island of guadalcanal Japanese fight back hard and sink most of American supplies and naval support for next months they are fighting on their own American naval forces eventually break through, Japanese evacuate and americans win battle that looks like an utter defeat
U.S.S.R declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria
Aug 8: 1945 After Germany officially surrendered, the Soviet Union was able to have their army focus on Japan. Quickly wanting the war to be over, the Soviet Union had a surprise attack in Manchuria. The Japanese army was not prepared for this attack and Emperor Hirohito began to discuss the idea of surrendering with his council.
Battle of Britain is fought as a prelude to Operation Sea Lion
July 10 -June 1941 an aerial battle fought in World War II in 1940 between the German Luftwaffe (air force), which carried out extensive bombing in Britain, and the British Royal Air Force, which offered successful resistance. Germany bombed London but could not weaken morale
Battle of Saipan
June 15-July 9 The ever growing American army invades the island of Saipan. Saipan had the potential to be a major airfield for future bombings on Japan and despite heavy casualties, the Americans overrun the island. Japanese civilians, having been told that the Americans are the devils themselves, throw themselves off the cliffs of the island in the thousands.
Battle of Midway
June 3 1942 1942 World War II battle between the United States and Japan, turned the war in favor of the US in the Pacific end of battle marked beginning of island hopping
Operation Overlord
June 6-Aug 25 Also known as D-day June 6th 1944, Allied forces under Dwight d. Eisenhower landed on the beaches of Normandy in history's greatest naval invasion --> surrounded Germ. to force surrender
Germany officially surrenders
May 7 1945 Just days after Hitler committed suicide, on May 7, 1945, the German military officially surrendered to General Eisenhower, ending the pernicious war in Europe. This day is known as V-E day or Victory in Europe day.
Battle of the Coral Sea
May 8 1942 first Allied victory in the Pacific against Japan, fought entirely by planes
Fighting in North Africa - El Alamein and Operation torch
Oct 23-Nov 5 With Operation Torch, the Allies sought to push back the Axis Powers that had invaded North Africa and made significant gains earlier in the war under General Rommel. With the first Battle of El Alamein, the British forces under General Montgomery pushed the German-Italian army back to Libya and Tunisia. In the Second Battle of El Aleman, United States General Eisenhower joined the Allied forces and forced Rommel to surrender.
Operation Market Garden
Sep 17-25 1944 The allies hoping to end the war before Christmas, send in every airborne division available to Holland hoping to capture a series of bridges leading to the critical port of Antwerp. Although the operation started well, German artillery and heavy armor led to the capture of the Polish 1st division and the allies called off the operation, declaring it a failure.
Allies invade Sicily and on into Italy
September 3 The allies hoping to end the war before Christmas, send in every airborne division available to Holland hoping to capture a series of bridges leading to the critical port of Antwerp. Although the operation started well, German artillery and heavy armor led to the capture of the Polish 1st division and the allies called off the operation, declaring it a failure.
France and Great Britain declare war on Germany
September 3 1939 Britain said that the Germans had to withdraw troops from Poland or they would fight back France said same thing with an ultimatum. Germany ignored so they declared war.
Germany invades Denmark and Norway
surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway marked the end of the Phony War Germany targeted their attacks on the Danish and Norwegian borders and coasts in order to be able to attack Britain Only a few hours after the start of the attack, the Danish government raised their white flag. After two months Norway surrendered to the Germans as well.
France Surrenders to Germany
After Dunkirk, Germans advance into France. France unable to defend itself and army poorly trained, civilians flee to S. France. Luftwaffe- bombing civilians. June 14 - the Germans had taken Paris. Italy declared war on the side of Germany and invaded France from the south. On June 22, 1940, France surrendered. While Germans occupied the northern part of France, a puppet government for France's southern region was set up in Vichy under Marshal Henri Petain. The Free French were headed by Charles de Gaulle.
