WWII Curriculum – 1939-1945

Chronology of World War II
1939-1945

This phase is the actual armed conflict of World War II. Although the United States was not drawn into the war until December 7, 1941, it had been indirectly involved since early 1940. At the time of the American entry into World War II, the European countries had been fighting since September 1939. Interestingly enough, in Asia the conflict is often thought of as starting in 1931 due to Japan’s aggression against Chinese interests on the mainland. The course of the war saw significant events happen with the watershed year being 1942. In 1942 both the Germans and the Japanese began to suffer serious setbacks in their respective theaters of war. Further, it was in 1942 that the United States began full scale industrialization necessary to produce goods and equipment for the war. The United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom joined to form an alliance known as the “Allies”. War fighting strategy was developed that a Europe first and Asia/Pacific second would be followed. Slowly, but surely the Allies began to push back the Axis powers of Germany and Japan from their greatest expansion culminating in the end of hostile actions in May and August of 1945.

1939:

  • Spanish Civil War ends with a victory for Franco’s Nationalist forces – 28 March
  • Germany occupies the remainder of Czechoslovakia – 15 March
  • British Government introduces conscription – 27 April
  • Italy invades and occupies Albania – 7 April
  • Russia and Germany sign a Non-Aggression Pact – 23 August
  • Germany invades Poland and starts World War II in Europe – 1 September
  • England and France declare war on Germany – 3 September
  • England declares a naval blockade of Germany – 3 September
  • Russia, led by General Zhukov, halts and defeats Japanese aggression at the Battle of Khalin-Gol in Eastern Russia – 15 September
  • Russia invades Poland from the east – 17 September
  • Polish government in Warsaw surrenders – 27 September
  • Russia and Germany divide the occupation of Poland – 29 September
  • Russia invades Finland – 30 November
  • Russia is expelled from the League of Nations – 14 December

1940:

  • End of the First Russo-Finnish War with Russia victorious – 12 March
  • Germany invades Denmark – 9 April
  • Germany invades Norway – 9 April
  • Germany invades Luxembourg – 10 May
  • Germany invades Holland – 10 May
  • Germany invades Belgium – 10 May
  • Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister of England – 10 May
  • Germany invades France – 17 May
  • England and France complete the evacuation their forces from Dunkirk (“Operation Dynamo”) – 8 June
  • Italy declares war against France and England – 10 June
  • Italy attacks France through Alpine border regions – 10 June
  • Russia occupies Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – 15 June
  • Germany occupies the English Channel Islands – 21 June
  • France and Germany agree to an armistice, Vichy France established – 22 June
  • Charles de Gaulle establishes a French government in exile in London – 23 June
  • Roosevelt approves bill creating an American “two-ocean” navy – 20 July
  • Italian forces invade Egypt from Libya – 13 September
  • Selective Service Act passed in the United States – 16 September
  • Japan occupies French Indo-China – 22 September
  • United States embargos the export of scrap iron and steel – 26 September
  • Germany, Italy and Japan create a “Three Power Pact” (Tri-Partite) – 27 September
  • Germany begins an aggressive campaign for air superiority over the English Channel and Southern England (Battle of Britain) as a precursor for the invasion of England (Operation Sea Lion) – 8 August
  • England and the United States conclude the “Lend – Lease” Pact (passed by Congress 11 March 1941) – 2 September
  • German forces occupy Rumania to secure the oil fields – 8 October
  • British Royal Air Force defeats the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain – 12 October
  • Germany begins intensive campaign to bomb English cities in what becomes known as the “Blitz” – 10 November
  • Hungary joins the Axis powers – 20 November
  • Rumania joins the Axis powers – 23 November
  • British launch surprise offensive against Italians in Egypt – 8 December

1941:

  • Bulgaria join the Axis powers – 1 March
  • German forces (Afrika Korps) under Rommel reinforce Italian forces in North Africa and launch an offensive against the British – 3 April
  • German forces invade Yugoslavia and Greece – 6 April
  • Russia and Japan conclude a “non-aggression pact” – 13 April
  • German airborne forces invade the island of Crete – 20 May
  • German battleship Bismarck sunk in the Atlantic by the British after the Bismarck had sunk the British HMS Hood – 27 May
  • Germany invades Russia (“Operation Barbarossa”), but fail to capture Moscow – 22 June
  • American forces land in Iceland to provide protection and convoy support – 7 July
  • England and Russia pledge aid to each other against Germany – 13 July
  • American General Douglas MacArthur becomes Commander-in-Chief of American forces in the Far East – 26 July
  • England and the United States issue the Atlantic Charter – 14 August
  • England and the United States sign agreement with Russia to provide war materials and supplies – 1 October
  • American navy destroyers are sunk by German submarines, USS Kearny (17th) and USS Reuben James (31st) – October
  • Hideki Tojo becomes Japanese Prime Minister and Minister of War – 17 October
  • Japan bombs American bases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii – 7 December
  • Japan attacks and occupies the Philippine Islands – 7 December
  • Japan attacks and captures Hong Kong and Malaya – 7 December
  • United States declares war against Japan – 8 December
  • German and Italy declare war against the United States – 11 December
  • England declares war on Japan – 20 December

1942:

