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1939

Hitler’s invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939 marked the beginning of WW2 in Europe.

1940

January 1940 saw the start of rationing in Britain.

1940 saw France, Holland and Belgium become overwhelmed by German “Blitzkrieg”.

Following Neville Chamberlain’s resignation on 10th May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister.

May 1940 saw the evacuation of British Expeditionary Forces from Dunkirk. The operation was put in place after British, French and Belgian troops found themselves surrounded and cut off by the Germans, during the Battle of France.

The Battle of Britain.

1941

Hitler began Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the codename for the invasion of the Soviet Union.

German Blitzkrieg on the United Kingdom lasted 8 months, from September 1940 to May 1941.

Operation Crusader saw the relief of by the Allies on 27th November 1941.

The Japanese military strike on the US naval base Pearl Harbor, was a turning point in WW2 as it led to America’s entry into the war.

1942

The Battle of Stalingrad which began on 23 August 1942, was a turning point in WW2. It was the German army’s first major setback, which they never fully managed to recover from.

The Allied victory at El Alamein on 11th November 1942, was a turning point in the Western Desert Campaign.

The Japanese invaded Singapore in the February of 1942. As Singapore was a British stronghold, Churchill referred to the event as the “worst disaster” in military history.

The Battle of Midway took place in the Pacific in the June of 1942, it was a crucial and decisive naval battle, which eventually saw the Americans as victorious.

1943

Allied Operation Torch landings and battles against Vichy France led to the surrender of Axis powers in North Africa. The Allied victory in North Africa laid the pathway for the Italian Campaign.

The Allied invasion of Italy took place on 3rd September 1943, following the successful invasion of Sicily.

British and Indian forces fight the Japanese in Burma.

1944

The Allies landed at Anzio on 22nd January 1944, as part of the Italian campaign against the German forces.

Continuing the Italian campaign, with the intention of a breakthrough to Rome, the series of four assaults by the Allies on Monte Cassino were extremely costly for the Allies, however they eventually managed to drive the German forces back.

1944 saw the Soviet offensive gather pace in Eastern Europe.

The Allied invasion of France began on 6th June 1944. It led to the eventual liberation of France from the Nazis and contributed to the Allies victory in the war.

Paris was liberated from the Nazis on 25th August 1944.

On 10th August 1944 the Americans regained Guam from the Japanese during the Pacific campaign.

Iwo Jima bombed during the Pacific Campaign.

1945

The extent of Nazi brutality was revealed when the Soviet army liberated Auschwitz in early 1945.

Following President Roosevelt’s death on 12th April 1945, Vice President Harry S. Truman assumed the role of President.

Soviet forces had surrounded the city of Berlin by 24th April 1945, they began to make their way into the city centre, resulting in the eventual fall of Berlin on 2nd May.

Following the fall of Berlin, German forces began to surrender.

Winston Churchill announces Victory in Europe on the 8th May, ending the war in Europe.

The Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest of the Pacific Campaign, and given the heavy losses sustained, America reconsidered their approach to invading the Japanese home islands.

The final stage of WW2 saw American forces drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagaski in August 1945, killing at least 129,000 people.

The surrender of Japan on 15th August 1945 saw the hostilities of WW2 finally brought to a close.