World War II Timeline
Sept. 1, 1939Germans invade Poland. WWII begins.
1939
- Britain and France declare war on Germany.
- Australia, New Zealand, British India and South Africa declares war on Germany.
- Canada declares war on Germany.
- Soviets invade Poland.
- Russians invade Finland.
- The League of Nations expels Soviet Union.
1940
- Germans invade Norway and Denmark.
- Germans invade Holland, Belgium, and Luxemburg.
- Chamberlain resigns, Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain.
- Belgium's army surrenders.
- Battle of France begins.
- Norwegian army surrenders.
- Italy declares war on Britain and France.
- Canada declares war on Italy.
- Australia, New Zealand and South Africa declare war on Italy.
- France surrenders to and is occupied by Germany.
- France surrenders to Italy.
- Battle of Britain begins.
- Italy invades Egypt.
- Japan, Germany, and Italy sign the Tripartite pact, which installs a 10-year military, political, and economic alliance.
- Italy invades Greece.
- Hitler orders preparation for the invasion of Russia.
1941
- Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece.
- Russia and Japan sign 5-year non-aggression pact.
- Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
- Britain and Free France invade Syria and Lebanon.
- Germany invades Russia, Italy and Rumania declare war on the USSR.
- Finland declares war on Russia.
- Hungary declares war on USSR.
- England and Russia sign a mutual assistance agreement.
- Polish-Soviet military agreement.
- Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Japan declares war on U.S.A. and Britain.
- Japanese land in the Philippines.
- Germany and Italy declare war on U.S.A..
- Hong Kong falls to Japan.
- Japanese bomb Manila.
1942
- United Nations Declaration signed. Japanese invade Burma.
- U.S.A. declares war on Thailand.
- Singapore falls to Japan.
- Capitulation of American/Filipino army in Bataan Peninsula
- Battle of the Coral Sea
- Fall of Corregidor and U.S. forts in Manila.
- Battle of Midway.
- U.S. Marines land on Guadalcanal.
- Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy.
1943
- First Allied Bombs dropped on Berlin
- Battle of Stalingrad ends, Germans surrender, first major loss.
- Battle of Warsaw Ghetto, 350,000 Jews sent to camps or killed
- Mussolini resigns and is arrested.
- Southern Italy surrenders to the Allies.
- Germans seize all strategic points in Northern Italy.
- Italy declares war on Germany.
- Russians capture Kiev.
- Allied Conference at Tehran, Soviets agree to join fight against Japan after Germany is defeated
1944
- Germans occupy Hungary. Sequence of Allied victories in Italy, Anzio,Velletre, Valmontone
- Allies enter Rome
- June 6th - D-Day
- Allies land on Normandy.
- Last air raid on London; "Little Blitz"
- First B-29 Raid on Japan
- Battle of Phillipine Sea
- Hitler survives assassination attempt, executes conspirators.
- Americans land on Guam
- Dumbarton Oaks Conference - Allies discuss post war security and establishment of United Nations
- Paris liberated ten weeks after D-Day, DeGaulle leads French troops into city.
- Russia troops advance to Bucharest, Bulgaria, Praga, Warsaw Battle of Leyte Gulf, US victory over Japanese fleet.
- Liberation of Belgium, then Greece
- Roosevelt re-elected for unprecedented 4th term.
- Battle of the Bulge, Germans launch last ditch offensive through Forest of Ardennes
- Russians besiege Budapest
1945
- Russian Gen. Zhukov takes Warsaw
- Germans evacuate remaining military and civilian personnel from Prussia, nearly 2,000,000 people.
- Yalta Conference between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
- Russia gains control of E. Europe,as plans are made to divide Germany.
- Strained US/USSR relations signal beginning of Cold War.
- Allies reach the Rhine
- Allied bombing of Dresden, city virtually leveled.
- Corregidor re-taken by US, invasion of Iwo Jima begun.
- B-29 bombing of Tokyo with napalm and oil, 26sq. km burned.
- British forces cross the Rhine and enter Germany.
- US victory over Japan on Iwo Jima, followed by landing on Okinawa
- Death of Pres. Roosevelt, Truman becomes President on April 12.
- Russians launch attack on German capital of Berlin.
- Americans join Russins in assault on Berlin.
- Mussolini executed by Italian Resistance, body dismembered by rioters in Milan.
- German troops in Austria and Italy surrender.
- Adolf Hitler commits suicide after marrying his mistress, Eva Braun
- Russians take Berlin
- V-E Day, May 8, 1945. Victory in Europe, celebrations throughout Europe.
- UN World Security Charter signed by 50 nations.
- First atomic bomb test detonated at Trinity Site, New Mexico
- Potsdam Conference, new Pres. Truman meets with Churchill and Stalin, meets unsuccessfully to diffuse "Cold War" with Russia.
- Churchill resigns after his party loses national election.
- Attlee new Prime Minister.
- Hiroshima destroyed by A-bomb, Aug.6
- Russia declares war on Japan, Aug. 8, one month later than agreed to at Yalta.
- Nagasaki destroyed by A-bomb. Aug. 9,
- Russia invades Japanese held Manchuria
- Japan signals willingness to surrender, Aug.9
- V-J Day, Aug. 15, 1945. Surrender documents signed on Sept. 2.
- Japanese forces in China, Formosa and N.Vietnam surrender Sept. 9.
- Japan and Germany become occupied and demilitarized.