World War 2 Graphic Timeline by Ethan Bui

Dunkirk Evacuation (5/26/1940) - (6/4/1940)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 20:31:13 UTC

The evacuation of more than 338K allied soldiers back to Britain in Northern France. The allies were losing the Battle of France and so needed to evacuate. The evacuation was a great success that helped keep the army intact and also boosted morale.

Japan Signs Official Surrender (9/2/1945)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 20:35:10 UTC

Japan officially surrendered on the deck of the USS Missouri. The USS Missouri was anchored in the Tokyo Bay when the surrender was signed. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed for Japan while Douglas MacArthur signed for the Allies.

Hitler Commits Suicide (4/30/1945)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 20:42:02 UTC

Hitler killed himself by a gunshot to his head in a bunker underneath his headquarters in Berlin. Hitler did this because it was increasingly clear that the Allies would win the war. Soon after he killed himself, Germany surrendered.

Battle of Britain (7/10/1940) - (10/31/1940)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 20:50:49 UTC

A military campaign where the Royal Air force defended the UK against attacks by the Nazi air force/airstrikes. It was the first major military campaign that was fought entirely by air forces. The Nazi’s air force (Luftwaffe) was defeated which forced Hitler to abandon his plan to invade England.

Attack on Pearl Harbor (12/7/1941)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 20:56:03 UTC

A surprise military attack by Japan on the U.S’s naval base at Pearl Harbor at Oahu, Hawaii. Japan did this in hopes to destroy American Naval power and prevent them from retaliating. This caused the U.S to officially join WW2 on the side of the Allies.

Germany Surrenders (5/8/1945)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 21:02:16 UTC

The official surrender of Germany marking their defeat to the Allies in WW2. Representatives of four allied powers were present which were from France, Britain, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. Signed at Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims.

Guadalcanal Campaign (8/7/1942) - (2/9/1943)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 21:06:57 UTC

An Allied offensive against Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands. Involved major land and naval battles surrounding the island of Guadalcanal. Six months of fighting for the U.S forces to hold the island which in the end, they won and this was the first step in driving the Japanese forces back.

Soviet Union Invaded (6/22/1941)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 21:20:35 UTC

Operation Barbarossa was the codename for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. German forces quickly made successful and significant advances into Soviet territory but ultimately the invasion failed. The Soviet people fought back and along with the harsh winter, the plan failed.

Battle of Midway (6/4/1942) - (6/7/1942)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 21:33:10 UTC

A major naval battle in which the U.S. won against the Japanese troops. This battle was a turning point for the war. The U.S. intercepted a Japanese fleet and destroyed 3 carriers crippling Japan’s ability to launch large scale mobile strikes against the Allied forces.

Allies Land in North Africa (11/8/1942)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 21:38:01 UTC

American and British troops invaded beaches and ports across French North Africa. Called Operation Torch, it was the most complex amphibious landing at that point in world history. It turned the tide of the war as it allowed the Allies to gain offensive for the first time in three years and established North Africa as a launchpad for the invasion of Italy.

D-Day (6/6/1944)

12366656 — 2025-03-10 21:47:13 UTC

The largest seaborne invasion in history. The invasion marked the beginning of the liberation of areas occupied by the Nazis in Europe. 10s of thousands of soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy, France which was mined, full of barbed wire, and had a constant shower of bullets from guns overlooking the beaches owned by the Nazis.

Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki (8/6/1945) and (8/9/1945)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 19:57:39 UTC

The United States detonated two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most of the 150K to 246K killed were civilians. The U.S. did this in order to end the war quickly and this was the only use of nukes in a conflict/war.

Japanese Internment Camps in America - (2/14/1942) - (3/20/1946)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 20:04:54 UTC

The U.S. forced 120K people of Japanese Descent into 10 different concentration camps. Most of these people were U.S. citizens and were forced to stay in these camps for years where they faced restrictions on their rights and freedoms. These camps were used in order to stop any Japanese spies.

German Surrender in Stalingrad (2/2/1943)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 20:10:46 UTC

The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle on the Eastern Front. The 6th Army had exhausted their ammunition and food and so surrendered making it the first of Hitler’s armies to have surrendered. A strategic counteroffensive by the Soviets flanked and surrounded a large number of German troops which ultimately forced them to surrender.

Manhattan Project - (8/13/1942) - (8/25/1947)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 20:16:21 UTC

A top secret WW2 effort to develop the Atomic Bomb. It was led by the U.S. in collaboration with the UK and Canada. It was kept secret in order to prevent Germany and Japan from learning about the atomic bomb which was eventually developed and dropped on the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Poland Invaded - (9/1/1939) - (10/6/1939)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 20:21:16 UTC

A joint attack on Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union. This invasion marked the beginning of WW2. The aim of the invasion was to make Poland no longer a sovereign country and to give German citizens more space.

Iwo Jima Captured (3/25/1945)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 20:29:50 UTC

The U.S. wanted to capture Iwo Jima because it would protect the right flank for an American invasion of Okinawa and provide air fields to fighter escorts for bombing missions. After 5 weeks of fighting on the island, the U.S. had finally captured Iwo Jima. The island was a very strategic area and so the battles for the capture of it were worth it for the U.S.

Okinawa Captured (6/22/1945)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 20:35:23 UTC

The Battle of Okinawa was a battle that dragged on for over 3 months and included some of the worst kamikaze attacks of the whole war. The U.S invaded Okinawa in order to remove the last barrier between the U.S. and Japan. The island was strategic as its airbases and anchorage would allow the U.S. to strike Japan and block its supply routes making the capturing of the island well worth it.

Battle of the Bulge (12/16/1944) - (1/25/1945)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 20:39:27 UTC

The last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front. The Allies won the battle at a high cost and the Germans retreated at a high cost. The Germans launched a surprise offensive and the Allies counterattacked from the North and South.

Non-Aggression Pact (8/23/1939)

12366656 — 2025-03-11 23:54:09 UTC

Also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, this pact between Germany and the Soviet Union agreed that the two countries wouldn’t attack each other and secretly divided the countries in between them. It was signed and allowed the two to have a joint invasion of Poland which divided Poland in half between the two countries. Allowed Hitler and Germany to invade Poland without having to fight the Soviet Union on a second front.