World War II Timeline

WORLD WAR II TIMELINE

 

PRE 1939

Nov 11 1918 :: WW-I ends with Allied powers imposing a hard treaty of Versailles on Germany.

Jan 16 1920 :: ‘League of Nations’, a body to promote world peace is formed, as a part of the treaty is formed. Germany is excluded, while Soviet Union and US don’t take part.

Apr 3 1922 :: Stalin elected as General Secretary of Soviet’s communist party by Lenin. He assassinates most rivals and until his death n 1952, he has transformed Russia into an industrial and military superpower but at a cost of more civilian deaths than Hitler.

Oct 31 1922 :: Benito Mussolini assumes dictatorial powers in Italy.

Nov 8 1923 :: Hitler is imprisoned after initiating a right wing revolution. In prison, he writes ‘Mein Kampf’, which is published in 1925.

Oct 29 1929 :: Stock markets crash in a democratic US, aiding Hitler to gain power in Germany.

Sep 18 1931 :: Japan invades a weak and divided China in a town called Manchuria and establishes a state of ‘Manchukao’.

Nov 8 1932 :: Franklin D Roosevelt(FDR) elected as president of the United States. The only president to be elected for four terms, leading America out of the Great Depression and the World War II.

Jan 20 1933 :: Growing popularity makes President Von Hundenberg appoint Hitler as the Chancellor of Germany. He immediately moves to remove Versailles treaty and remilitarize Germany. Jews, Leftists and Homosexuals are harassed/jailed while handicapped people are euthanized.

Aug 19 1934 :: President Von Hundenberg dies and Hitler assumes absolute powers in Germany and appoints himself as the ‘Fuhrer’.

Sep 15 1935 :: Nuremberg law strips Jews of all rights.

Oct 3 1935 :: Italy invades Ethiopia – Italy’s first attempt to build an Italian empire. League of Nations urges sanctions, but Britain and France waffle on the issue, not compromising their African empire.

Mar 7 1936 :: Hiter occupies Rhineland (demilitarized zone according to Versailles treaty). Even remilitarizing Germany was against the treaty.

June 17 1936 :: Nationalists(supported by Germany and Italy) rebel against Leftist Government(Russia and US) in Spain. Nationalists prevail in 1939, overthrowing rightist regime and establishing Fransisco Franco as Spain’s new leader, Spain remains neutral in World War II.

Nov 25 1936 :: Anti Comintern (Communism) pact is signed between Japan and Germany. Italy, Spain and Hungary join it later.

June 7 1937 :: Japan invades China

July 15 1939 :: Buchenworld, a german concentration camp is opened.

Dec 13 1937 :: 100 thousand Chinese are killed and thousands of women raped by Japanese soldiers in the Rape of Nanking.

Mar 13 1938 :: Germany invades Austria(welcomed there) and seizes it.

Sep 29 1938 :: To avert war, British PM ‘Neville Chamberlam’ and French premier ‘ Edoward Deladier’ meet with Hitler and Mussolini in Munich. Hitler assures that he intents no aggressive aims, and just wishes to expand his territory until Czechoslovakia’s Sudentenland, to safeguard German population residing there.

Oct 15 1938 :: germany not only occupies Sudentenland, but entire Czechoslovakia. Britain and France are outraged providing Poland security, drawing a line that Hitler can’t cross without war.

Nov 9 1938 :: ‘Kristallnacht’, the night of the broken glass – A German diplomat is killed by a French Jew sparking off anti Jewish terror.

May 22 1939 :: Hitler and Mussolini formally aligned.

1939

Aug 23 1939 :: An aggression pact between Soviet Union and Germany stuns the world.

Sep 1 1939 :: Germany invades Poland in a Blitzkrieg (lightening war). France and Britain declare a war on Germany two days later.

Nov 4 1939 :: US reaffirm their neutrality during world war II. However, they supply arms to Britain and France because of monetary gains. US steadily moving towards allies.

