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Germany invades Poland (September 1, 1939)

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-after France and Britain declared war on Germany, they mobilized their armies and stationed them along the Maginot line which is a system of fortifications along the French and German border, waiting for German attack, while German soldiers were waiting only a few miles away.
-the months following Britain's declaration of war, the Germans saw no military action from the British

Germany invades Belgium, France, Holland, and Luxembourg (may 10 , 1940)

-Germany invaded the Low Countries
-this blitzkrieg attack took place as part of Germany's overall operational plan to attack France and the British troops stationed in France
-Both British and Dutch troops put up fierce resistance against the German paratroopers, but it was in vain; the Germans had gained the element of surprise (blitzkrieg) and quickly overthrew the Low Countries as they worked their way up to France.

Evacuation of Dunkirk (May 28th-June
4th, 1940)

After the failure of the Maginot line in early May of 1940, a full-scale defence barrier along the German border, the French were abandoned by British troops to face German invaders at Dunkirk. Allied soldiers were forced to evacuate Dunkirk harbor because the British, French, and Belgian troops were blocked by German forces during the Battle of Dunkirk. The French resistance lasted 10 days; on June 14th, the French surrendered.

France Surrenders (June 22, 1940)

German forces were charging into the Netherlands and Belgium and by May the Germans were in France. While the Germans and British were in Dunkirk, the German army headed south towards Paris. France, defeated and invaded, surrendered and soon enough, Germany had taken over northern France and created a 'puppet state'.

Battle of Britain (fought as a prelude to
Operation Sea Lion; August 1940)

Operation Sea Lion was Hitler and the Germans plan to invade Britain, this Operation relied on achieving total control of both air and naval of the English Channel. Beginning August 1940, Germany begins a series of Aerial attacks on Britain in hopes to destroy the British air force. The Germans later targeted their attacks to just Blitz London.

Fighting in North Africa (September 1940)

Mussolini ordered his army to attack Britain's Egypt, Italian troops pushed troops back 60 miles then both armies dug in and waited. In December Britain fought back and by February of 1941 they destroyed the Italian army and Hitler rushed to aid the Italians which opened another front got the German army. Rommel and Eisenhower.

Germany invades the Soviet Union
(Operation Barbarossa;June 22, 1941)

Hitler, drawn to the idea of ending communism in Europe, taking the Soviet Union's raw resources and overpowering Stalin, began Operation Barbarossa. Three million Germans charged into the Soviet Union, starting a new blitzkrieg. Two and a half million Russian soldiers were pushed back and along the way they burned factories and crops, preventing the Germans from taking them. The Nazis, ready to invade Moscow and Leningrad, were delayed by Russia's harsh winter, which killed thousands of Germans.

Siege of Leningrad (september 1941)

On September 1st of 1941, the first German artillery shell hit Leningrad.
The Germans planned to not storm the city, but instead force the
civillians to surrender by cutting off all supplies to the city by
constant bombardment. During the 2 and a ½ year siege, food was rationed
in the city to two pieces of bread per person per day; it became so
scarce that people began to eat anything from shoes and briefcases to
wallpaper. More than 1 million people had died by the end of the siege
both from disease and starvation. The siege finally ended in 1944 with
the Germans retreat from the Red Army.

Pearl Harbor (dec, 7 1941)

Surprise on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii had received intel that there might be an attack but didn't know where. Within 2 hours sunken 19 ships more than 2,300 Americans killed congress accepted Roosevelt's request to declare war on Japan. Kamikaze planes ran into ships killing many.

US declares war on Japan (December 8, 1941)

On December 7 of 1941, General Tojo ordered a surprise attack on the
American fleet at Pearl Harbor. This bombardment destroyed 19 ships and
planes, and killed more than 2,400 people. The next day, December 8th
,1941, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan.

The Fall of the Philippines (February 1942)

America controlled the Philippine islands. General Douglas MaCarther led the defense of the Philippines. His forces were no mach for the Japanese, which came ashore December 1941. The Japanese gained ground forcing MaCarther's troops to retreat back to the Bataan Peninsula

Bataan Death March (May 1942)

The Japanese won a series of battles controlling much of Southeast Asia and many pacific islands. The Japanese gained control of the Philippines by May 1942. They killed several hundred American solders and 10,000 Filipino soldiers during the 68-mile march

Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942)

This battle was fought in the water southeast of the Solomon Island and eastward from New Guinean, the first of the pacific war. The battle resulted from Japanese naval operation intended to capture Port Moresby. The Japanese's intended to place an air base there which would threaten Australia and help them with further plans. The United States attack the Japanese invaders and they withdrew.

Battle of Midway (June 1942)

The Japanese, who had been invading Asia and the Pacific, had their eyes set on Midway to use as a base and a way to destroy the US Pacific fleet. On account of good communication, the US Pacific fleet managed to sneak up on the Japanese and destroy four Japanese carriers. After this, the Allies now had the offensive, rather than the Japanese.

WW2 timeline events

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