Battle of Okinawa
Apr 1-June 22, 1945 last land pacific battle before atomic bombs Presumed to be the final pacific offensive before the invasion of Japan, the US and British troops invade the nearby island of Okinawa. The Japanese put up a brutal fight as they mount a futile defense on the Island, kamikazes attack allied ships and the remnants of Japan's fleet fight in one final battle. The sledgehammer that is now the allies is victorious in securing the island.
Doolittle's Raid on Tokyo
April 18 1942 After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt urged the US army to directly fight to weaken Japan's morale. Their attack consisted of 16 American B-25 bombers, under Colonel Doolittle's command. These bombers succeeded in attacking their targets in Tokyo, most escaping to China and Russia except a few which were killed or captured by the Japanese. boosted american morale
Japan officially surrenders
August 15 (formerly signed Sept 2) 1945 After the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was devastated and destroyed, yet the military leaders still refused to surrender. On August 10, 1945, against the will of the government, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender to the United States and General Douglas MacArthur. The official treaty took place on the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay and marked the end of the war.
Battle of Stalingrad
August 23, 1942 - February 2, 1943 In need of resources, German army changes target to city of stalingrad also a symbolic city for Russians Russian and German commanders alike pour in hundreds of thousands of reinforcements lead to brutal hand to hand combat in the city Russians orchestrate a big counterattack and then then paulus surrenders ending one of the bloodiest battles 700,000 Germans and 500,000 Russians died
: Atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 6-9 After the victory in Europe, America realized Japan would not surrender easily, and estimated the lives lost in the future battles against Japan to be around 1 million. The U.S. warned Japan of the powerful force awaiting them if they did not surrender, and after Japan ignored their warning, the U.S. released this force. An atomic bomb was released in the two cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Over 500 square miles of each city was burned down to ashes, and around 140,000 citizens in Hiroshima alone were killed. The radiation these bombs released would come around 50,000 additional people in Hiroshima in the next decade.
Battle of the Bulge
Dec 16-Jan 25, 1944 December, 1944-January, 1945 - After recapturing France, the Allied advance became stalled along the German border. In the winter of 1944, Germany staged a massive counterattack in Belgium and Luxembourg which pushed a 30 mile "bulge" into the Allied lines. The Allies stopped the German advance and threw them back across the Rhine with heavy losses.
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Dec 7 1941 United States military base on Hawaii that was bombed by Japan, bringing the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. Tensions between Japan and the US come to a climax and prime minister Tojo orders a surprise strike on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. In the early morning the Japanese torpedo or bomb three battleships and dozens of smaller ships. The attack took the world by surprise with 3,000 Americans dying and the rest clamoring for war.
United States declares war on Japan
Dec 8 1941 Japan, already having ongoing tensions with the U.S., attacked America's Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. In response to this action, one day after it had occurred, President Roosevelt asked congress to declare war on Japan.
The fall of the Philippines to Japan
Dec 8 1941 The following day they carried out air strikes on the Philippines and destroyed half of MacArthur's air force. MacArthur was much criticized for this as he had been told to move his airforce after the raid on Hawaii the previous day. The Japanese Army also invaded the Philippines and they soon held the three air bases in northern Luzon. On 22nd December the 14th Army landed at Lingayen Gulf and quickly gained control of Manila from the inexperienced Filipino troops. Although only 57,000 Japanese soldiers were landed on Luzon it had little difficulty capturing the island.
The Firebombing of Dresden
Feb 13-15 1945 Also known as Operation Thunderclap, the Firebombing of Dresden was when the Allies dropped 2,400 tons of high explosives on the ancient German city of Dresden. The Allies, who intentionally targeted civilians in order to hurt German morale and its economy, ended up killing between 25 to 35 thousand civilians.
Battle of Iwo Jima
Feb 19-March 26 a bloody and prolonged operation on the island of Iwo Jima in which American marines landed and defeated Japanese defenders (February and March 1945) underground network of Japanese soldiers
Battle of Kursk
July 5-Aug 23 After the loss at Stalingrad, Germany launched an offensive near the city of Kursk to retain their superiority on the Eastern Front. This battle, also known as Operation Citadel, against the Soviet Union turned into the greatest tank battle in history. Even though the Soviets lost more men and tanks, they were able to make Germany surrender. This battle marked a shift in the tides of the war on the Eastern front in the Soviets favor.