 

1940

Apr 9 1940 :: Germany invades Norway and Denmark. Britain and France make their landings on Apr 14. Germany, by annexing Norway gain vital shipping source of Swedish ore, and gain air and naval bases within striking distance of Britain.

May 10 1940 :: Germany invades France Besides Luxemberg, Holland and Belgium. Germany emerges victorious everywhere. Germany conquers Paris in a month against four years it took in world war I.

May 10 1940 :: ‘Neville Chamberlain’ is replaced by Winston Churchill as the British Prime Minister. His strong hearted resistance against Hitler marks him as one of the greatest leaders of world war II.

 May 26-Jun 4 1940 :: France retreat to Dinkirk as they face annihilation. Inexplicably, Hitler gives commands to bring his divisions to a halt, giving allies time to evacuate across the English channel. Allies abandon vast amount of military warfare and are now ill equipped to defend England.

Jul 10- Oct 31 1940 :: Germany tries to control skies over the English Channel but faces tough resistance from Britain. Royal Air Force shoots down far more planes of Germany and this marks as Germany’s first setback in World War II.

Sep 27 1940 :: Germany, Italy and Japan sign tripartite treaty, an alliance binding them as axis powers. They agree to aid each other if they are attacked by a country other than they are not currently at war with (Target : America)

Nov 25 1940 :: In retaliation for Japanese aggression on China, America cuts off all trade supplies to Japan which is considered hostile by Japanese counterparts.

 

1941

Mar 11  1941 :: Franklin D Roosevelt in a bid to offer allied powers greater support contributes $12 billion in weaponry to Allied powers after land-lease act is passed in US.

Apr 6 1941 :: Germany and Italy invade Yugoslavia and Greece in a bid to secure southern flank before a surprise attack on Russia. By Apr 25, New Zealand, Australia and Britain begin to evacuate from Greece.

Apr 10 1941 :: Germany tries to capture North Africa’s Mediterranean ports and Suez Canal. German general Erwin Rommel (Desert fox) lays siege to the Libyan port of Tobruk. However, he faces stiff resistance from the Australian troops(‘rats’ of Tobruk) and abandons his mission.

Jun 22 1941 :: Germany invades Russia in a massive invasion. He plans a blitzkrieg to gain over Russia’s raw material and oil reserves. This invasion ultimately led to Russia’s downfall.

Sep 8 1941 :: Germany advances to Leningrad and instead of fighting, blocks off supplies to Leningrad. 1 million Russian civilians die.

Oct 1941 :: Germany opens up Auschwitz extermination camp. Mass murders of Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Russian prisoners of war takes place.

Dec 7 1941 :: Japan attacks naval bases at Hawaii – Pearl harbor killing 2280 American servicemen, sinking 19 ships. The attack is intended to put US Navy out of action. However, US aircrafts carriers are safely at sea and Pearl Harbor’s fuel supplies and repair facilities aren’t hit. WW-II is now a truly global war.

Dec 8 1941 :: Millions in US volunteer for army, navy and marine recruitment.

1942

Jan 8 1942 :: German’s U Boats sink 400 US ships on east coast of US during night. Germany loses only 7 U Boats.

Jan 20 1942 :: Wanser conference makes Jewish killing official. Six million Jews are murdered besides gypsies, homosexuals and Prisoners of war.

Mar 18 1942 :: US legalizes confinement of Japanese Americans into relocation centers without any evidence of disloyalty.

Apr 9 1942 :: For three months, American and Pilipino troops fight of Japanese attacks on Philippines(for raw materials since US had blocked trade supplies to Japan). General MacArthur(US) escapes while his eighty thousand troops surrender on a sixty five mile Bataan death march.

June 4 1942 :: American code breakers uncover Japan’s next target – Midway island and US carrier task force intercepts the Japanese off midway and achieves one of the greatest naval victories. US now gains in Pacific. 

Aug 7 1942 :: America occupies Guadalcanal, a vital Japanese air base. For every man wounded in the battle, five fell to Malaria and other tropical diseases.

