WW II time line

See also our Home Front timeline

1939 - 1945 The Second World War. Bombing of British cities, compulsory military service and food rationing were brought in.

1935 - 36

Italy invades and conquers Ethiopia.

1937

7 July -Japan invades China.

1938

Germany marches into Austria and takes it over.

1939

March -Germany takes over Czechoslovakia. Sept. - Germany invades Poland

3 Sept - The Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, declares war on Germany. France, Australia and New Zealand also declares war on  Germany.

6 Sept. - South Africa declares war on Germany.

10 Sept. -  Canada declares war on Germany.

17 Sept. - The Soviet Union invades  Poland from the east. 30 Nov. The Soviet Union invades Finland.

1940

9 Apr. - Germany invades Norway and Denmark.  Denmark surrenders on the day of the attack; Norway holds out until June 9.

10 May - Winston Churchill becomes the new British Prime Minister, replacing Neville Chamberlain.

10 May - Germany attacks western Europe - Luxembourg, Holland and Belgium.  Luxemburg surrenders to the Germans

12 May - The German army enters France

14 May Holland surrenders to the Germans.

14 May - The Local Defence Volunteers (Dad's Army) is created in  Britain. It was later called the Home Guard

27 May - The evacuation of 340,000 soldiers of the British and  French armies from the beaches of Dunkirk.

28 May - Belgium surrenders to the Germans

4 June - The last of the 338,000 British, French and Belgian forces evacuated from Dunkirk.

9 June - Norway surrenders to the Germans

10 June - Italy enters the war and declares war on  Britain and  France

14 June - The German army enters and took over Paris.

30 June 1940 (until the Liberation on 9 May 1945) German troops take over the Channel Islands, the only British soil occupied by Germany

21 June - Italy invades southern France.

22 June - German troups conquer most of  France. France surrenders to the Germans

9 July -  RAF Bomber Command start night raids on Germany

10th July - Battle of Britain begins

7 Sept -  The London Blitz starts

13 Sept. -  Italy invades British-controlled Egypt from Italian-controlled Libya.

20 Sept. - Germany,  Italy, and  Japan sign the Tripartite Pact.

Oct. -  Italy invades Greece

Nov. - Slovakia (November 23), Hungary (November 20), and Romania (November 22) join the Axis.

1941

March - Bulgaria joins the Axis.

6 Apr. - Germany invades Yugoslavia and  Greece.

10 May - German air raid damages the  House of Commons in London.

22 June - Germany invades Russia

7 Dec. - The  Japanese attack the USA Naval Base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii

8 Dec. - The  United States declares war on  Japan, entering World War II.

11 Dec. - Germany and  Italy declare war on the United States  United States formally declares declares war on Germany and  Italy.

25 Dec - Hong Kong surrenders to  Japan.

1942

2 Jan. -  Japan captures Manila in the Philippines

15 Feb. - The  Japan captures Singapore

5 May - The Battle of the Coral Sea between the  US and  Japanese navies

30 May - Anglo-Americans start bombing Germany

8 Nov -  British and  U.S. troops win back North Africa

11 - 13 Dec. - Nazi Germany and its Axis partners declare war on the  United States.

1943

19 April - MayWarsaw Ghetto Uprising in occupied Poland  The largest single revolt by Jews against the Nazis during WW2.

16 May - The Dam Buster Raid

28 Sept. -  Italy surrenders

10 Oct. -  Italy swaps sides and declares war on Germany

1944

4 June -  Rome is freed by the Allies

6 June -  British and U.S. troops successfully land on the Normandy beaches of  France, opening a “Second Front” against the Germans. This day is known as D-Day

12 June - The first of Germany's terror weapons, the V1 (doodlebug), falls in  England at Swanscombe in Kent

15 Aug. - Allied forces land in  southern France near Nice.

20 Aug. - Allied troops reach  Paris.

Aug/Sept - Warsaw Uprising in occupied Poland, the largest ever civilian revolt in history, by the Polish population against the Nazis.

11 Sept. - U.S. troops enter Germany

20 Oct. - U.S. troops land in the Philippines.

16 Dec. - The Germans launch a final offensive in the west, known as the Battle of the Bulge, in an attempt to re-conquer Belgium and split the Allied forces along the German border.

1945

12 Jan. - The Soviets liberate Warsaw and Krakow in  Poland.

13 Feb. - The  Soviets capture Budapest, capital city of Hungary.

16 Apr. - The  Soviets launch their final offensive, encircling Berlin.

30 Apr. - Hitler commits suicide

7 May Germany surrenders to the western Allies.

8 May  Winston Churchill announces VE Day - Victory in Europe. British people wave flags, sing and dance in the streets. WW2 ends in Europe

9 May - Germany surrenders to the  Soviets.

Creation of the Welfare State introduced social security payments for the unemployed.

6 Aug. - The first atomic bomb is dropped by  The United States on  Hiroshima killing 78,000 citizens

8 Aug. - The  Soviet Union declares war on  Japan and invades Manchuria.

9 Aug. -  The United States drops an atomic bomb on  Nagasaki.

14 Aug. -  Japan surrendered to the Allies after almost six years of war. V-J Day (Victory in Japan)

2 Sept. - Having agreed in principle to unconditional surrender on August 14, 1945, Japan formally surrenders, ending World War II.