Italy declares war on Great Britain and France
June 10 Italy had remained neutral at first After Hitler captured France, Mussolini joined them because he knew that he needed to be with them in order to share German victories
Germany invades the Soviet union (Operation Barbarossa)
June 22-Dec 5 Hitler, wanting to siege the Soviet Union in hopes of exploiting its raw materials and destroying communism for good, launched Operation Barbarossa, therefore breaking the Non-Aggression Pact. The German army led a blitzkrieg and stormed into a surprised Russia. The Germans were able to push back the Russians to Moscow and Leningrad, where they would meet a perilous winter that would change the tide of the invasion. -->SU switched to Allies
Island Hopping Campaign
June 7 1942 Beginning with the victory at the battle of Midway lead by General MacArthur, the United States launched the Island Hopping Campaign. This campaign was the attempt to reclaim the islands captured by the Japanese one by one until the United States reached Japan. They eventually reached Japan, and in 1944 Admiral Nimitz led a blockade of Japan, but the Japanese still refused to surrender.
Firebombing of Tokyo
March 9 1945 This attack, led by General Curtis LeMay of the United States as he sought to force Japan into surrender, consisted of 334 B-29 bombers that unleashed incendiary bombs on the city of Tokyo, Japan. This attack was not targeted specifically at the military, but mostly towards civilians. The bombs created a firestorm that was unleashed on Tokyo, demolishing the city and killing more than 100,000 people.
Germany invades Belgium, France, Holland and Luxembourg
May 10-Beginning of July Hitler uses Blitzkrieg to take Holland Belgium and Luxembourg --> Allies sent aid to these countries BUT Germans took control Concentration of allied troops in H B and L -->German surprise attack on France through Ardennes forest--> invaded France
Evacuation of Dunkirk
May 26-June 4 Hitler surprised British and French by attacking in Belgium, poured into France, bypassing Maginot Line; British troops caught between English Channel and Nazi troops; heroic rescue by British Navy, pleasure crafts rescued 338,000 soldiers
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Oct 23-26 1944 Fought in near the waters of the Philippine islands, the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in history. The US invades the island of Leyte to isolate Japan from the countries it had occupied in Southeast Asia. Japan sends in almost their entire remaining fleet to try and hold the island This was the first battle in which Japan implemented organized kamikaze attacks, but the Japanese were forced back, ever closer to Japan
Battle of Peleliu
Sep 15-Nov 27 In order to execute their attack on the Philippines, the United States had to neutralize some threats, including the threat of the Palau islands. United States troops, commanded by General Rupertus, landed on the island of Peleliu only to find that the Japanese army, commanded by Colonel Nakagawa, were using the mountain terrain of the island to their advantage. What was thought would be a battle that lasted a few days, turned into a battle that lasted for months. After suffering heavy casualties on both sides (the most in the Pacific campaign for the United States), the Japanese surrendered to the United States after 73 days, ending the battle.
Siege of Leningrad
Sep 8-Jan 27, 1944 To continue Hitler's plan he had to gain the city of Moscow and to get to that city they would have to go through Leningrad. While in Leningrad they took over and took all of their valuable sources. During September 1941, Their coal and oil supplies were running low causing no way for the people to get heat. As the cold winter went on water pipes froze, food supplies were cut and people started to eat dogs, cats, horses and crows. The result of the siege was one million residents dying from starvation and hyperthermia.
Phony War
Sept 3 - May 10, 1940 The Phony War refers to the early months of World War II when the Allied troops gathered behind the Maginot Line. During this time, no land operations were taken by the Allies or Germany after the invasion of Poland, hence the word "phony".
Germany invades Poland
September 1 1939 Hitler invaded Poland Sept. 1,1939. After signing the non-aggression pact HItler had a surprise attack, German tanks and troops rumbled across the Polish border at the same time Warsaw was being bombed.