WW2 timeline by Nora McBride

January 30, 1933 - Hitlers rise to power

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:13:12 UTC

Hitler gained control over Germany and turned it into a one-party dictatorship. (source: Holocaust Encyclopedia)

January, 1939 - Werner's death

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:14:24 UTC

Liesel Meminger's brother, Werner Meminger, died in her arms on the way to their foster home at 33 Himmel Street. (The Book Thief, pg 20-21)

January 13, 1939 - Liesel's first book stolen

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:15:47 UTC

Liesel stole her first book, "The Gravedigger's Handbook," at her brothers burial. Its black cover made it a noticable contrast against the pale white snow, which made it stick out to her. (The Book Thief, pg. 24)

September 1, 1939 - WW2 begins

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:16:42 UTC

World War Two starts after the Poland Invasion, with the axis powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy) and the allies (Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union [which was originally on the opposite side], the United States, and China).

(Source: Britannica)

April 20, 1940 - Liesel's second stolen book// Hitlers birthday

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:20:11 UTC

Liesel stole her second book-- "The Shoulder Shrug"-- from a celebratory book burning for Hitlers birthday. She achieved it after stumbling across the pile of burnt books, and found a few books left unburnt. (The Book Thief, pg. 120-122)

November, 1940 - Max's arrival

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:25:38 UTC

Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man, arrived at 33 Himmel Street and hid in the Hubermanns' basement. This caused the Hubermanns to live in constant danger and paranoia as hiding/protecting jews in Germany was illegal. (The Book Thief, pg. 182)

December 7, 1941 - bombings of Pearl Harbor

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:26:19 UTC

The Japanese Navy bombed the American military base Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, which was a suprise attack that ultimately caused America to join the war.

(source: National WW2 Museum )

June 3, 1942 - Battle of Midway starts

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:26:49 UTC

The Battle of Midway starts after Japan hopes to defeat the US Pacific fleet and to gain more advantage points to attack the US military base Pearl Harbor. (Source: Britannica)

June 6, 1942 - Battle of Midway ends

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:27:24 UTC

The Battle of Midway comes to an end with around 3,000 deaths. It resulted as an American victory, with the Japanese ability to launch a large-scale attack on the Allies being crushed.

(Source: CBS News)

June 12, 1942 - Anne gets her diary

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:30:14 UTC

Anne Frank got her diary from her parents, as a gift for her birthday. Yay! This was a whimsical experience for Anne, as she had always wanted a diary. She called her diary "kitty".

(Source: Anne Frank House)

July6, 1942 - The Franks go into hiding

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:31:40 UTC

Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the secret annex, hidden alongside the Van Pels--known as the Van Daans in the Diary of Anne Frank play--as the Netherlands was now too unsafe to live in if you were Jewish. The enterence to the secret annex was hidden behind a fake bookshelf door.

(Source: Britannica)

July 17, 1942 - The Battle of Stalingrad starts

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:33:03 UTC

The Battle of Stalingrad starts against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union with Germany wanting the Russian city of Stalingrad. (Source: Imperial War Museum )

February 2, 1943 - The Battle of Stalingrad ends

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:34:09 UTC

The Battle of Stalingrad ends with 1.2 million deaths with the last of the German army surrendering to the red army. (Source: Holocaust Encyclopedia)

April, 1943 - Hans returns

noramcbride — 2025-04-29 17:35:12 UTC

Hans Hubermann (Liesels foster father/papa) came back home after he got drafted and sent to Stuttgart (as well as Essen) as an LSE, where he would clean up after air raids. He returned after being injured in a vehicle accident and was sent home to rest despite being expected to join a desk job once healed. (The Book Thief, pg. 492)

June 6, 1944 - D-day

noramcbride — 2025-04-30 12:44:28 UTC

The allied forces invaded Normandy, which is known as D-Day. This invasion cleared the way to WW2's end by establishing a western front against Germany and the Nazi-occupied portion of France.

(Source: Eisenhower Library)

August 4, 1944 - Secret annex discovered

noramcbride — 2025-04-30 12:46:49 UTC

Anne Frank gets caught in the secret annex and arrested by the green police/Nazis. They were captured after someone anymously told the German authorities of their hiding place, yet said person reminds unknown.

(Source: Anne Frank House )

November 1, 1944 - Concentration camps

noramcbride — 2025-04-30 12:47:40 UTC

Anne and her sister, Margot, get sent to Bergen-Belson concentration camp while their mother, Edith Frank, was alone in Auschwitz.

(Source: Holocaust Encyclopedia)

February/March, 1945 - Anne and Margot's death

noramcbride — 2025-04-30 12:53:28 UTC

Anne and Margot Frank died of typhus in the concentration camp. the two were buried in a mass grave on the concentration camp

(Source: Anne Frank House)

August 6, 1945 - Hiroshima and Nagasaki

noramcbride — 2025-04-30 12:55:20 UTC

America bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was successfully done to cause Japan's surrender. Japans surrender was necessary to America to reduce the amount of lives lost in the war. These cities were chosen as they were previously unharmed, which made it easy to see the results of atomic bombs.

(Source: City of Hiroshima)

September 2, 1945 - WW2 end

noramcbride — 2025-04-30 12:58:30 UTC

World War two ends with 70-85 million deaths. it concluded with the signing of the surender documents on board the USS Missouri in the Tokyo Bay. (Source: Lumen Learning)