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Massive defenses built along France’s border with Germany after WWI in 1928

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August 1939

Signed in Moscow

Germany signs non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union

Meant to keep Britain from entering a war

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September 1939

German blitzkrieg overruns Poland

Quick German victory

Britain & France & Germany & Poland

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May 1940

Hitler’s army moves through the Ardennes and around the Maginot Line

Reach France’s Northern coast in 10 days

France and Germany

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Spring 1940

Allied forces pushed to the beaches at Dunkirk

French & British troops rescued by 850 British ships

France and Britain and Germany

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Summer of 1940 – May 1941

German Luftwaffe makes nightly bomb raids over Great Britain

New technology (Enigma, Radar) allow British RAF to hold off Germany and prove that hitler can be stopped

Germany and Britain

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June 1941

Germany breaks non-aggression pact & invades the Soviet Union

Soviet Union uses Scorched Earth Policy and holds back Germany at Leningrad

Germany and Russia

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December 7, 1941

Japanese surprise attack on the US in retaliation for cutting off their oil supply

19 American ships sunk or damaged

Japan and USA

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June 4, 1942

Japan targeted Midway to get the whole US fleet to the island.

US attack on Japanese aircraft carriers and was successful

Japan and USA

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August 1942 – February 1943

Germany wanted to seize oil fields and capture Stalingrad

German troops surrender to the Soviet Union due to starvation and cold

Germany and Russia

Germany lost

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August 1942 – February 1943

Allies attacked Japanese airbase in Solomon Islands

Battle turned into a savage struggle

Allies and Japan

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June 1944

Massive invasion of Europe planned by Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower

Normandy, France

USA and Britain and Canada

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Allied soldiers push into Paris and free France

Soviet army closes in on Germany from the east

The Battle of Berlin begins in April 1945

Hitler commits suicide that month

Allies and Germany

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February-June 1945

Brutal fighting over small islands in Japan

High casualties on both sides

Japan and Allies

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August 6 & 9th, 1945

President Truman informed an invasion of Japan might cost a million lives

Dropping the bomb would be the quickest possible end to war

Approximately 140,000+ Japanese civilians died in the atomic bombs

Radiation fallout killed more. Led to Japanese surrender

Japan and USA

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August 14, 1945

Japan had surrendered unconditionally

Marks the end of World War II