Timeline of World War II Key Dates – World War II Major Events

 

Timeline of World War II Key Dates Part 1

Germany invades Poland.
September 1st, 1939

Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declare war on Germany.
September 3rd, 1939

Canada declares war on Germany.
September 10th, 1939

Soviet Union invades eastern Poland.
September 17th, 1939

Surrender of Warsaw.
September 27th, 1939

Soviet Union invades Finland.
November 30th, 1939

Finland signs peace treaty with Soviet Union.
March 12th, 1940

Germany begins occupation of Denmark and invades Norway.
April 9th, 1940

Germany invades Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.
May 10th, 1940

British Prime Minister, Chamberlain, resigns, replaced by Churchill.
May 10th, 1940

Holland surrenders to Germany.
May 15th, 1940

Evacuation of British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk.
May 26th, 1940

Belgium surrenders to Germany.
May 27th, 1940

Capitulation of Norway.
June 10th, 1940

Italy declares war on Britain and France.
June 10th, 1940

German army enters Paris.
June 14th, 1940

Soviets invade Baltic states.
June 18th, 1940

France signs armistice with Germany.
June 22nd, 1940

Germany begins occupation of Channel Islands.
June 30th, 1940

Start of Battle of Britain.
July 10th, 1940

Petain becomes head of French Vichy Government.
July 11th, 1940

Italy begins occupation of British Somaliland.
August 3rd, 1940

Italy invades Egypt.
September 13th, 1940

Germany, Italy and Japan sign Tripartite Pact.
September 27th, 1940

German army moves into Rumania.
October 7th, 1940

Italy invades Greece.
October 28th, 1940

Greek army repels Italians back into Albania.
November 14th, 1940

Italian 9th Army defeated by Greeks.
November 22nd, 1940

British capture Sidi Barrani, Egypt, from Italians.
December 11th, 1940

British recapture Sollum, Egypt.
December 17th, 1940

Timeline of World War II Key Dates Part 2

1941

Australians capture Bardia, Libya.
January 5th, 1941

British and Australians capture Torbruk.
January 22nd, 1941

British and Australians capture Benghazi.
February 6th, 1941

British capture Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland.
February 25th, 1941

Bulgaria joins Axis.
March 1st, 1941

Yugoslavia signs Tripartite Pact.
March 25th, 1941

Yogoslav government overthrown – leaves Pact.
March 27th, 1941

German Afrika Korps begins offensive in N. Africa.
March 30th, 1941

Germans capture Benghazi.
April 4th, 1941

Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece.
April 6th, 1941

Germans take Zagreb.
April 10th, 1941

Germans occupy Belgrade.
April 12th, 1941

Soviets and Japanese sign neutrality pact.
April 13th, 1941

Yugoslav army surrenders to Germans.
April 17th, 1941

Germans capture Thessalonika.
April 22nd, 1941

Germans capture Athens.
April 27th, 1941

Germans take Sollum.
April 28th, 1941

British re-capture Sollum and Halfaya.
May 15th, 1941

German airborne invasion of Crete.
May 20th, 1941

British forces in Crete defeated.
May 31st, 1941

Allied forces invade Syria.
June 8th, 1941

Operation Barbarossa – Germany invades Soviet Union.
June 22nd, 1941

Italy and Rumania declare war on Soviets.
June 22nd, 1941

Hungary and Slovakia declare war on Soviets.
June 23rd, 1941

Finland declares war on Soviets.
June 26th, 1941

German Army captures Minsk.
June 28th, 1941

Germans capture Smolensk.
July 15th, 1941

Germans capture Novogrod.
August 16th, 1941

German army occupies Estonia.
September 5th, 1941

Siege of Leningrad starts.
September 15th, 1941

Kiev captured by Germans.
September 19th, 1941

Soviet Union moves government to Kuibyshev.
October 16th, 1941

Kharkov falls to Germans.
October 24th, 1941

Germans capture Kursk.
November 3rd, 1941

Germans captue Rostov.
November 22nd, 1941

Germans attack Moscow.
November 25th, 1941

Germans halt attack on Moscow.
December 5th, 1941

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
December 7th, 1941

Japanese declare war on USA.
December 7th, 1941

Japanese invade Siam and Malaya.
December 7th, 1941

Allies (except Soviets) declare war on Japan.
December 8th, 1941

Germany declares war on USA.
December 11th, 1941

Japanese capture Hong Kong.
December 25th, 1941

British Re-capture Benghazi.
December 25th, 1941

Timeline of World War II Key Dates Part 3

1942

Japanese capture Manila.
January 2nd, 1942

British re-take Sollum.
January 11th, 1942

Japanese take Kuala Lumpur.
January 11th, 1942

Soviets recapture Kiev.
January 13th, 1942

Singapore falls to Japanese.
February 15th, 1942

Japanese enter Rangoon.
March 8th, 1942

British capture Madagascar.
May 6th, 1942

Surrender of all US forces on Phillipines.
May 6th, 1942

Germans defeat Soviets at Kharkov.
May 28th, 1942

Battle of Midway – 4 Japanese carriers sunk.
June 4th, 1942

Sevastopol falls to Germans.
July 3rd, 1942

Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy.
August 22nd, 1942

Battle of El Alamein begins.
October 23rd, 1942

Operation Torch begins – Allies invade NW Africa.
November 8th, 1942

Timeline of World War II Key Dates Part 4

1943

Casablanca Conference begins – Roosevelt demands “Unconditional Surrender”.
January 14th, 1943

