APUSH 2018 WWII Timeline The Invasion of Manchuria • September 18, 1931 – Japan launched an attack on Manchuria, a region in the Northeastern part of China, where they took control of many strategic points within the southern part of the region in a matter of days. • September 22, 1931 – The U.S. Minister to China informs Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson of the Invasion of Manchuria through a telegram, and Stimson is disgusted by Japan's disregard for the Kellogg-Briand Pact of August 27, 1928. • October 5, 1931 – Stimson pressures the League of Nations to assert themselves into the issue in order to show authority towards China and Japan and to follow the obligations of the Kellogg-Briand Pact as well as the Nine- Power Treaty. • October 20, 1931 – The U.S. Government pressures China and Japan to find a peaceful way to solve the Manchuria conflict. • March 27, 1933 – After much back and forth between the two nations, Japan refused to give up Manchuria and so the nation announced its intentions to leave the League of Nations. • This event is extremely significant as it causes Japan to leave the League of Nations which will eventually lead to them forming a pact with Germany, Italy, and Russia and creating the Axis Powers of WW2. THE MUNICH CONFERENCE- 9/29/1938 • IN GERMAN CHANCELLOR ADOLF HITLER'S ATTEMPTS TO CREATE A GERMAN ANSCHLUSS, HE SOUGHT TO ANNEX ALL GERMAN-SPEAKING LANDS, INCLUDING AUSTRIA IN MARCH 1938, AND NEXT, COVETED THE "SUDETENLAND" OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA, WHICH CONTAINED GERMAN SPEAKERS AS WELL. • THE POWERS OF EUROPE SOON DISCOVERED NAZI GERMANY'S PLANS TO OCCUPY SUDETENLAND BY FORCE, AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA RELIED ON THE ASSISTANCE OF BRITAIN AND FRANCE TO DEFEND IT IF AN INVASION OCCURRED. • WAR SEEMED IMMINENT, BUT BOTH BRITAIN AND FRANCE WERE WILLING TO TAKE ANY MEASURE POSSIBLE TO AVOID THE OUTBREAK OF WAR AND MAINTAIN PEACE, EVEN THROUGH APPEASEMENT (OFFERING CONCESSIONS TO GERMANY IN ORDER TO PRESERVE PEACE). • ON SEPT. 29, 1938, IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID WAR, A CONFERENCE IN MUNICH, WHICH INCLUDED CHAMBERLAIN OF BRITAIN, DALADIER OF FRANCE, MUSSOLINI OF ITALY, AND HITLER OF GERMANY, WAS HELD, IN WHICH THE PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES CAME TO THE CONSENSUS THAT GERMANY WAS ALLOWED TO ANNEX SUDETENLAND BY OCT. 10 IN EXCHANGE FOR HITLER PROMISING TO END BOTH THE ANNEXATION OF LAND AND GERMAN HOSTILITIES. • THE ALLIES BELIEVED IN THEIR HUBRIS THAT THEY HAD ACHIEVED A GREAT VICTORY AND AVERTED WAR, BUT HITLER OBVIOUSLY DID NOT KEEP HIS WORD, HENCE THE START OF WWII IN 1939. • SIGNIFICANCE: THE ALLIES FAILED IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO SUBDUE GERMANY AND AVERT WAR. Kristallnacht Took place on the night of November 9th and lasted until November 10th 1938. Was a result of the assassination of Ernst vom Rath, a German minister in Paris, the assassin being a Polish Jew. Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews. In addition to this many Jewish men were arrested and then sent to the established concentration camps. Named Kristallnacht, which means night of the broken glass, due to the shattered glass found all through the German streets. Significant in the fact that it was the beginning of the final phase of Hitler's plan and following this event there was I increase in violent acts against the Jews. Invasion of Poland (1939) Dates: September 1, 1939: official German invasion September 17, 1939: Russia invades Poland ■ Hitler hoped to colonize Poland without the interference of other major powers. ■ A couple days before the invasion, The Soviet Union and Germany signed the Non-Aggression Pact which states that they won't take military action against each other for 10 years. ■ Hitler used the "blitzkrieg" strategy: excessive bombing and massive land invasion with lots of troops, tanks, and artillery. ■ Due to the blitzkrieg strategy, the Polish army was quickly defeated. ■ After hearing word of the invasion, the Soviet Union army joins and invades Poland from the East. Significance: It triggered Britain and France to declare war on Germany, which officially started World War II. Fall of France May 10, 1940- Invasion begins June 12, 1940- Maginot Line failure June 22, 1940- Armistice Dunkirk British Expeditionary Force (BEF) Operation Dynamo Started on May 27th and lasted a week 800 vessels 300,000 men Battle of Britain August- September 1940 On June 17, 1940 France exited the World War leaving Britain alone against Germany Germany (the Luftwaffe) decided to try and invade Britain (the RAF) by air, despite Britain’s advanced air defense system Germany launched several attacks but none were effective. However, due to poor German communication, they did not know they were losing Germany soon started to attack London. Their first attack was successful, but the second greatly failed On September 15, British fighters crushed the German planes which led to the full retreat of German forces The Battle of Britain was significant because it was the first major battle to be fought entirely by air and it marked the first defeat of Hitler’s forces Bataan Death March (April 9, 1942) • The Japanese captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the American and Filipino defenders of Luzon (the island on which Manila is located) were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula • For the next three months, the combined U.S.