Oct 23 1942 :: British troops under Bernard Montgomery defeat Rommel’s German and Italian forces. This is Allied’s first  decisive victory.

Nov 8 1942 :: Us lands in Algeria and Morocco (North west Africa) and Allied have Rommel’s Afrika Corps surrounded from two sides.

1943

Jan 12 1943 :: Casablanca Conference is held where Roosevelt and Churchill meet to chart the course of the war. The two plan to attack Italy, seek unconditional surrender from Germany, plan to bomb German cities and start researching on an atomic bomb.

Feb 2 1943 :: Germans face defeat at Stalingrad, two million soldiers die in a six month battle. German Sixth army is not allowed to retreat and told to fight until death. Finally only Ninety One soldiers surrender.

July 10 1943 :: Us, Britain and Canada invade Italy in Sicily. They face German and Italian troops.

Nov 20 1943 :: US invades Tarawa, a pacific airbase of Japan ( Betio air strip) but face stiff resistance. Twenty five US mariners are killed while four thousand Japanese soldiers die, while only seventeen surrender.

Nov 28 1943 ::   Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill Meet in Tehran to open up a second front in Europe to relieve pressure on Russia. Roosevelt and Churchill plan an invasion in 1944. However, they are still undivided as to who will control the Eastern Europe and Baltic states thus laying roots for a cold war.

Dec 12 1943 :: Enrico Fermi achieves the first self sustaining fusion atomic bomb. It was tested in Alamogordo(New Mexico). Werner Heisenberg’s parallel Nazi research fails to produce promising results.

 

1944

June 6 1944 :: Thousands of American, British and Canadian troops storm the French beach of Normandy (D-day- Three thousand ships, ten thousand planes , thirteen thousand paratroopers).

July 20 1944 :: German military leaders, in an attempt to promote peace terms, try to assassinate Hitler. Two hundred conspirators including Erwin Rommel are exposed. Rommel is allowed to commit suicide.

Sep 17 1944 :: Allies try airborne landings inside Germany held Holland. Thirty nine thousand paratroopers were sent, but their ambitious objectives are halted and five thousand paratroopers die(Operation Market Garden).

Oct 23-26 1944 ::  General MacArthur (US) returns to Philippines that leads to one of the greatest naval confrontations of WW-II. Japanese lose far more aircrafts than US does and have to make first use of their kamikaze suicide attacks.

Dec 16 1944 – Jan 28 1945 ::   Allied forces occupy forty eight division along a six hundred mile from  Switzerland to the North sea. Nazis make a last ditch effort and counter attack through Adrennes in Southern Belgium. Panzer lead assault bulges into Allied lines and Germans press further. However, by Christmas, attack falters due to lack of fuel supplies and allied resistance.

1945

Jan 26 1945 :: Russian led army soldiers liberate Auschwitz concentration camp. Other survivors proceed to death march towards Germany.

Feb 13-14 1945 :: Germany is bombed. Dresdan, a city famed for architectural beauty is bombed. More than a hundred thousand are killed while two hundred thousand die in Japan due to similar raids.

Feb 19 1945 :: Iwo Jima, an island serving as an air base for B29 bombers in Japan is invaded by Americans. Although heavily guarded by Japanese (twenty thousand soldiers), US achieves victory while Japan loses all its defendants.

Apr 12 1945 :: Roosevelt dies during his fifth term. Untested harry S Truman becomes the president.

May 8 1945 :: Russian red army march into bomb ravaged Germany. Hitler commits suicide. Within a week, Nazis surrender. This marks Allied victory in Europe.

Aug 6 1945 :: Under Harry S Truman, an American B-29 drops an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, killing an estimated One hundred thirty five thousand. Three days later, a second bomb is dropped over Nagasaki leading to a complete surrender by Japan.

Aug 14 1945 :: Japan surrenders officially, WW II is over. Estimates of total death ranges from Thirty five million to Sixty million worldwide.