Weimar Germany out of hyperinflationand to return Weimar’s economy to some form of stability. The Dawes Plan got its name as the man who headed the committee was an American called Charles Dawes.

1939The United States government declares its neutrality in the European conflict.

1939The German battleships Deutschland and Graf Spee are let loose on Allied shipping convoys in the North Atlantic.

1939The Graf Spee goes on to sink four more Allied merchant vessels during the month of October.

1939The United States government revises its neutral stance and allows for sales of military goods to occur - the buyer responsible for payment and transport.

1939The Finnish government seeks assistance from the League of Nations.

1939The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations.

1940The U.S. government commits millions to a new defense program aimed at modernizing and strengthening the current force.

1940U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signs a $1.3 billion dollar commitment to modernize the United States Navy fleet in preparation for possible war.

1940War goods begin leaving U.S. shores bound for Britain.

1940Republican Frank Knox is appointed Secretary for the Navy by President Roosevelt.

1940Republican Henry Stimson is appointed Secretary for War by President Roosevelt.

1940In an effort to disrupt the Japanese war economy, the U.S. government enacts a restrictive licensing program for its export of important steel and oil products.

1940The British and American governments agree to a deal for the British to receive some 50 old USN destroyers.

1940Franklin Roosevelt is reelected to a third term as President of the United States.

1940Roosevelt's Fireside Chat radio program attempts to strengthen American support for the war against the Axis through supporting the British effort.

1941The U.S. government commits to construction of some 200 merchant ships to support the Allied cause in the Atlantic.

1941High level talks between the British and the Americans results in strengthening ties for the nations in the event of an American declaration of war with Germany.

1941The United States Navy reorganizes into three independent fleets to cover possible battlefronts in the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Asia-Pacific regions.

1941President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law allowing the United States government to militarily support - with delayed payments - any and all allies when U.S. interests are threatened.

1941United States vessels capture some sixty-five ships aligned with the Axis powers.

1941The first US combat action against Germany occurs - this being the USS Niblack destroyer firing on a marauding German U-boat violating the US security zone.

1941The Japanese naval fleet leaves home port and heads to Hawaii.

1941American codebreakers begin tracking down a multi-part message - made up of 14 total components. Only the first 13 are actually deciphered, each being passed on to the President and the Secretary of State.

1941An attack against America is now deemed imminent though the consensus being that it will occur against interests somehwere in Southeast Asia.

1941American President Franklin Roosevelt sends a final peace appeal to the Empire of Japan to which there is no answer.

1941At 7:53AM, complete surprise by the Japanese Navy and the first wave begins their initial strike. This force is made up of 50 medium bombers, 43 A6M Zero fighters and 40 Kate torpedo bombers. Targets are the battleships hunkered down in the harbor and airfields used by the USAAF.

1941The attack on Pearl Harbor is over at 9:45AM. Over 2,400 people are killed and a further 1,178 are wounded. More die in the ensuing days while 1,104 sailors eventually perish within the hull of the battleship USS Arizona, its magazine stores ignited by a single Japanese bomb.