World War II Chronology

World War II Chronology

These details have not all been double checked, they have been pulled together from various books and websites to give context for the time that posters were produced. 1938 September Munich Crisis 1939 March End of Civil War, Spain August 23rd Nazi/Soviet non-aggression pact September 1st Germany invades Poland 3rd Britain, France, Australia, NZ & India v. Germany 10th Canada v. Germany 17th Soviet Union invades E. Poland 27th Surrender of Warsaw November 30th Soviet Union invades Finland December 17th German Graf Spee scuttled 17th 1st Canadian troops arrived in UK 1940 March 12th Finland treaty with Soviet Union. 28th Allied leaders agree no armistice without prior agreement April 9th Germany occupies Denmark & invades Norway May 10th Germany invades Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg 15th Holland surrenders 26th Dunkirk evacuation begins 27th Belgium surrenders June 4th Dunkirk evacuation ends 10th Italy declares war – Axis 10th Norway surrenders 14th German army -> Paris 18th Soviets invade Baltic States 22nd France surrenders 30th Channel Islands occupied July 10th Battle of Britain commences 11th Petain = Head of French Vichy Government August 3rd Italy occupies British Somaliland September 13th Italy invades Egypt 27th Germany, Italy & Japan – Tripartite Pact October 7th Germany invades Rumania 28th Italy invades Greece November 14th Greek army repels Italians into Albania 22nd Italians defeated by Greeks December 11th British capture Sidi Barrani (Egypt) from Italians 17th British an attacking force in Libya 1941 January 5th Australians capture Bardia, Libya 22nd British/Australians capture Tobruk February 6th British/Australians capture Benghazi 25th British capture Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland. March 1st Bulgaria joins Axis 25th Yugoslavia signs Tripartite pact 27th Yugoslav Govt. overthrown 30th Germany v. N. Africa April 4th Germans capture Benghazi. 6th Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece. 10th Germans take Zagreb. 12th Germans occupy Belgrade. 13th Soviets and Japanese sign neutrality pact. 17th Yugoslavia surrenders. 22nd Germans capture Thessalonika. 27th Germans capture Athens. 28th Germans take Sollum. May 15th British re-capture Sollum and Halfaya. 20th German airborne invasion of Crete. 31st British forces in Crete defeated. June 8th Allied forces invade Syria. 22nd Operation Barbarossa – Germany invades Soviet Union. 22nd Italy and Rumania declare war on Soviets. 23rd Hungary and Slovakia declare war on Soviets. 26th Finland declares war on Soviets. 28th Germany captures Minsk. July 15th Germans capture Smolensk August 16th Germans capture Novogrod September 5th Germany occupies Estonia 15th Siege of Leningrad starts 19th Kiev captured by Germans October 16th USSR Govt to Kuibyshev 24th Kharkov to Germany 25th Prince of Wales- flagship battleship sails for Singapore November 3rd Kursk captured 14th Ark Royal sunk nr Gibraltar 22nd Rostov captured 25th Moscow attacked December 5th Germans halt attack on Moscow. 7th Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour/ Japanese declare war on USA. 7th Japanese invade Siam and Malaya. 8th Allies (except Soviets) declare war on Japan. 11th Germany declares war on USA. 25th Japanese capture Hong Kong. 25th British Re-capture Benghazi. 1942 January 2nd Japanese capture Manila. 11th British re-take Sollum. 11th Japanese take Kuala Lumpur. 13th Soviets recapture Kiev. February 15th Signapore falls to Japan March 8th Japanese enter Rangoon May 6th British capture Madagascar 6th Surrender of all US forces on Phillipines 28th Germans defeat Soviets @ Kharkov 31st Raids on Cologne June 4th Battle of Midway – 4 Japanese carriers sunk 11th US & USSR – lend lease deal signed. July 3rd Sevastapol falls to Germans August 22nd Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy October 23rd Battle of El Alamein begins November 8th Operation Torch begins – Allies invade NW Africa 1943 January 14th Casablanca Conference begins – Roosevelt demands “Unconditional Surrender”. 