WWII Timeline

Cheyenne and Riley

Czechoslovakia surrenders- March 15, 1939

Czechoslovakia surrenders after Adolf Hitler annexed the

country into the Third Reich. Although the Czechs had
warmly welcomed the Germans when they entered the
Sudetenland months earlier, they stood silently in despair
when the Nazis entered Prague
Germany invades Poland-September 1, 1939

Without declaring war, Germany invades

Poland. The coordinated air-and-land
attack is conducted with such brutal
efficiency that "blitzkrieg" becomes a feared
offensive tactic. Honoring their treaty with
Poland, France and Great Britain enter the
war against Germany.
Germany invades-May 10, 1940
Germany invades Belgium, Holland
and Luxembourg. Because of the
failure of his appeasement policies,
British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain resigns. Forming a
coalition government, Winston
Churchill replaces him. Standing
alone, Churchill soon began conferring
with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt
for aid to the British cause.
Italy declares war-June 11

Italy joins the war as an ally of

Germany then Italy declares war
against the Allies. Great Britain,
France, Australia, Canada, New
Zealand, India and South Africa
declare war on Italy. General
Hering, the military governor of
Paris, declares the French capital
an open city to prevent its
destruction.
Japanese Invade Pearl Harbor- Dec 7, 1941

After nearly two years, the US had reason to join

the second world war. Hundreds of Japanese
planes had flown across the ocean to bomb the US
naval base, stationed in Hawaii. The attack on the
harbor lasted less than two hours but destroyed
nearly 20 US naval vessels, and more than 300
airplanes. Yet the loss of artillery was nowhere
near the toll taken on human life. Because of this
attack, 2,000 soldiers were killed and 1,000 others
were injured. The next day, president Roosevelt
requested that Congress declare war on Japan. The
US also declared war on the other axis powers
soon after.
The Battle of Midway - June 4-7, 1942
The Battle of Midway is fought. The first defeat of the
Japanese navy in 350 years is the turning point in the
Pacific as the U.S. goes on the offensive. The
Japanese had hoped to smash what was left of the
Pacific fleet, take Hawaii, hold its people hostage and
force the United States to sue for peace. But
American cryptographers had deciphered their
plans and the Navy was waiting for them. The
Japanese would lose 3,500 men, four carriers, a
cruiser and 332 aircraft. The Americans would lose
307 men, the carrier Yorktown, one destroyer and 150
D-Day- June 6, 1944
D-Day arrives. The greatest invasion in history begins just
after midnight as the first of 24,000 paratroopers, flown over
the Channel in more than 1,000 aircraft, are dropped behind
enemy lines in Normandy. More than 5,300 ships, carrying
176,000 men are streaming across the Channel. Allied
commanders plan five coordinated landings along a 45-mile
stretch of the Normandy coastline between the Cotentin
Peninsula and the Orne River for Operation Overlord. It will be
the bloodiest day in American history since the battle of
Antietam in the Civil War. Some 2,500 American soldiers lay
dead on French soil.
Invasion of Iwo Jima- Feb 19- Mar 26, 1945

The battle of Iwo Jima was the result of US forces

needing a base more near the coast of Japan.
Because of this, they launched an amphibious
assault on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan. The
Japanese fought mainly from a system of caves and
tunnels which spanned the entire island making it
much more difficult for American soldiers. The
battle to gain the island took over a month, and
the end is marked by the iconic photo of an
american flag being raised on the island.
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima- Aug
6, 1945
The US bomber the Enola Gay dropped the first
atomic bomb, “Little Boy” over the city of
Hiroshima Japan. This 9,000 pound uranium bomb
was dropped over the city at 8:15 in the morning
and exploded 2,000 feet over the city. It devastated
the population, killing 80,000 people immediately
and tens of thousands later from exposure to
radiation. It also decimated 90% and
approximately 5 square miles of the city.
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki- Aug 9,
1945
Because the bombing of Hiroshima failed to elicit
an immediate Japanese surrender, the US decided
to drop a second bomb, “Fat Man” on the city of
Tinian. Because of cloud cover, the mission was
sent to a secondary city, Nagasaki. The US B-29
bomber, Bockscar, dropped the plutonium bomb
over the city. Though this bomb was more
powerful than the first it did less damage as the
city of Nagasaki was located in a narrow valley
which contained most of the blast.
Japan agrees to surrender- Aug 14, 1945

Because of the use of the two atomic bombs, Japan

decided to surrender on August 14 and the
Emperor announced the surrender on the radio on
August 15 at noon. (Japan time) Formal surrender
would not come until later in the year.
Japan Surrenders- Sep 2, 1945

Though Japan had already surrendered in August,

an official surrender did not come until September
2. The official surrender agreement was signed on
the US Missouri in Tokyo bay.