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the Netherlands and Belgium in the process. German troops push French troops to
Dunkirk
May, 1940: The Miracle at Dunkirk: Allied rescue of French troops. British ships ferry
back and forth, picking up soldiers, going between France and GB as many as 20
times.
June 22nd 1940: France surrenders.France is split into two: Northern part occupied by
Germany, and Southern part is more free. Vichy is the location of the free
government, but is truly a puppet government. Degualle leads the Free French in
attempt to overthrow German rule in France.
August-October 1940: Battle of Britain. German Luftwaffe vs. British Royal Air Force.
London Blitzbombed for 60 days, but Britain refused to give in. Propganda spread
throughout the country; dont mind the bombs, Keep calm and carry on. Civilians
continued going to school and to work despite the bomb threat. Germany forced to
give up early 1941 to conserve resources, as Britain is obviously not going to give
in.
March 1941Lend Lease Act: US will lend/gvie supplies if the money would be give
to lease it
June 1941Nonaggression Pact breaks. Blitz against Soviet Union successful,
Germany reaches Leningrad and Moscow. Red Army was poorly equipped
(remember the clip: 1 gun for every 2 soldiers; if he dies you pick it up and continue
firing)
July 1941Atlantic Charter: Roosevelt and Churchill discuss the current state of the
war, and agreed that neither GB nor the US would gain land as a result of the war.
They agreed that a peaceful world w/ self determination should exist. Countries
should work together to see that through.
December 7, 1941: At this time, Japan is quietly expanding, and has moved to
Indochina and Southeastern Asia. America imposes a trade embargo on Japan.
General Tojo orders the bombing of Pearl Harbor, on Hawaii (US naval base, largest
supply location)The day that will live in infamy. Japanese hoped to discourage
US entrance into the waropposite effect, US declares war the very next day.
*Im not too sure where this goes* 1939-1945 Battle of the Atlantic: GB and Soviet
Union needed supplies shipped fast/ ASAP: resulted in crash shipbuilding, and the
use of radars, sonars, and convoys. US offered help, eventually became German U
boats vs US convoys. Car factories began producing planes, rationing became
common, and citizens were encouraged to scrap and plant victory gardens.
Propoganda was rampentsupport from the homefront
June 1940-May 1943: North Africa; Italy in Libya, British in Egypt. The German Afrika
Korps, led by Erwin Rommel (nicknamed Desert Fox), was depatched to North Africa,
to reinforce Italian troops in order to prevent a complete Axis defeat.
(Beginning June 22nd, 1941) Soviet UnionOperation Barborossa Germans moved
into the Soviet Union. Leningrad struggled from 1941-1942Germans were unable
to capture the city. Made move towards Moscow, because of the Caucasus
Mountains oil fieldsSoviets did NOT want the Germans to et.
Spring 1942Germans made move on Stalingrad, large industrial city on Volga
River. Citizen counter led by Marshall Georgy Zhukov. The city was shaped like a
donut, and German soldiers were surrounded before they even knew it. However,
surrender was forbidden by the German military, so thousands of German soldiers
died or were captured. The scorched earth policy (to burn down all buildings so
the enemy would not have resources) was used here.
October 1942: El Alamein. General Montgomery (Britain), gains codes from Axis
powers
November 1942more US and British invade Africa, provide support for Soviet
Union. Troops were lead by Eisenhower; soon, the French colonies were reclaimed
by the Allies.
Nov 8 1942British-American offensive on Casablanca, port city in North Africa.
Important ports and administrative centers. Operation Torch
May 1943after being surrounded by Allies, Rommel surrenders. Many Italian
troops and military retreat back to Italian Island. Hitler is VERY displeased with
Rommel b/c of his surrenderhe had strictly told his troops NOT to surrender, no
mattert he consequence.
July 1943Italian troops retreated from North Africa to Sicily. Mussolini was forced
out of power (mid 1944), and Emmanuel was back as king! Hitler was not happy,
and attempted to put Mussolini back into power.
September 1943Aliied invasion slowed.