British 8th Army captures Tripoli.
January 28th, 1943

German surrender at Stalingrad.
January 31st, 1943

Soviets re-capture Kursk.
February 8th, 1943

Soviets re-capture Rostov.
February 14th, 1943

Soviets re-capture Kharkov.
February 16th, 1943

German Army re-takes Kharkov.
March 15th, 1943

Surrender of Axis forces in North Africa.
May 12th, 1943

Operation Husky – Allied landings in Sicily.
July 10th, 1943

Mussolini’s Italian Fascist government overthrown.
July 25th, 1943

Marshal Badoglio declares martial law in Italy.
July 26th, 1943

Soviets re-capture Kharkov for the second time.
August 23rd, 1943

Italy signs armistice.
September 3rd, 1943

Germans occupy Rome.
September 10th, 1943

Mussolini declares Fascist government in Northern Italy.
September 23rd, 1943

Soviets re-take Smolensk.
September 25th, 1943

Official Italian Government declares war on Germany.
October 13th, 1943

Soviets re-capture Kiev.
November 6th, 1943

Timeline of World War II Key Dates Part 5

1944

Soviets advance into Poland.
January 6th, 1944

Allied landings in Anzio.
January 22nd, 1944

End of siege of Leningrad.
January 27th, 1944

Hungary occupied by German Army.
March 19th, 1944

Soviets capture Odessa.
April 10th, 1944

Sevastopol falls to Soviets.
May 9th, 1944

Rome captured by Allies.
June 4th, 1944

Operation Neptune/Overlord – Allied invasion of Normandy.
June 6th, 1944

US Army captures Cherbourg.
June 27th, 1944

Soviets re-capture Minsk.
July 3rd, 1944

Japanese defeat on Saipan.
July 7th, 1944

Allies capture Caen.
July 9th, 1944

German assassination attempt on Hitler fails.
July 20th, 1944

US landings on Guam.
July 21st, 1944

Beginning of Operation Cobra – Allied breakout from Normandy.
July 25th, 1944

Soviets take Brest-Litovsk.
July 28th, 1944

Allies liberate Florence.
August 4th, 1944

Operation Anvil – Allied landings in South of France.
August 15th, 1944

Allies liberate Paris.
August 25th, 1944

Liberation of Marseilles/Toulon.
August 28th, 1944

Germans abandon Bulgaria.
August 30th, 1944

Soviets capture Bucharest.
August 31st, 1944

Pisa liberated.
September 2nd, 1944

Antwerp/Brussels liberated.
September 3rd, 1944

Soviets declare war on Bulgaria.
September 5th, 1944

Le Havre liberated.
September 12th, 1944

Operation Market Garden – failed airborne assault in Holland.
September 17th, 1944

Boulogne liberated.
September 22nd, 1944

Estonia occupied by Soviets.
September 26th, 1944

Liberation of Calais.
September 28th, 1944

Soviets enter Yugoslavia.
October 1st, 1944

Allies land in Greece.
October 4th, 1944

Athens liberated.
October 14th, 1944

Liberation of Belgrade.
October 20th, 1944

Allies capture Aachen.
October 21st, 1944

Soviets enter East Prussia.
October 23rd, 1944

Surrender of Axis forces in Greece.
November 4th, 1944

French capture Strasbourg.
November 24th, 1944

German attack through Ardennes – Battle of the Bulge begins.
December 16th, 1944

US troops hold Bastogne – Ardennes offensive stalls.
December 26th, 1944

Timeline of World War II Key Dates Part 6

1945

Germans withdraw from Ardennes.
January 1st, 1945

German Ardennes “Bulge” eliminated.
January 16th, 1945

Soviets capture Warsaw.
January 17th, 1945

Japanese retreat to Chinese coast.
January 26th, 1945

Soviets liberate Auschwitz.
January 26th, 1945

Trier captured by Allies.
February 2nd, 1945

Manila falls to Allies.
February 4th, 1945

Koblenz falls to Allies.
February 17th, 1945

Japanese evacuate Mandalay.
February 19th, 1945

US landings on Iwo Jima.
February 19th, 1945

Saarbrucken captured by Allies.
February 20th, 1945

Poznan falls to Soviets.
February 23rd, 1945

Danzig captured by Soviets.
February 20th, 1945

US invades Okinawa.
April 1st, 1945

Hanover falls to Allies.
April 10th, 1945

Soviets and Yugoslavs sign treaty.
April 11th, 1945

US President Roosevelt dies – Truman becomes President.
April 12th, 1945

Soviets capture Vienna.
April 13th, 1945

Allies capture Arnhem.
April 15th, 1945

Soviets enter Berlin.
April 23rd, 1945

Nuremburg falls to Allies.
April 20th, 1945

Mussolini captured by partisans and executed.
April 28th, 1945

Hitler commits suicide.
April 30th, 1945

German forces in Italy surrender.
May 2nd, 1945

German forces in Holland, Denmark and N W Germany surrender.
May 4th, 1945

Ceasefire on Western Front.
May 5th, 1945

German unconditional surrender.
May 7th, 1945

VE Day declared.
May 8th, 1945

Soviets occupy Prague.
May 9th, 1945

Liberation of Channel Islands.
May 9th, 1945

Australians invade Borneo.
June 10th, 1945

US forces capture Okinawa.
June 22nd, 1945

Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
August 6th, 1945

Soviets declare war on Japan.
August 8th, 1945

Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
August 9th, 1945

Japanese surrender.
August 14th, 1945

VJ Day declared.
August 15th, 1945

British land in Singapore.
September 5th, 1945

Japanese surrender Shanghai.
September 7th, 1945

Surrender of remaining Japanese forces in China.
September 9th, 1945

Japanese surrender in Burma.
September 13th, 1945

Japanese surrender in Hong Kong.
September 16th, 1945

 

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