World War II Timeline: Key Events & Turning Points

Key Events Leading to World War II

• 1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed.
• 1924: Hitler writes "Mein Kampf," outlining his plans.
• 1939: The Global Depression, triggered by the Wall Street crash, helps dictators rise to power.
• 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor and begins to rebuild his army in secret.
• 1935: Abyssinia invasion: The League of Nations fails.
• 1936: The Rhineland is reoccupied.
• 1936-1939: The Spanish Civil War (Germany rehearses arms and aircraft).
• 1936: Rome-Berlin Axis: Hitler-Mussolini Alliance.
• 1938: Anschluss, the annexation of Austria into Germany.
• 1938: Munich Agreement (Hitler sought more power and territories).
• 1939: Nazis invade Czechoslovakia.
• 1939: The Nazi-Soviet Pact.
• 1939: Invasion of Poland.

World War II: Major Events

• 1939-9: Nazi Germany invades Poland. Two days later, Poland's allies, Britain and France, declare war on Germany, marking the start of World War II.
• 1940-6: Germany defeats France. Germany invades France and defeats it in six weeks.
• 1941-6/12: Operation Barbarossa. Germany invades Russia. After initial success, the German army fails to enter Moscow.
• 1941-12: Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack aims to stop American interference in Japanese Imperial expansion, leading to America’s involvement in World War II.
• 1942-6: USA wins the Battle of Midway. The US Navy decisively defeats the Imperial Japanese Navy at Midway Atoll.
• 1943-2: German army surrenders at Stalingrad. The German army makes advances in southern Russia but is stopped at Stalingrad. One of the bloodiest battles ever takes place, and Hitler suffers a major defeat.
• 1944-6: D-Day & Operation Overlord. The Allies launch the largest assault in history on Normandy (Northern France). Over one million men are landed, and a new front against Germany is opened.
• 1945-8: Atomic bombs dropped on Japan. The USA drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over 200,000 people.