November 1943Tehren Conference in Tehran, Iraq. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin
discuss the current war condition, and plan out D Day. Stalin had asked for help
from Roosevelt and Churchillthey hoped that D Day would draw German attention
away from the Soviet Union.
Early 1944seige of Leningrad ended. US generals at the time: Eisenhower in North
Africa, MacArthur on the Pacific
June 4, 1944Rome falls (liberated). Allies chase German and Italian troops up the
Italian peninsula
June 6th, 1944: D-Day Operation Overlord. Allied forces stormed the beaches of
Normandy. Many factors went against Allied success, but they prevailed.
July 1944large advance through German controlled France-broke through German
defenses.
August, 1944Allies reach Paris
*Mid 1944*--American Island Hopping closer to Japans mainland, and start arial
bombing in an attempt to weaken them.
*Germany was truly fighting a 2 front war by this point. They were stuckc betweent
the Soviet Union to the east and the Allied forces storming in from the west. Hitler
was desperate*
December 1944massive counter attack organized by Hitler, as Allies worked
through France and Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge occurredlast stand for
Germans. If they lost, the war would be over.
Early 1945Yalta Conference: Truman Curchill, Stalindiscussed what post war
Europe would look like. Stalin wanted land in Poland, and in return, promised to
have democratic ways, and allow Poland self-determination.
Januray 1945Allied forces had completely crushed the German army in the Battle
of the Bulge
February and March 1945Battle of Iwo Jima, 750 miles south of Tokyo---Allies win,
take Iwo Jima, because a military base near Japan was needed.
March 1945Battle of Okinawa, 350 miles from Japan. Allies start moving closer to
Japan.
End of March 1945the Allies had crossed the Rhine, and were steadily working
their way to Berlin
April 1945Soviet Union was the first to reach Berlin, and there discovered Hitlers
dead bodyhe had killed himself, rather than be caught.
April 27Mussolini caught trying to escape, Italian forces brutally execute him.
April 29Italy signs official surrender
May 8th, 1945V-E day (Victory in Europe day (Berlin and Germany surrender)
June 1945the United Nations charter was signed, and the Security Council was
made up of the five Allied powers: US, GB, SU, France, and China.
July 1945Potsdam Conference in Potsdam, Germany. Allied leaders met again, but
had hard time reaching decision.
May and July 1945Truman becomes president, FDR had passed away. The
Manhattan Project was researching an atomic bombthe issue became whether or
not to use such a potent weapon. On one hand, it would bring a quick end to the
war and save many American lives. Modern weaponry would be changed forever,
and nations would also know of the USs power. However, on another hand, nations
would come to fear the United States as well.
August 6 1945first atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima
August 7Soviet Union advances through Manchuria
August 9atomic bomb drops on Nagasaki after Hirohito refuses to surrender after
the first bomb had dropped
More Vocabulary!
Internment campforced relocation of Japanese citizens in the United States after
the Pearl Harbor incidentwhere Japanese citizens had to live when they were
forced from their homes and businesses.
Kamikazethink suicide bomber pilots
Anti-Seminismdiscrimination against Jews
Thousands of Jews were deptorted from Germany, and they were harshly
discriminated against. An example of such would be the Nuremburg laws, in which
Jews were not given the same rights as other citizens. As long as their grandparents
were Jewish, they were considered, Jews, no matter whether or not they practiced
the religion. Hitler created something known as the Final Solutiona deliberate
mass execution of Jews (considered genocide, the deliberate killing of a large group
of people). First, Jews were forced to live in ghettos, a confined area within a city.
Then, they were sent to labor camps known as concentration camps. Joseph
Mengele was known as the Angel of Death, and performed strange and cruel
experiments on the prisoners. One of the most well known concentration camps is
Auchwitz. This mass murder is referred to the Holocaust today.
Nurembergsite of many Nazi Party conventions due to its location at the center of
Germany
Clement AttleeGB prime minister from 1945-1951
Chester Nimitzin charge of submarines for the US navycommander in chief of the Pacific
fleet
George Pattongeneral in the US army who participated in the invasion of Sicily and the
Battle of the Bulge
Also just in case you didnt pay attention to class for like the past week:
Allied Powers: GB, France, US, China, Soviet Union
Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan