The Munich Agreement (1938) allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland, appeasing Hitler. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939) was a non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, secretly dividing Eastern Europe.
Germany launched a blitzkrieg attack on Poland on September 1, 1939. The Soviet Union invaded from the east on September 17, fulfilling the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3.
Germany launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, breaking their non-aggression pact. This marked the beginning of a brutal Eastern Front.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, sinking American battleships and prompting the U.S. to enter WWII. This led to global conflict as Japan continued its expansion in the Pacific.
The Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 - February 1943) marked a turning point in the war. Soviet forces encircled and defeated the German 6th Army, ending Hitler’s Eastern expansion.
The Battle of Midway (June 1942) saw the U.S. destroy four Japanese aircraft carriers, shifting control in the Pacific.
The Second Battle of El Alamein (October 1942) stopped Axis forces in North Africa, paving the way for the Allied invasion of Italy.
On June 6, 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, landing in Normandy and beginning the liberation of Nazi-occupied France.
Paris was liberated on August 25, 1944, following a successful resistance uprising and Allied advance.
Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 (VE Day) after Soviet forces captured Berlin.
Japan refused to surrender, leading to the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9). Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945 (VJ Day), officially ending WWII.