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1939
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September |
Hitler invaded Poland.
Britain and France declared war on Germany.
Poland resisted German attacks for 2-3 weeks but collapsed when USSR
attacked Poland from the East.
Germany and USSR divided Poland between them (September 27th).
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November |
USSR attacked Finland. |
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December |
USSR expelled from League of Nations. |
| 1940 |
March |
USSR and Finland agreed peace treaty. |
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April |
USSR murdered around 5000 Polish army officers
at Katyn. The bodies were not discovered until 1943. |
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April - June |
German forces occupy Denmark, Norway, Holland,
Belgium and France. |
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June - July |
USSR invaded and took control of Baltic
States of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. |
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June - October |
Battle of Britain - Britain defeated Hitler's
plans to invade Britain. |
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September |
Germany, Italy and Japan formed the Axis
Alliance. |
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October-November |
Romania and Hungary joined Axis forces. |
| 1941 |
January - March |
Fierce fighting in North Africa and Balkan
regions. |
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April |
Yugoslavia and Greece fell to German forces. |
| |
June |
German (and Italian, Romanian and Finnish)
forces attack USSR in Operation Barbarossa (June 22nd). Huge advances are
made against the Red Army and they captured Minsk by June 28th. By the end
of the war, USSR suffered 13 million military and 7 million civilian casualties. |
| |
July |
Germans invade the Ukraine.
Britain and USSR agree Mutual Assistance pact.
Nazi murder squads began rounding up and killing Communists and Jews
in Soviet territory.
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August |
US President Roosevelt and British
Prime Minister Churchill met and announced the Atlantic Charter. Charter
set out their aims for fighting the war and for the world after Axis were
defeated.
Nazis surrounded Soviet city of Leningrad and siege continued until 1944.
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September |
Nazis captured Kiev. |
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October |
Nazis advanced on Moscow; also captured
Soviet cities of Odessa, Kharkov and Sebastopol. |
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December |
German forces driven back from Moscow. |
| 1942 |
From 1942 until
end of war |
USA and Britain send supplies and equipment to USSR in convoys.
US and RAF bombers attack German cities with heavy bombing raids.
|
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January |
United Nations Organisation formed to oppose Axis.
Nazis held Wannsee Conference which puts 'Final Solution' - mass murder
of Jews - into operation.
|
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May |
Germans began major advance into Crimea
region of USSR. |
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July |
Crimea fell to Germans who then advanced
on Stalingrad. |
| |
November |
Red Army forces began a counter attack to
drive Germans back at Stalingrad. Stalingrad becomes one of the decisive
battles of the war. |
| 1943 |
February |
Months of brutal fighting at Stalingrad
resulted in major defeat for Germans. Red Army began to push back Germans
in central USSR. |
| |
May |
Battle of Kursk sees critical
defeat of Nazi forces. |
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September |
Italy left war. |
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November |
Big Three - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill
- meet at Tehran Conference in Persia (now Iran). |
| |
November - December |
Soviet troops continued to push
German forces out of Ukraine. |
| 1944 |
January |
Soviet troops advanced into Poland.
German forces finally driven back from Leningrad.
|
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March |
Red Army advanced into Belorussia. |
| |
April - May |
Soviet troops liberated Crimea
from German control. |
| |
June |
D-Day landings of US and British Empire forces in German controlled France.
Red Army drive back Finnish troops.
|
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July |
Soviet troops liberated first concentration
camp. |
| |
August |
Polish resistance rise up against German
army in rebellion centred on Warsaw. Germans defeated Poles in bitter fighting.
Event was particularly controversial because Red Army forces did not advance
on Warsaw as expected while the uprising took place. |
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September |
USSR and Finland agree ceasefire.
Red Army liberated Romania.
Red Army retook Baltic States.
|
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December |
Red Army forces reached Budapest
(capital of Hungary). |
| 1945 |
January |
Red Army forces captured Polish
capital Warsaw. |
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February |
Big Three met at Yalta Conference in Crimea.
|
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March-April |
US, French and British Empire
forces entered Germany from the West, while Red Army entered Germany from
the East.
Hitler committed suicide. |
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May 8th |
VE Day - end of war in Europe. |
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July |
Potsdam Conference between the Big Three.
USA carried out first successful test of atom bomb.
|
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August |
US dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
USSR declared war on Japan.
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September 2nd |
VJ Day - end of World War 2. |