-Filipino army held out despite a lack of naval and air support. Finally, on April 9, U.S. General Edward King Jr. surrendered his 75,000 troops at Bataan • The surrendered Filipinos and Americans were rounded up by the Japanese and forced to march 65 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, to San Fernando • Thousands of troops died because of the brutality of their captors and survivors were taken by rail from San Fernando to prisoner-of-war camps • America avenged its defeat in the Philippines with the invasion of the island of Leyte in October 1944 and In February 1945, when the U.S.- Filipino forces recaptured the Bataan Peninsula, and Manila was liberated in early March z Doolittle’s Raid . Doolittle’s Raid took place on Saturday, April 18, 1942. It was an air raid by America on Japan’s capital, Tokyo, and other areas of the Honshu Island. The raid was carried out by 80 male volunteers, led by James H. Doolittle. The American troops landed in China for fuel, rest and food, causing poor relations between China and Japan. Over 100,000 people died, about 300 of them being the American volunteers. Battle of Coral Sea – May 4-8, 1942 By: Alex Dvorak Was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces of the US and Australia Fought in the Pacific Theatre of WWII The US learned of the Japanese plan through signals intelligence, or the intercepting of signals Beginning on May 7, the carrier forces from the 2 sides engaged in airstrikes over 2 consecutive days Was a tactical victory for the Japanese and a strategic victory for the allies, US and Australia Significance: It was the first action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other, as well as the first in which neither side’s ships sighted or fired directly upon the other. Allies Attack North Africa: Nov 1942 ■ Also known as the Operation Torch. ■ Operation Torch was an invasion strategy by Allied forces into North Africa that took place November 1942, during World War II. ■ On November 8th, 1942, the allies land in Morocco starting the battle, Operation Torch ended two days after (November 10th, 1942). ■ A significance of Operation Torch was it was the first time the British and Americans had jointly worked on an invasion plan together. Casablanca Conference When: January 14, 1943 – January 24, 1943 Where: City of Casablanca, Morocco Meeting between FDR and Winston Churchill Strategies: Draw the Germans away from the eastern front Increase supply shipments to the Soviet Union Invasion of Sicily and the Italian mainland Strengthen bombing against Germany Remove the Japanese from Papa New Guinea Establish supply lines to China through Burma Significance: Coordination of allied powers against the axis powers BATTLE OF STALINGRAD By: Colin Hans • Beginning in September 1942, The German 6th army Overall and 4th Panzer Army, began to invade the city of Stalingrad. Summary • Stalingrad was an industrial powerhouse for the Russians. • Regarded as the bloodiest battle of the war • Ended in February 1943 • Significance: Turning point of the European Theater, destruction of an entire army, Army Group B, weakened their military might, and broke the Germans’ invincible façade. • 91,000 Germans taken prisoner, roughly 800,000 dead • 480,000 Soviet soldiers dead, over 500,000 wounded Allies Invade Sicily 1943 • September 3-17, 1943 • The British Army under Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery began the allied invasion of the Italian peninsula, landing at Calabria, Italy. • The day of the landing, the Italian government agreed to the Allies terms for surrender, but wasn’t made public until September 8. • On July 10, 1943 The allies began their invasion of Europe with landings on the island of Sicily, in 3 days there were 150,000 allied troops ashore. • On September 3, Montgomery’s 8th army began its invasion of the Italian mainland and the Italian government agreed to surrender. • By the terms of agreement the Italians would be treated with leniency if they aided the allies in expelling the Germans from Italy. • Significance: Allies got closer to Germany, the allies wanted to bomb Germany by controlling Italy allies were able to begin in bombing Germany. Planes can fly to and from Italy to bomb southern Germany without the need to refuel.