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Kids learn about the timeline of World War II in history. Major events leading up to and during the war. Battles, alliances, and treaties.
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- Causes of WW2
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- World War 2
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American occupation force enters Japan. September. 2. Japan surrenders formally aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The timeline below highlights key events of World War II. For additional notable World War II personalities, seeOmar Bradley; Mark Clark; Hermann Göring; William Halsey;….
- Poland
- Scandinavia and The Low Countries
- France
- Great Britain
- The Atlantic Ocean
- North Africa
- The Soviet Union
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This began World War II. The Germans used a new kind of attack. They called it blitzkrieg, or “lightning war.” Blitzkrieg relied on fast-moving tanks and warplanes to shock the enemy into surrendering. After this invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India...
Between April and June 1940 the Germans took over Norway and Denmark. In May they moved into the Low Countries—Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
In mid-May 1940 the first German troops crossed into France. By June 14 the Germans had entered Paris, the French capital. On June 22 France agreed to let Germans rule most of their country. However, many French people continued to fight the Germans. They were called the Free French. They took orders from Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle’s headquarters...
Hitler’s next target was the island of Great Britain. Starting in June 1940, German warplanes began bombing Britain. However, the British had a new invention called radar. Radar warned the British when German aircraft were nearing. British fighter airplanes shot down many attackers. This battle, called the Battle of Britain, was the world’s first m...
The British also fought the German navy. Early in the war, the Germans sank many of the supply ships that delivered food and weapons from North America. In 1943 the Allies began to use aircraft carriers to protect convoys, or groups, of supply ships. The number of supply ships reaching Britain then increased.
In the autumn of 1940 the Italians invaded Egypt. They wanted to control the Suez Canal, which linked the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. However, the British drove the Italians back. Then the German general Erwin Rommel led the Germans to victories in North Africa. In 1942 British forces finally stopped Rommel in two battles...
After conquering the countries on Germany’s borders, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. The attack began on June 22, 1941. The Soviet Union joined the Allies soon afterward. The Soviets stopped the Germans on the edges of Moscow (the Soviet capital) and Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). In 1942 Hitler decided to take the Soviet city of Stalingrad(now...
- Masterpiece
- November 11, 1918. World War I Ends. Britain, France, the US, and other allies defeat Germany, bringing an end to World War I, billed as “the war to end all wars.”
- January 30, 1933. Hitler Appointed German Leader. Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany and later assumes dictatorial powers. German rearmament takes off.
- September 1, 1939. World War II Begins. Germany invades Poland, inciting Poland’s allies Britain and France to declare war on Germany.
- September 17, 1939. Soviet Union Invades Poland. Working in concert with Hitler, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin orders the invasion of Poland, securing a share of Polish territory.
- 1939. September 1: Germany invades Poland, starting World War II in Europe (European War). September 3: Britain and France warns Germany to move all soldiers out of Poland or there will be war.
- 1940. 9 April: Denmark surrenders. May 10: Germany invades Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- 1941. January 16: British troops start to counter-attack on Italian-held Ethiopia. March 24: German troops in Africa under Erwin Rommel's command wins for the first time.
- 1942. April 18: The Doolittle Raid is launched, bombing Tokyo from the United States. June 4: Americans defeat Japan at Midway Island.
World War II - History for kids. World War 2 started in September 1939 when Germany attacked Poland. The Axis powers were those countries that joined to attack Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean and the Pacific. The Allied Powers generally consisted of Great Britain, The Soviet Union, China and the United States.
Check out these pages to learn about the events, battles, and people of World War II: Overview: World War II Timeline. Allied Powers and Leaders. Axis Powers and Leaders. Causes of WW2. War in Europe. War in the Pacific. After the War.