28th British 8th Army captures Tripoli. 31st German surrender at Stalingrad. February 8th Soviets re-capture Kursk. 14th Soviets re-capture Rostov. 16th Soviets re-capture Kharkov. March 15th Germany re-takes Kharkov May 12th Surrender of Axis forces in N. Africa June 16th RAF starts heavy bombardment of Sicily July 10th Operation Husky – Allied landings in Sicily 25th Mussolini’s Italian Fascist government overthrown 26th Marshal Badoglio declares martial law in Italy August 23rd Soviets re-capture Kharkov September 3rd Italy signs armistice. 10th Germans occupy Rome. 23rd Mussolini declares Fascist government in Northern Italy. 25th Soviets re-take Smolensk. October 13th Official Italian Govt. declares war on Germany November 6th Soviets re-capture Kiev 1944 January 6th Soviets advance into Poland 22nd Allied landings in Anzio 27th End of Leningrad siege March 19th Hungary occupied by Germans April 10th Soviets capture Odessa May 9th Sevastapol to Soviets 18th Monte Casino to Poles June 4th Rome captured by Allies. 6th Operation Neptune/Overlord (D-Day) – Allied invasion of Normandy. (Bad weather delayed start) 27th US Army captures Cherbourg. July 3rd Soviets re-capture Minsk. 7th Japanese defeat on Saipan. 9th Allies capture Caen. 20th German assassination attempt on Hitler fails. 21st US landings on Guam. 25th Beginning of Operation Cobra – Allied breakout from Normandy. 28th Soviets take Brest-Litovsk. August 4th Allies liberate Florence. 15th Operation Anvil – Allied landings in South of France. 25th Allies liberate Paris. 28th Liberation of Marseilles/Toulon. 30th Germans abandon Bulgaria. 31st Soviets capture Bucharest. September 2nd Pisa liberated. 3rd Antwerp/Brussels liberated. 5th Soviets declare war on Bulgaria. 12th Le Havre liberated. 17th Operation Market Garden – failed airborne assault in Holland. 22nd Boulogne liberated. 26th Estonia occupied by Soviets. 28th – Liberation of Calais. October 1st Soviets enter Yugoslavia. 4th Allies land in Greece. 14th Athens liberated. 20th Liberation of Belgrade. 21st Allies capture Aachen. 23rd Soviets enter East Prussia. November 4th Surrender of Axis forces in Greece. 24th French capture Strasbourg. December 16th German attack through Ardennes – Battle of the Bulge begins. 26th US troops hold Bastogne – Ardennes offensive stalls. 1945 January 1st Germans withdraw Ardennes. 16th German Ardennes “Bulge” eliminated. 17th Soviets capture Warsaw. 26th Japanese retreat to Chinese coast. 26th Soviets liberate Auschwitz. February 2nd Trier captured by Allies. 4th Manila falls to Allies. 17th Koblenz falls to Allies. 19th Japanese evacuate Mandalay. 19th US landings on Iwo Jima. 20th Saarbrucken captured by Allies. 20th Danzig captured by Soviets. 23rd Poznan falls to Soviets. March 10th Massive US firebombing attack on Tokyo flatten city. April 1st US invades Okinawa. 10th Hanover falls to Allies. 11th Soviets and Yugoslavs sign treaty. 12th US President Roosevelt dies – Truman becomes President. 13th Soviets capture Vienna. 13th Buchenwald CC liberated 15th Allies capture Arnhem. 20th Nuremburg falls to Allies. 23rd Soviets enter Berlin. 28th Mussolini executed by partisans. 29th Dachau CC Liberated 30th Hitler commits suicide. May 2nd German forces in Italy surrender. 4th German forces in Holland, Denmark and N W Germany surrender. 5th Ceasefire on Western Front. 7th German unconditional surrender. 8th VE Day 9th Soviets occupy Prague. 9th Liberation of Channel Islands. 14th Ebensee CC (Austria) liberated 28th Lord Haw-Haw captured June 10th Australians invade Borneo. 22nd US forces capture Okinawa. July 16th 1st Atomic bomb tested New Mexico desert. August 6th Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. 8th Soviets declare war on Japan. 9th Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. 14th Japanese surrender. 15th VJ Day declared. 25th Lend-Lease ended September 5th British land in Singapore. 7th Japanese surrender Shanghai. 9th Surrender of remaining Japanese forces in China. 13th Japanese surrender in Burma. 16th Japanese surrender in Hong Kong. December 31st Nazi War Crimes Trials @ Nuremberg