  • United States begins the “round-up” of Japanese, German and Italian personnel for internment or deportation – 19 February
  • Japan occupies Burma – 8 March
  • American carrier launched B-25 bombers attack Tokyo inflicting minimal damage (Doolittle Raid) – 18 April
  • United States engages Japanese forces in the Coral Sea – 7 May
  • United States halts Japanese advance at Midway Island – 4 June
  • Japanese forces invade and occupy the Aleutian islands of Attu and Kiska – 12 June
  • Germany lands two teams of agents on the east coast (New York/Florida) of the United States with the goal of committing acts of sabotage – 12 June / 18 June
  • German advances in North Africa finally halted by the British at El Alamein – 7 July
  • United States Army and Marines land in the Solomon Islands and engage the Japanese forces on the island of Guadalcanal – 7 August
  • Germany advances across southwest Russia and begins the siege of Stalingrad – 22 August
  • United States determines Italians who are not naturalized will not be classified as “enemy aliens” – 12 October
  • British forces under Montgomery launch major offensive at El Alamein that begins to push the German Afrika Korps westward – 23 October
  • United States and British forces land in North Africa (Operation Torch) – 8 November
  • Germany occupies Vichy France – 11 November
  • United States Naval forces defeat Japanese Navy at the Solomon Islands – 12 November

1943:

  • British and America supplies significantly aid Russia through the northern convoy routes to Archangel, eastern convoy routes to Vladivostok and southern convoy routes through the Persian Gulf to Iran and into Russia – January
  • Churchill and Roosevelt meet for the Casablanca Conference in North Africa and establish the concept of accepting only an “unconditional surrender” from the Axis powers – 14 January
  • Russia completes the destruction of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad – 2 February
  • American forces pushing eastward and British forces pushing westward meet in Tunisia as the Germans are forced from North Africa – 8 April
  • Russia begins great offensive that begin to push German forces westward – 1 July
  • American/British forces invade Sicily – 10 July
  • Resignation and arrest of Mussolini and the Fascist party is ended in Italy – 26 July
  • Conference between Churchill and Roosevelt held in Quebec, Canada to discuss a second front invasion – 24 August
  • American/British forces invade mainland Italy – 3 September
  • Italy surrenders and withdraws from World War II – 8 September
  • Additional German forces are rushed into Italy and seize key cities and areas – 11 September
  • Allied forces halted by the German Gustav Line north of Naples – 1 October
  • Allied forces try to break through the Gustav Line at Monte Cassino, but are repulsed with heavy losses – 20 November
  • Roosevelt meets with Churchill and Stalin in Tehran, Iran to finalize plans for the opening of s second front. Additionally, Churchill and Roosevelt meet with Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek discuss plans in the war against Japan – 28 November

1944:

  • American and British forces land at Anzio (south of Rome) in an attempt to break the stalemate along the Gustav Line – 23 January
  • Americans begin invasion of the Marshall Islands – 2 February
  • American and British forces break through the Gustav Line and link up with Allied forces from Anzio – 18 May
  • American/British forces occupy Rome – 4 June
  • American/British forces land at Normandy (Operation Overlord) – 6 June
  • American B-29 bombers begin air bombing campaign against Japanese home

islands – 16 June

  • Allied forces including Patton’s Third Army break out (Operation Cobra) of the Normandy bridgehead and move toward Paris – 9 July
  • American forces complete capture of Guam – 11 August
  • American/British forces land in Southern France

(Operation Anvil-Dragoon) – 15 August

  • Allies enter and liberate Paris – 24 August
  • Allies enter Belgium and liberate Brussels – 2 September
  • American First Army reaches the border of Germany (Siegfried Line) – 12 September
  • American Seventh Army moving up from southern France link up with American Third Army near Dijon – 15 September
  • Dumbarton Oaks Conference held in Washington, D.C. to develop a permanent international organization to keep the peace – 9 October
  • American forces land on Leyte in the Philippines – 19 October
  • Battle for the Hurtgen Forest – 1 November
  • German forces launch their final counter-offensive (Operation Watch on Rhine) of the war (Battle of the Bulge) – 16 December

1945:

  • Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet at Yalta in the Crimea to discuss post war plans for Germany, Austria and eastern Europe – 7 February
  • Americans defeat the Japanese at the Battle for Iwo Jima – 19 February
  • American/British forces break through the German Siegfried Line and enter Germany crossing the Rhine River initially at Remagen – 7 March
  • Americans invade and eventually defeat the Japanese at Okinawa – 1 April
  • Russia ends its “non-aggression” pact with Japan – 5 April
  • Roosevelt dies suddenly, Harry Truman becomes President of the United States – 12 April
  • American forces meet the Russian forces at the Elbe River – 25 April
  • Mussolini and his mistress are captured and killed by Italian partisans as he tried to escape to Switzerland – 28 April
  • German forces in Italy surrender unconditionally – 28 April
  • Hitler and his wife Eva Braun die in Berlin – 30 April
  • Russian forces occupy Berlin – 1 May
  • Germany signs the terms for unconditional surrender in Rheims, France – 7 May
  • France given part of the American Occupation Zone of Germany and Austria – 18 May
  • San Francisco Conference completes plans for the formation of the United Nations – 26 June
  • United States and British Naval and Air forces attack the Japanese home islands and destroy remnants of the Japanese Navy and Air Force – 10 July
  • Allies issue a demand to Japan for an unconditional surrender, which is subsequently ignored – 26 July
  • Winston Churchill is replaced as Prime Minister by Clement Atlee – 26 July
  • America drops the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima – 6 August
  • Russia declares war on Japan and begins an invasion of Manchuria – 8 August
  • America drops the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki – 9 August
  • Japan agrees to the terms of surrender provided that Emperor Hirohito can remain on his throne – 14 August
  • American occupation forces land in Japan – 28 August
  • Japan signs the terms for unconditional surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay – 2 September
  • United Nations formally comes into existence – 24 October
  • Allied International War Crimes Tribunal convenes at Nurnburg, Germany – 20 November
  • Korea remains divided after the Moscow conference – 27 December