How World War II unfolded in 6 years
Munich Agreement is signed
Britain, France, Germany, and Italy sign the Munich Agreement, handing over the Sudetenland in a failed bid to preserve peace.
Germany occupies Bohemia and Moravia
Hitler breaks the Munich promise and occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia, showing that expansion will continue beyond the Sudetenland.
Germany invades Poland
German forces cross into Poland, triggering the opening campaign of World War II in Europe.
Britain and France declare war
Two days after the invasion, Britain and France declare war on Germany, transforming a regional invasion into a global conflict.
Soviet forces enter eastern Poland
The Soviet Union invades eastern Poland under the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, dividing the country.
Operation Dynamo begins at Dunkirk
Allied troops begin the evacuation from Dunkirk as German forces close in on the beaches and harbor.
Dunkirk evacuation ends
Hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers are rescued, preserving the core of the British Army for the next phase of the war.
Battle of Britain begins
The Luftwaffe opens its air assault on Britain, beginning months of dogfights, raids, and civilian endurance.
Operation Barbarossa begins
Germany invades the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front and turning the war into a vast war of attrition.
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
Japanese aircraft strike the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing the United States fully into the war.
Battle of Midway begins
The U.S. and Japanese fleets clash at Midway, a turning point that shifts momentum in the Pacific.
Battle of Stalingrad begins
German and Soviet forces collide in one of the deadliest battles in history, fighting for the city on the Volga.
Stalingrad ends with Soviet victory
The German Sixth Army surrenders, marking a major turning point on the Eastern Front.
Battle of Kursk begins
Germany launches Operation Citadel, sparking the largest tank battle in history.
D-Day lands in Normandy
Allied troops storm the beaches of Normandy, opening the Western Front in force.
Battle of the Bulge begins
Germany launches its last major counteroffensive in the Ardennes, trying to split the Allied advance.
Auschwitz is liberated
Soviet troops reach Auschwitz and reveal the scale of the Nazi genocide to the world.
Hitler dies in Berlin
As Soviet forces close in, Hitler dies by suicide in his bunker, ending Nazi Germany's leaderless final days.
Victory in Europe Day
Germany surrenders unconditionally, and Europe celebrates the end of the war on the continent.
Hiroshima is bombed
The United States drops the first atomic bomb used in war, devastating Hiroshima and changing the endgame in the Pacific.
Japan announces surrender
Japan accepts the Allied terms and the war in the Pacific effectively comes to an end.
Japan formally surrenders
The surrender is signed aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II.